Collaborative Research: Below-ground Productivity Comparisons Across LTER+ Sites and Development of Applications Software for Research in Ecology

这个项目的重点是在北美的一些地点（LTER地点和其他具有重要根系生物量信息的地点）通过植物根系合成地下生产力。地下生产力是净初级生产力（NPP）的一个重要组成部分，但很少有人对不同地点的地下生产力进行比较，并提出综合假设，以解释控制根系生长和死亡以及根系碳分配的因素。这些信息对于理解NPP以及预测全球变化对NPP的影响至关重要。地下生态系统基本上被忽视了。该项目有两个目标：第一，开发一个适合根生态学站间/综合研究的计算机系统；第二，将这个系统用于新的科学研究。具体来说，下面的地下生产力问题将被解决：在不同的生态系统中，非生物变量（主要是气候和土壤）如何影响地下根系生物量？2. 不同生态系统中地上植被类型对地下根系生物量有何影响？3. 在不同的生态系统中，地上和地下生物量参数（密度、健康、恢复力等）之间存在什么关系？这个项目是围绕着一系列的研讨会来组织的，在这些研讨会中生态学家（主要是根科学家）与信息工程师（具有数据库、应用软件和网络专业知识的计算机系统专业人员）合作。计划设立一个试点和两个生产车间。对于每个研讨会，活动都是相似的：(1)设计和原型的根数据库和相关的应用软件套件相关的生态系统；(2)验证原型数据库和应用软件在研讨会前（仅限于组织者），然后细化系统，如有必要；(3)收集主题生态系统的真实数据和元数据集，并将这些数据加载到数据库中，并进行适当的质量控制；(4)举办正式的研讨会，要求参与者使用收集到的数据库和应用软件套件，实际完成站点间/综合科学。该项目的意义在于，它为科学家提供了信息技术援助，帮助他们了解根系生态在空间和时间上如何在不同地点发生变化，以及根系生态如何受到气候、土壤、地上植被和其他特定地点因素的影响。此外，该项目将发展一系列数据库和相关的应用软件套件，用于生态学的站点间/综合工作，并将在互联网上发布，希望能激发对其他生态学科类似努力的兴趣。

9416808 Bledsoe This project focuses on synthesis of below-ground productivity by plant roots at a number of sites in North America (LTER sites and other sites with significant root biomass information). Below-ground productivity is a key part of net primary productivity (NPP), yet there have been few efforts to compare below-ground productivity across different sites and develop synthetic hypotheses which might explain factors which control root growth and death and allocation of carbon to roots. This information is vital in understanding NPP, as well as in predicting effects of global change on NPP. The below-ground ecosystem has been neglected, essentially. The project has a dual objective: first, to develop a computer system which is suitable for intersite/synthetic research in root ecology; and second, to actually use that system for new scientific research. Specifically, the following below-ground productivity questions will be addressed: 1. How do abiotic variables (primarily climate and soil) affect below-ground root biomass in different ecosystems? 2. How does above-ground vegetation type affect below-ground root biomass in different ecosystems? 3. What relationships exist between above- and below-ground biomass parameters (density, health, resilience, etc.) in different ecosystems? The project is organized around a series of workshops in which ecologists (primarily root scientists) collaborate with information engineers (computer systems professionals with expertise in data-bases, application software, and networking). One pilot and two production workshops are planned. For each workshop the activities are similar: (1) design and prototyping of a root data-base and an associated application software-suite relevant to the ecosystem of interest: (2) validation of the prototype data-base and application software in a pre-workshop (limited to the organizers), followed by refinements to the system, as necessary; (3) collection of real-world data and metadata sets for topic ecosystem, and loading these data into the data-base with appropriate quality controls; (4) hosting of a formal workshop at which participants are challenged to make use the collected data-base and application software-suite, actually accomplishing intersite/synthetic science. The significance of the project is the information technology assistance it offers scientists in understanding how root ecology varies spatially and temporally across sites, and how it is affected by climate, soils, above-ground vegetation and other site-specific factors. Further, the project will evolve a series of data-bases and associated application software suites for intersite/synthetic work in ecology, to be published across the Internet, which hopefully will stimulate interest for similar efforts in other ecological disciplines.