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

SGER：1997/98 ENSO 事件期间南美沿海沙漠的植物采集和生态观测

• 批准号: 9801297
• 负责人: Michael Dillon
• 金额: $ 4.98万
• 依托单位: Field Museum of Natural History
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1997
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1997-12-01 至 1999-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9801297&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SGER; Botanical; Collecting; Ecological; Observations

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.

小行星9801297 厄尔尼诺现象的发展对美洲气候的主要影响预测包括南美洲北方沙漠的降雨量大大增加。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和被称为“洛马斯”的社区。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家同事菲利普·伦德尔博士与智利和秘鲁的同事一起研究了这些极端干旱地区的植物群和植被。他们已经积累了标本和相关的观测数据，记录了1175种开花植物的出现，分属于97科418属，在这两个国家的各种洛马地层中。其中许多是罕见的或短暂的发生，并为大多数是鲜为人知的种子寿命在土壤中和发芽的要求，或有关生长和发育繁殖。与东道国同事合作，在少数实地地点对植被覆盖、组成和周转等基本生态信息进行了长期监测。 通过这一探索性研究小额赠款方案提供的快速供资，使得有可能在即将发生的厄尔尼诺/南方涛动事件期间，对智利北方和秘鲁南部沙漠地区的植物区系和生态监测作出迅速反应。物种的变化将与现有的数据库相结合，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藏进行认证。生态监测将奠定基础，以便更深入地研究与光合途径和水关系有关的耐旱性。今年的实地工作将有可能与前几个厄尔尼诺年记录的植物区系和植被条件进行直接比较。