Collaborative Research: Plant phenology, local adaptation, and growing season length in the changing Arctic tundra

合作研究：变化的北极苔原中的植物物候、当地适应和生长季节长度

• 批准号: 2109950
• 负责人: Gaius Shaver
• 金额: $ 35.99万
• 依托单位: Marine Biological Laboratory
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-10-01 至 2024-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2109950&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Plant; phenology; local

In the Arctic, plants begin their growth after winter snow melts in June. They stop growing when cold temperatures return in August. The growing season in the Arctic is shorter further north and longer towards the south. This causes the timing of their growth to vary between different populations of common plants. Because of climate change, the Arctic is getting warmer faster than areas that are further south, and the growing season is getting longer. Some plants may not adjust to the longer growing season because of their genes. In contrast, others may have genes that permit them to change. We find both kinds in the Arctic. This research will examine how light, temperature, and genetics work together to determine how arctic plants respond to changes in the growing season. For some plants, we will adjust the amount of light they receive to see how the plants respond. We will study if the plants have genes that allow them to stay active if the growing season changes. This approach will help to understand whether the plants will grow in a future warmer Arctic. To help the scientists working in Alaska, high school students in Pennsylvania will grow arctic plants in a laboratory to see how they respond to changes in light. College students from the University of Texas at El Paso will help with fieldwork in Alaska.Plant phenology, or the timing of leaf initiation, leaf death, and flowering, is one trait most affected by climate change. In the Arctic, changes in plant phenology can alter how ecosystems function at multiple levels. Previous research by our group identified a significant difference in growing season length between northern and southern populations of tussock cottongrass. This finding suggests that the phenology of this species is under genetic constraint. The present project will investigate the effect of local adaptation on the phenology of tussock cottongrass and two of its competitors, the dwarf birch and tealeaf willow. The hypothesis is that temperature, light, and genetics, in different combinations, are responsible for differences in phenology in the Arctic. The strength of these controls will vary between populations that are found in different environments. Field and growth chamber experiments will determine the role of temperature, light, and genetics on plant phenology. We will monitor plants at the leaf and ecosystem scales to understand how phenology and growing season length affect plant function and ecosystem responses. A combination of methods will provide a unified approach to plant response to climate change in the Arctic. This project will have broader impacts on arctic science by building on a strong tradition that involves undergraduates in arctic field research. The project will recruit assistants from a small university with many first-generation students and from a leading Hispanic Serving Institution. It will also involve high school students from Wilkes-Barre in laboratory studies of phenology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

在北极，植物在六月冬季降雪融化后开始生长。当八月份寒冷的温度恢复时，它们停止增长。北极的生长季节更短，向北更长。这导致它们的生长时间在不同的普通植物种群之间变化。由于气候变化，北极越来越高的速度要比向南更南的地区快，而且生长季节越来越长。由于其基因，有些植物可能无法适应更长的生长季节。相比之下，其他人可能具有使它们改变的基因。我们在北极发现两种。这项研究将研究光，温度和遗传学如何共同确定北极植物如何应对生长季节的变化。对于某些植物，我们将调整他们收到的光量，以了解植物的反应。我们将研究植物是否具有使生长季节变化的基因能够保持活跃的基因。这种方法将有助于了解这些植物是否会在未来的北极地区生长。为了帮助在阿拉斯加工作的科学家，宾夕法尼亚州的高中学生将在实验室中种植北极植物，以了解他们对光线变化的反应。来自德克萨斯大学埃尔帕索分校的大学生将帮助阿拉斯加的现场工作，或者植物的开始，叶子启动，叶子死亡和开花的时机是受气候变化影响最大的特征。在北极，植物候位的变化可以改变生态系统在多个层次上的功能。我们小组的先前研究表明，杜塞克·科特纳斯（Tussock Cottongrass）北部和南部人群之间的生长季节长度有显着差异。这一发现表明该物种的物候学处于遗传约束之下。本项目将研究局部适应对Tussock Cottongrass及其两个竞争对手矮桦树和泰勒贸易的竞争对手的物候的影响。假设是，不同组合中的温度，光和遗传学是北极物候学差异的原因。在不同环境中发现的种群之间，这些控件的强度将有所不同。现场和生长室实验将确定温度，光和遗传学对植物物候的作用。我们将在叶子和生态系统尺度上监测植物，以了解物候学和生长季节长度如何影响植物功能和生态系统反应。方法的组合将为北极气候变化的植物反应提供统一的方法。该项目将通过建立涉及北极野外研究本科生的强大传统来对北极科学产生更大的影响。该项目将在一所小大学中招募许多第一代学生以及领先的西班牙裔服务机构的助手。这也将涉及来自威尔克斯·巴雷（Wilkes-Barre）的高中生在实验室研究中。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响标准，被认为值得通过评估来获得支持。