Collaborative Research: Aquatic Plant Beds as Biogeochemical Hot Spots in a Large River Ecosystem.

这项工作的目标是记录和了解水生植物床对调节氧气，植物营养素和温室气体的生态地球化学反应的影响。 这项工作将在一条大河（哈德逊河）进行，那里有大量的外来入侵水生植物和本地水生植物，重点是物种的影响以及水文对水生植物床功能的影响。 连续记录仪器，建模和系统实验将被用来满足研究目标。 拟议的工作将增加越来越多的关于物种去除或增加（通过物种引进）如何影响生态系统功能的知识。 在哈德逊河中引进的植物（欧洲菱）目前正在湖泊和河流系统中积极清除，费用相当高，在包括哈德逊河在内的其他系统中，关于清除菱的决定仍在作出中，拟议的工作将有助于这一管理决定。哈德逊河谷包括大量的教育和管理团体，他们对教育不同的观众了解哈德逊河的生态有着浓厚的兴趣。 通过持续的NSF - REU赠款，重点是IES的少数民族包容性，以及拟议赠款的资金，本科生将有机会在更大的生态系统实验背景下完成项目。 该项目的跨学科性质将使本科生和研究生有机会接受生态系统科学的生物地球化学和物理方法的培训。

The objectives of this work are to document and understand the impacts of aquatic plant beds on biogeochemical reactions that regulate oxygen, plant nutrients and greenhouse gasses. The work will take place in a large river (the Hudson River) where an alien invasive aquatic plant and a native aquatic plant are present in high abundance and the focus will be on species impacts as well as hydrologic impacts on the functioning of aquatic plant beds. Continuously recording instruments, modeling, and a system experiment will be used to meet the research goals. The proposed work will add to a growing body of knowledge on how species removal or addition (by species introductions) can impact ecosystem functioning. The introduced plant in the Hudson (the Eurasion water chestnut) is now being actively removed at considerable expense in lakes and river systems and in other systems, including the Hudson, decisions on water chestnut removal are still being made and the proposed work will aid in this management decision. The Hudson Valley includes a large number of educational and management groups with a substantial interest in educating diverse audiences on the ecology of the Hudson River. Through an ongoing NSF - REU grant with a focus on minority inclusion at IES, and funding from the proposed grant, undergraduates will have the opportunity to complete projects within the context of a larger ecosystem experiment. The interdisciplinary nature of this project will afford undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to be trained in both biogeochemical and physical approaches to ecosystem science.