Collaborative Research: A biotic awakening: How do invertebrates, microbes, and plants determine soil organic matter responses to release from nutrient limitation in arctic tundra?

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)提供资金的。该项目的目标是确定植物、微生物和土壤无脊椎动物如何相互作用，以推动土壤有机质和碳封存的变化，以及环境和土壤养分有效性的增加，在阿拉斯加北部占主导地位的高地北极苔原生态系统中。倡导者将结合实地观察、实验、实验室和建模方法来解决四个研究目标，其中包括：1.了解植物群落中有良好记录的变化如何改变植物对土壤(根和凋落物)的输入2.确定土壤微生物和无脊椎动物群落对这些输入的反应3.研究土壤有机质的损失是否因土壤活动的增加和/或群落结构的变化而发生，以及4.基于DAYCENT模型开发土壤成土模型(Parton等人。2001)，它结合了植物、微生物和无脊椎动物的作用。这项工作将在图利克湖长期生态研究场地进行，并将利用一套长期营养物质添加小区(其中一些可追溯到30多年前)以及最近操纵的场地。作为该项目的一部分，将对一名博士后研究员、至少两名研究生和几名本科生进行培训。PIS还将举办教师发展研讨会和其他K-12外展计划。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The goal of this project is to determine how plants, microbes and soil invertebrates interact to drive changes in soil organic matter and carbon sequestration with ambient and increased soil nutrient availability in the dominant upland arctic tundra ecosystem in northern Alaska. The proponents will use a combination of field observation, experimental, laboratory, and modeling approaches to address four research objectives that include:1. Understanding how well-documented changes in the plant community alter plant inputs to soils (roots and litter)2. Determining how soil microbial and invertebrate communities respond to these inputs3. Investigating if the loss of SOM occurs in response to an increase in soil activities and/or a change in community structure, and 4. Developing a model of soil pedogenesis based on the DAYCENT model (Parton et al. 2001) that incorporates the roles of plants, microbes, and invertebrates. This work will be conducted at the Toolik Lake Long-Term Ecological Research site and will utilize a suite of long-term nutrient-addition plots (some extending back over 30 years) as well as more recently manipulated sites. A postdoctoral researcher, at least two graduate students, and several undergraduates will be trained as part of this project. The PIs will also conduct teacher development workshops and other K-12 outreach programs.