MRI: Acquisition of an Infrared Thermal Imaging System for Applications in Ecology and Behavior

MRI：获取用于生态学和行为应用的红外热成像系统

• 批准号: 0216439
• 负责人: Thomas Kunz
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Trustees of Boston University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-06-01 至 2005-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0216439&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Acquisition; Infrared; Thermal; Imaging

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Thomas Kunz at Boston University to acquire anadvanced infrared thermal (IRT) imaging system to investigate the ecology and behavior of animals and plants. The instrumentation is prepared for rugged fieldwork and includes a high resolution infrared camera and lenses, video-signal electronics for real-time data acquisition, and small computer with specialized software for operation. The system accurately measures the surface temperature of organisms and objects without making physical contact. Detailed observations of plants and animals can be made in total darkness and without impinging on an organism's normal activities. The highly sensitive data enables further inferences to be made about metabolic activity and behavior for known organisms under investigation. Research projects involve a variety of animal and plant species and address problems in thermoregulation and behavior, ecosystem mass and energy exchange, and biological field assessments in difficult environmental situations. The IRT system will be utilized for studies that address behavior, ecology, andphysiological requirements for species of bats, lizards, migratory, ground-nesting birds, and carnivorous plants. Thermoregulation in lizards, insects, carnivorous plants, and several bat species will be investigated. Ground-based thermal imaging data to assess variation in energy balance from soils, individual leaves, and entire vegetation canopies will enable validation of computer models and space-based thermal remote sensing of land surfaces. Census data will be collected of migratory, ground-nesting birds and Brazilian free-tailed bats; field surveys will be made of foliage roosting bats. Several proposed studies involve the ecologically-important, Brazilian free-tailed bats which roost in the Southwest U.S. These particular bats provide one of the most impressive examples of a continental-scale, natural pest-control service in North America through consumption of enormous quantities of agricultural pests that could ultimately affect the Central U.S. corn belt. IRT technology will produce reliable estimates of the size and activity of the bat colonies, quantify aspects of insect life cycle and infestation, and ultimately link levels of bat activity and feeding with levels of insect infestation, crop damage, and the need for pesticides. Studies are proposed that will provide a better understanding of the behavior and ecological impact of a variety of animal species, provide new insight into the life processes of carnivorous plants, and validate larger-scale, space-based, remote sensing data and computer models for large land areas.The broader scope of research with this instrumentation is to develop a clearer picture ofthe complex processes within an ecosystem that regulate how water, energy, and carbon are exchanged between soil and vegetation. Research projects will also provide trainingopportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral scientists. Projects will also use the visually striking images captured by the IRT system to communicate new discoveries to a broad public audience via articles in popular media, textbooks, TV, and on the world wide web.

波士顿大学的 Thomas Kunz 博士获得了一笔资助，用于购买先进的红外热 (IRT) 成像系统，以研究动植物的生态和行为。该仪器专为恶劣的现场工作而设计，包括高分辨率红外摄像机和镜头、用于实时数据采集的视频信号电子设备以及带有专用操作软件的小型计算机。该系统无需物理接触即可准确测量生物体和物体的表面温度。可以在完全黑暗的情况下对植物和动物进行详细观察，而不会影响生物体的正常活动。高度敏感的数据可以进一步推断正在研究的已知生物体的代谢活动和行为。研究项目涉及多种动植物物种，解决困难环境条件下的温度调节和行为、生态系统质量和能量交换以及生物现场评估等问题。 IRT 系统将用于研究蝙蝠、蜥蜴、候鸟、地面筑巢鸟类和食肉植物的行为、生态和生理需求。将研究蜥蜴、昆虫、食肉植物和几种蝙蝠的体温调节。用于评估土壤、单个叶子和整个植被冠层能量平衡变化的地面热成像数据将能够验证计算机模型和地表天基热遥感。将收集候鸟、地面筑巢鸟类和巴西无尾蝙蝠的普查数据；将对栖息在树叶上的蝙蝠进行实地调查。几项拟议的研究涉及栖息在美国西南部的具有生态重要性的巴西无尾蝙蝠。这些特殊的蝙蝠提供了北美大陆规模的自然害虫防治服务中最令人印象深刻的例子之一，它们通过消耗大量的农业害虫而最终影响美国中部的玉米带。 IRT技术将对蝙蝠群落的规模和活动进行可靠的估计，量化昆虫生命周期和侵扰的各个方面，并最终将蝙蝠活动和摄食水平与昆虫侵扰、作物损害和杀虫剂需求水平联系起来。提出的研究将有助于更好地了解各种动物物种的行为和生态影响，为食虫植物的生命过程提供新的见解，并验证大范围的天基遥感数据和计算机模型。利用该仪器进行更广泛的研究范围是更清晰地了解生态系统内调节水、能量和碳如何在土壤和植被之间交换的复杂过程。研究项目还将为本科生、研究生以及博士后科学家提供培训机会。项目还将利用 IRT 系统捕获的视觉上引人注目的图像，通过流行媒体、教科书、电视和万维网上的文章向广大公众传达新发现。