Dissertation Research: Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling in a Changing Environment: Is Genetic Diversity Redundant to Ecosystem Function?

尽管进行了大量研究，但生物多样性如何影响生态系统功能仍不清楚。本研究将评估种间效应是否盖过种内变异对生态系统动态的影响。 作为本论文的一部分进行的田间试验发现，凋落叶的遗传组成影响单宁含量，分解速率和氮含量的碳和氮循环的组件。低的遗传多样性产生特异质的营养循环，显着不同的高多样性的治疗。虽然该项目的独特之处在于其重点是种内多样性，而不是种间多样性，但需要考虑与种间多样性相关的影响。具体来说，将减少种内多样性的影响被掩盖的一个单一的共同出现的物种？为了回答这个问题，PI建议在实验室中重复现场实验，添加和不添加天然共同存在的松树凋落物。通过比较有和没有松树凋落物的橡树凋落物的碳和氮动态，PI将能够评估群落中额外物种对种内遗传多样性减少的生态系统水平后果的影响

Despite numerous studies, it is still unclear how biodiversity affects ecosystem function. This research will evaluate whether interspecific effects overshadow intraspecific variation in influencing ecosystem dynamics. A field experiment being conducted as part of this dissertation has found that genetic makeup of leaf litter affected components of the carbon and nitrogen cycles by influencing tannin content, decomposition rate, and nitrogen content. Low genetic diversity yielded idiosyncratic nutrient cycles that differed significantly from high diversity treatments. While this project is unique in its focus on intraspecific, and not interspecific diversity, the implications need to be considered in relation to interspecific diversity. Specifically, will the effects of decreased intraspecific diversity be masked by the addition of a single commonly co-occurring species? To answer this, the PIs propose to replicate field experiments in the lab with and without the addition of naturally co-occurring pine litter. By comparing carbon and nitrogen dynamics of oak litter with and without pine litter, the PIs will be able to assess the effects of additional species in the community on the ecosystem-level consequences of reduced intraspecific genetic diversity