Wild Rice Population Oscillations, Allocation Patterns, and Nutrient Cycles

野生稻等植物种群通常会经历振荡或盛衰周期。生态学理论预测，在向种群交付有限资源方面的任何延误都会导致种群振荡。先前的模拟和实验工作已经证明，野生稻枯枝落叶的缓慢腐烂确实会延迟生长季节的养分供应，从而导致活体种群的振荡。但根的分解速度比地上部更慢，因此将生长分配给根来获取营养可能会加剧这种振荡。这项研究将考察控制根、茎和种子生产的因素，以及它们是如何依赖和改变养分供应的。实验结果将被用来改进一个模拟野生水稻生长和产量的计算机模型。野生水稻除了具有生态趣味性外，还是明尼苏达州奥吉布韦(Chippewa)部落成员的重要主食和神圣食物。奥吉布韦部落管理着明尼苏达州东北部的十几个野生稻米湖，以尽可能自然的方式生产野生稻米。这项研究将与奥吉布韦Fond Du Lac乐队的部落生物学家密切合作。将从部落社区学院招募学生来协助这项工作。这将向部落学生展示环境科学职业的潜力。

Plant populations such as wild rice typically undergo oscillations or boom-and-bust cycles. Ecological theory predicts that any delay in delivery of limiting resources to a population will cause it to oscillate. Previous modeling and experimental work has demonstrated that slow decay of wild rice shoot litter indeed causes oscillations in live populations, by delaying nutrient availability during the growing season. But roots decompose even more slowly than shoots, so allocation of growth to roots to obtain nutrients may exacerbate these oscillations. This study will examine the factors that control root, shoot, and seed production, and how they both depend upon and change nutrient availability. The experimental results will be used to improve a computer model that simulates growth and yield of wild rice.Besides being ecologically interesting, wild rice is an important staple and sacred food for members of Minnesota's Ojibway (Chippewa) tribe. The Ojibway tribe manages over a dozen wild rice lakes in northeastern Minnesota for wild rice production in as natural a manner as possible. This research will involve close collaboration with tribal biologists of the Fond du Lac band of Ojibway. Students will be recruited from the tribal community college to assist in this work. This will show tribal students the potentials of a career in the environmental sciences.