REU: Collaborative Research: Photosynthesis and Stomatal Conductance During Periods of Variable Sunlight

这项拟议的研究将检查在日照波动的条件下控制植物生长和本地植物所用水分的基本生理过程。以前的大多数研究都是在持续的阳光下进行的，但由于云或其他植物相互遮蔽，本地植物和农业植物更容易暴露在阳光的变化中。植物如何在生长和水分利用方面对日照水平的波动做出反应的基本知识，对于我们理解当地植物和作物生产力至关重要。这些研究将建立在已经记录在案的反应模式的基础上，并提供对它们的机械性解释。非稳态植物对湿度、可用水减少和温度的反应将完成。这种机理上的理解对基础生态学家以及在农作物植物中的应用都很有用。将三种不同的生态系统用于研究地点(亚高山、沙漠、高草草原)将扩大结果的适用性。

The proposed research will examine basic physiological processes controlling plant growth and water used in native plants under conditions of fluctuating sunlight. Most previous studies have been done under constant sunlight but both native and agricultural plants are more commonly exposed to variations in sunlight due to clouds or other plants shading each other. Basic knowledge of how plants respond to fluctuating levels of sunlight in terms of their growth and water use is crucial for our understanding of native plant and crop productivity. The studies will build upon patterns of responses already documented and provide a mechanistic interpretation of them. No-steady state plant responses to humidity, reduced water availability, and temperature will be completed. Such a mechanistic understanding will be useful to basic ecologists as well as use in crops plants. The use of three different ecosystems for study sites (subalpine, desert, tallgrass prairie) will broaden the applicability of the results.