Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY2006

2006财年少数族裔博士后研究奖学金

• 批准号: 0610453
• 负责人: Erika Marin-Spiotta
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Marin-Spiotta Erika
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-07-01 至 2009-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0610453&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Minority; Postdoctoral; Research; Fellowship; FY2006

This project is awarded under the Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and Supporting Activities Program for 2006. The patchy distribution of vegetation across a landscape may result from the non-uniform allocation of limited resources, such as water and soil nutrients, as well as the effect of a disturbance, such as selective pressure from predators, competitors, or fire. The complex feedbacks between the physical and biotic environments need to be considered when developing management plans for conservation and restoration in heterogeneous ecosystems. I propose to examine the biotic and abiotic controls on the availability of an important plant nutrient in semi-arid South African savannas at Kruger National Park, to improve our understanding of soil-plant interactions and how they respond to fire and grazing. I will focus on silicon (Si), which is used as a plant-defense mechanism, and thus expected to be important in ecosystems dominated by herbivores. Silicon is also involved in enhancing plant growth and improves plants' ability to survive in nutrient poor soils or in the presence of toxic elements. My research will contribute to our understanding of the factors shaping heterogeneous distribution of vegetation which determines wildlife habitat at Kruger. The cycle of Si is linked to the carbon cycle, and to global climate, through the process of soil mineral weathering and Si's contribution to marine primary productivity. Very little is known about the role of grasslands in the global Si cycle. The application of isotope geochemistry to ecosystem ecology is revolutionizing our understanding of the processes that shape ecosystem structure and function. I am interested in the interactions between plants and their environment, especially soils, the atmosphere, and hydrology. Through my proposed post-doctoral research, I will gain training in new isotope techniques and geochemical methods that will allow me to better understand processes and underlying mechanisms controlling biogeochemical cycling. I expect to develop collaborations at my post-doctoral host institution, U.C. Santa Barbara (UCSB) under the mentorship of Dr. Oliver Chadwick, and in South Africa. I will join a small number of biogeochemists establishing new research programs with local scientists in Africa. I will also have the opportunity to participate in the training of the next generation of indigenous scientists and natural resource managers in a post-apartheid South Africa, by mentoring a graduate student from the University of the Witwatersrand. This opportunity will build upon my past mentoring experiences at U.C. Berkeley, and contribute to my preparation as a teacher and student advisor. I will build upon my past studies in Political Science to get students to think about the social and political context of scientific research and environmental management.

该项目是根据2006年少数民族博士后研究奖学金和支持活动计划授予的。植被在整个景观中的不均匀分布可能是由于有限资源的不均匀分配，如水和土壤养分，以及干扰的影响，如来自捕食者，竞争对手或火灾的选择性压力。 在制定异质生态系统的保护和恢复管理计划时，需要考虑物理环境和生物环境之间的复杂反馈。 我建议研究生物和非生物控制的重要植物养分的可用性在半干旱的南非热带稀树草原克鲁格国家公园，以提高我们的理解土壤植物相互作用，以及它们如何应对火灾和放牧。 我将专注于硅（Si），它被用作植物防御机制，因此预计将在食草动物占主导地位的生态系统中发挥重要作用。 硅还参与促进植物生长，并提高植物在营养贫乏的土壤或有毒元素存在下的生存能力。 我的研究将有助于我们了解的因素，塑造异质分布的植被，决定野生动物栖息地在克鲁格。 硅的循环与碳循环和全球气候有关，通过土壤矿物风化过程和硅对海洋初级生产力的贡献。 关于草原在全球硅循环中的作用知之甚少。同位素地球化学在生态系统生态学中的应用正在彻底改变我们对生态系统结构和功能形成过程的认识。 我感兴趣的是植物和环境之间的相互作用，特别是土壤，大气和水文。 通过我提出的博士后研究，我将获得新的同位素技术和地球化学方法的培训，这将使我能够更好地了解控制地球化学循环的过程和潜在机制。 我希望在我的博士后接待机构，加州大学发展合作。圣巴巴拉（UCSB）在奥利弗查德威克博士的指导下，并在南非。 我将加入少数地球化学家的行列，与非洲当地的科学家一起建立新的研究项目。 我还将有机会通过指导威特沃特斯兰德大学的一名研究生，参与培训种族隔离后南非的下一代土著科学家和自然资源管理人员。 这个机会将建立在我过去在U.C.的指导经验。伯克利分校，并有助于我准备作为一名教师和学生顾问。 我将建立在我过去的研究在政治学让学生思考科学研究和环境管理的社会和政治背景。