Ecophysiological Roles of Plants, Mycorrhizae, and Soil Microbes in Early Spring Nitrogen Dynamics

PI将研究在科罗拉多高山地区的融雪过程中，必需的植物营养氮（N）如何从土壤微生物转移到植物中。 PI的初步研究表明，在雪融化过程中，土壤微生物数量下降，这种下降与土壤中氮的增加相吻合。 令人惊讶的是，这种氮脉冲几乎完全保留在系统内，不会污染下游水源。 PI将研究植物和真菌如何与土壤微生物竞争融雪过程中释放的氮的机制。 PI还将调查是什么原因导致雪融化期间土壤微生物的下降。 这些研究将有助于我们了解氮是如何保留在高山系统。 这一信息是很重要的，因为氮输入（汽车尾气和发电厂排放）正在增加和N作为一种污染物，如果它是从高山地区冲入下游饮用水供应。

The PIs will study how the essential plant nutrient nitrogen (N) is transferred from soil microorganisms to plants during snow melt in the Colorado alpine. The PIs preliminary studies show that there is a decline in the population of soil microorganisms during snow melt and that this decline coincides with an increase in N in the soil. Surprisingly this pulse of N is almost entirely retained within the system and does not pollute downstream water sources. The PIs will study the mechanics of how plants and fungi associated with plant roots compete with soil microorganisms for the N released during snow melt. The PIs will also investigate what causes the decline of soil microorganisms during snow melt. These studies will help us to understand how N is retained in alpine systems. This information is important since N inputs (from car exhaust and power plant emissions) are increasing and N acts as a pollutant if it is flushed from alpine areas into downstream drinking water supplies.