Dissertation Improvement Grant: Woody plant water stress tolerance and predicting global warming effects on Mediterranean-type climate region biodiversity

世界上五个物种丰富的地中海型气候区（MTCR）尤其受到全球气候变化的威胁，但人们对这些地区的木本植物物种如何应对预测的气候变暖和干燥知之甚少。虽然一些地区的植物，如加利福尼亚，已经得到了很好的研究，但其他地区的物种，如南非，仍然知之甚少。将测量来自南非MTCR的17种木本植物的植物水运安全性（在严重水分胁迫下茎部继续输水的能力）。这些数据将与已经从这个和其他MTCR收集的物种数据进行比较。这些数据将用于估计物种的环境耐受性，并预测可能受到全球气候变化影响的物种和群落。目前尚未对南非地中海型气候区（MTCR）任何灌木物种的植物水运安全性进行测量。如果来自该地区的植物在干旱反应方面与来自其他MTCR的物种相似，那么在研究更彻底的地区测量的数据可能适用于那些研究较少的地区。这些数据可以用来最大限度地减少气候变化对这些地区生物多样性的影响。此外，国际合作将增加可用于制定保护全球生物多样性的缓解战略的知识库。

The five species-rich Mediterranean-type climate regions (MTCR) of the world are particularly threatened by global climate change, yet little is known about how the woody plant species in these areas will respond to predicted climate warming and drying. While plants in some regions, such as California, have been well studied, species in other regions, such as South Africa, remain poorly understood. Plant water transport safety (capacity of stems to continue water transmission under severe water stress) of 17 woody plant species from the MTCR of South Africa will be measured. These data will be compared to data already collected on species from this and other MTCR. Combined, these data will be used to estimate species environmental tolerance and to predict the species and communities likely to be affected by global climate change. Plant water transport safety has not been measured for any of the shrub species of the Mediterranean-type climate region (MTCR) of South Africa. If plants from this region are similar in their drought response to species from other MTCR then data measured in more thoroughly studied regions may be applied to those that have been less studied. Such data could be used to minimize climate change impact on biodiversity in these regions. Additionally, international collaboration will increase the knowledge base available to develop mitigation strategies for the preservation of global biodiversity.