BIOCOMPLEXITY--Incubation Activity on Biocomplexity in Peatlands

泥炭地是积累了大量土壤有机质的湿地。北方泥炭地是全球碳循环的重要组成部分，拥有全球土壤碳库的三分之一。在气候变暖的情况下，这种土壤碳可能会被氧化，以二氧化碳和/或甲烷这两种重要的温室气体的形式排放到大气中，从而加剧人类引发的气候变化。因此，预测泥炭地对气候变化的反应是很重要的。这项孵化计划的目标是将两个研究小组聚集在一起，他们开发了显示复杂行为的泥炭地的单独模型。一个模型侧重于碳积累和水文之间的反馈，而另一个模型侧重于植物群落和养分可获得性之间的反馈。将开发一个综合模拟模型的框架，该模型可以(I)模拟数千年来泥炭地的形成和发展以及由此在地貌上形成的不同泥炭地生态系统的模式，以及(Ii)探索它们对气候变化的短期反应。该模型将提供对这些独特生态系统的复杂行为的深入了解，并将在预测气候变化对泥炭地的影响和潜在反馈方面具有无价的价值。

Peatlands are wetlands that have accumulated significant amounts of soil organic matter. Northern peatlands are an important component of the global carbon cycle and contain one-third of the global soil carbon pool. Under a warmer climate, this soil carbon may be oxidized and emitted to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and/or methane, two important greenhouse gases, and thus exacerbate human-induced climate change. Therefore, it is important to predict the response of peatlands to climate change. The objective of this incubation proposal is to bring together two research groups that have developed separate models of peatlands which display complex behaviors. One model focuses on feedbacks between carbon accumulation and hydrology, whereas the other model focuses on feedbacks between plant communities and nutrient availability. A framework will be developed for a comprehensive simulation model that can both (i) simulate the initiation and development of peatlands over thousands of years and the resulting pattern of different peatland ecosystems that form on the landscape, and (ii) explore their shorter term response to climate change. This model will provide great insight into the complex behaviors of these unique ecosystems and will be invaluable in predicting the effects and potential feedbacks of climate change on peatlands