SGER: Botanical Collecting and Ecological Observations in Coastal South American Deserts during the 1997/98 ENSO Event

[801297] Dillon厄尔尼诺现象对美洲主要气候影响的预测包括南美洲北部沙漠降雨量的大幅增加。1982年和1987年的厄尔尼诺现象导致智利和秘鲁沿海非常干燥的沙漠中开花植物的出现急剧增加，特别是在经常有雾的地区，被称为“洛马”社区。多年来，菲尔德自然历史博物馆的植物学家迈克尔·狄龙博士和他的生态学同事菲利普·朗德尔博士，以及智利和秘鲁的同事，一直在研究这些极度干旱地区的植物群和植被。他们收集了标本和相关的观测数据，记录了两国不同地形中97科418属1175种开花植物的生长情况。其中许多是罕见的或短暂的，对大多数人来说，对种子在土壤中的寿命和发芽要求，或对生长发育到繁殖的了解很少。在东道国同事的合作下，仅在几个实地场址对基本生态信息，如植被覆盖、组成和更替进行了长期监测。在即将到来的ENSO事件期间，通过探索性研究小额赠款项目加速供资，可以迅速响应对智利北部和秘鲁南部沙漠地区植物区系和生态监测的机会。物种的变化将与现有的数据库整合在一起，这些数据库可以通过网络访问，并通过菲尔德博物馆和其他地方的标本收集来验证。生态监测将为与光合途径和水分关系有关的更复杂的耐旱性研究奠定基础。明年的实地工作将有可能与以往厄尔尼诺年份记录的植物区系和植被状况进行直接比较。

9801297 Dillon Predictions of major climatic impacts in the Americas from developing El Nino conditions include greatly increased rainfall in deserts of northern South America. Past El Nino conditions, in 1982 and again in 1987, led to dramatic increases in the appearance of flowering plants in the very dry deserts of coastal Chile and Peru, especially in zones subject to regular fogs and known as "lomas" communities. For many years the botanist Dr. Michael Dillon of the Field Museum of Natural History and his ecologist colleague Dr. Philip Rundel, working with Chilean and Peruvian colleagues, have been studying the flora and vegetation of these hyper arid regions. They have amassed specimens and associated observational data documenting the occurrence of 1175 species of flowering plants, placed in 418 genera in 97 families, in various lomas formations in the two countries. Many of these are rare or ephemeral in occurrence, and for most little is known about seed longevity in the soil and germination requirements, or about growth and development to reproduction. Long term monitoring of basic ecological information, like vegetation cover, composition, and turnover, has been possible at just a few field sites, in collaboration with host-country colleagues. Expedited funding through this Small Grant for Exploratory Research program makes it possible to respond promptly to the opportunity for floristic and ecological monitoring of desert regions in northern Chile and southern Peru, during the impending ENSO event. Species changes will be integrated with existing databases know accessible through the Web, and authenticated by specimen collections at the Field Museum and elsewhere. Ecological monitoring will lay the basis for more sophisticated studies on drought tolerance in relation to photosynthetic pathways and water relations. Field work this coming year will make possible direct comparison with floristic and vegetational conditions documented from previous El Nino years.