MRI/RUI: Acquisition of Instrumentation for Nutrient Analyses in Ecological Research

在彼得·雅各布森博士的指导下，格林内尔学院获得了一笔赠款，用于购买一套三套仪器，其共同的重点是：阐明营养动态对生态系统的影响。该设备-氮/碳分析仪，自动化离子分析仪和燃烧分析仪-将用于跨越生态学广度的学生/教师合作研究项目，从植物的生态生理学研究到水文变化的大规模生态系统影响。这些仪器能够自动化许多耗时的程序，这将使这些调查对学生来说更高效，更有效的学习工具，他们将能够花更多的时间探索适当的分析模式，并理解他们的数据应用。具体而言，该设备将有助于调查：(1)火和放牧影响草原节肢动物群落的机制；(2)植物繁殖过程中资源权衡的养分敏感性；(3)影响丛枝和外生菌根真菌群落的环境因素；(4)洪水脉冲对河岸林养分动态和生产的影响。除了这些研究之外，该仪器将大大增加学生在实验室和现场的调查范围，同时为他们提供在生态研究中使用最先进的分析技术的宝贵经验。拟议的活动有若干更广泛的影响。格林内尔学院致力于整合研究和本科教育，使自动化，用户友好的仪器必不可少。拟议的活动将使学生了解营养分析技术的原理和应用，同时使他们与教师一起参与真正的研究。这些活动将以不同的方式促进我们对生态系统营养动态的理解，同时通过为生态研究和教育提供先进的工具，大大加强学院的基础设施。与格林内尔学院的其他仪器一样，这种新设备将被整合到各个层次的课程中，丰富学生的研究训练和学习。

A grant has been awarded to Grinnell College under the direction of Dr. Peter Jacobson to purchase a suite of three instruments with a common focus: to elucidate the influences of nutrient dynamics on ecological systems. This equipment - a Nitrogen/Carbon Analyzer, an Automated Ion Analyzer and a Combustion Analyzer -- will be used in collaborative student/faculty research projects spanning the breadth of ecology, from ecophysiological studies of plants to large-scale ecosystem impacts of hydrologic change. The instruments' ability to automate many time-consuming procedures will make these investigations more efficient and more effective learning tools for students, who will be able to spend more of their time exploring appropriate modes of analysis and understanding the applications of their data. Specifically, the equipment will enable investigations of: (1) the mechanisms by which fire and grazing affect prairie arthropod communities; (2) the nutrient-sensitivity of resource trade-offs in plant reproduction; (3) the environmental factors that shape arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal fungal communities; and (4) the influence of flood pulses on nutrient dynamics and production in riparian forests. In addition to these studies, the instrumentation will significantly increase the range of investigations available to students in the laboratory and field while providing them with invaluable experience using state-of-the-art analytical techniques in ecological studies. The proposed activities have a number of broader impacts. Grinnell College's dedication to integrating research and undergraduate education makes automated, user-friendly instruments essential. The proposed activities would allow students to understand both the principles and applications of nutrient analysis techniques, while involving them in authentic research with faculty. These activities will contribute in diverse ways to our understanding of nutrient dynamics in ecological systems, while significantly enhancing the College's infrastructure by providing sophisticated tools for ecological research and education. As with other instrumentation at Grinnell College, this new equipment will be integrated into the curriculum at all levels, enriching the research training and learning of a broad cross-section of students.