POWRE: Soil Organic Matter Fractions and Dynamics in Experimental Tropical Ecosystems

土壤有机质组分与热带生态系统的动态关系。热带地区的土地退化导致农业生产力下降和地方贫困加剧。固有土壤肥力的丧失也有可能在全球范围内加剧气候变化。本研究的长期目标是阐明在退化土壤中调节土壤肥力恢复的生物学机制。该项目将调查哥斯达黎加试验森林人工林的物种组成和收获间隔时间如何以及为什么会影响土壤有机质动态。她将开发表征土壤有机质动力学的实验室方法，并使用基于过程的建模方法解释结果。更广泛的目标是增加我们对管理对关键生物过程的影响的理解，以便我们能够设计更可持续的农林业系统。

Russell 9973314Soil organic matter fractions and dynamics in experimental tropical ecosystems.Land degradation in the tropics translates into lower agricultural productivity and increased poverty at the local level. Loss of inherent soil fertility also has the potential to act at the global level to exacerbate climate change. The long-term goal of this research is to elucidate biological mechanisms that regulate the rejuvenation of soil fertility in degraded soils. The PI will investigate how and why soil organic matter dynamics are influenced by species composition and length of time between harvests in experimental forest plantations in Costa Rica. She will develop laboratory methods for characterizing soil organic matter dynamics and interpret the results using a process-based modeling approach. The broader objective is to increase our understanding of management impacts on key biological processes such that we can design more sustainable agroforestry systems.