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

智力优势。了解不同环境与物种性状之间的关系是生态学的一个基本目标。这对于建立现实的模型来预测全球变化对生态的影响也是至关重要的。尽管植物根系在碳和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欠研究的研究领域。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和生态挑战。首先，根很难研究，因为在不破坏它们的情况下获取它们是一个挑战。第二，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体，从土壤中吸收养分。需要更多的信息，根特性的变异性，以及如何改变这些特性时，与真菌相互作用，以预测全球变化对这些相互作用的影响。第三，更好地了解根的特点和它们与真菌的相互作用是需要在进化的背景下。最早的根化石表明，这些根与真菌形成了联系。在今天存在的植被中，根系是多样的，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，根真菌相互作用的特点。根组织变异的多个来源将被表征：森林中共存物种之间的变异，单一区域（美国东北部温带地区）内不同森林之间的变异，不同气候（温带和热带）地区之间的变异，以及由于其进化关系而导致的不同物种之间的变异。该取样策略将在两个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木本分类群的活体收集。这些取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取样工作中汇编大量的根系性状数据集。更广泛的影响。这项工作将感兴趣的应用生态学家解决如何菌根相互作用有助于入侵植物物种或试图恢复高度扰动土壤中的木本植被。它利用了巴纳德学院和纽约市植物园的实验森林和活体标本。它在国际上建立关系，首先是与中国和哥斯达黎加的科学家建立关系。这项工作还为女性森林生态学家和女大学生，包括代表性不足的少数民族提供了重要的培训，指导和专业发展机会。

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.