RUI: Partitioning Drivers of Root Trait Covariation: From Phenotypic Plasticity to Global Evolutionary Trends

智力上的优点。了解不同环境与物种特征之间的关系是生态学的一个基本目标。开发预测全球变化的生态影响的现实模型也是至关重要的。尽管植物根系在碳氮循环中起着关键作用，但植物的地下部分仍然是一个特别缺乏研究的领域。根在土壤基质中的位置及其形成的复杂相互作用构成了方法学和生态学方面的挑战。首先，很难研究根，因为在不破坏根的情况下获取根是一项挑战。其次，几乎所有的木本植物在它们的根和真菌之间形成复杂的共生环境，从土壤中吸收养分。需要更多关于根特征的可变性以及这些特征在与真菌相互作用时如何变化的信息，以预测全球变化对这些相互作用的影响。第三，在进化的背景下，需要更好地了解根的特征及其与真菌的相互作用。最早的根化石表明，这些根与真菌形成了共生关系。在今天存在的植被中，根是多样的，这种多样性的一个方面是它们对真菌获取土壤资源的依赖程度。在这个为期两年的项目中，将描述根与真菌的相互作用。将描述根组织的多个变异来源：同一森林中共存物种之间的差异，同一地区(美国东北温带地区)内不同森林之间的差异，不同气候地区(温带和热带地区)之间的差异，以及不同物种之间的进化关系。这一抽样策略将在两个野外季节在两组木本植物中实施：(1)美国东北部两个实验森林的成熟树木和(2)巴纳德学院和两个纽约植物园的活体木本分类群。这些采样方法和策略将与在中国和哥斯达黎加工作的国际合作者分享，从而可以开始从文献和正在进行的采样工作中汇编大量的根部特征数据集。更广泛的影响。这项工作将对应用生态学家感兴趣，他们将研究菌根相互作用如何促进入侵植物物种，或试图在高度干扰的土壤中恢复木本植物。它利用了实验森林以及巴纳德学院和纽约市植物园保存的活的收藏品。它建立了国际关系，最初是与中国和哥斯达黎加的科学家。这项工作还为女性森林生态学家和本科生女性，包括代表性不足的少数民族提供了重要的培训、指导和职业发展机会。

Intellectual Merits. Understanding the relationships between different environments and species traits is a fundamental goal of ecology. It is also vitally important for developing realistic models to predict ecological impacts from global change. Despite the critical role of plant roots in carbon and nitrogen cycles, belowground portions of plants have remained a particularly understudied area of research. The location of roots in the soil matrix and the complex interactions they form pose methodological and ecological challenges. First, roots are difficult to study because of the challenges of accessing them without damaging them. Second, almost all woody plants form complex symbioses between their roots and fungi to absorb nutrients from soil. More information is needed on the variability of root characteristics and how these characteristics shift when interacting with fungi to predict the effects of global change on these interactions. Third, a better understanding of root characteristics and their interactions with fungi is needed in an evolutionary context. The earliest fossils of roots indicate that these roots formed associations with fungi. In the vegetation that exists today, roots are diverse and one facet of this diversity is their degree of dependency on fungi for acquiring soil resources. In this two-year project, root-fungal interactions will be characterized. Multiple sources of variation in root tissues will be characterized: variation among co-existing species in a forest, between different forests within a single region (Northeastern US temperate region), among regions of different climates (temperate and tropical), and among diverse species due to their evolutionary relationships. This sampling strategy will be implemented in two field seasons in two sets of woody plants: (1) mature trees at two Northeast U.S. experimental forests and (2) living collections of woody taxa at Barnard College and at two New York botanical gardens. These sampling methods and strategies will be shared with international collaborators working in China and Costa Rica and compilation of a large data set of root traits from the literature and from ongoing sampling efforts can thus be initiated. Broader Impacts. This work will be of interest to applied ecologists addressing how mycorrhizal interactions contribute to invasive plant species or attempting to restore woody vegetation in highly disturbed soils. It takes advantages of experimental forests and of living collections maintained at Barnard College and at botanical gardens in New York City. It builds relationships internationally, initially with scientists in China and Costa Rica. The work also provides important training, mentoring, and professional development opportunities for female forest ecologists and undergraduate women, including underrepresented minorities.