RAPID: Using a natural extreme freeze in New Mexico to test predictions regarding the physiological basis of freezing tolerance in natural populations.

RAPID：利用新墨西哥州的自然极端冰冻来测试有关自然种群冰冻耐受性生理基础的预测。

• 批准号: 1142350
• 负责人: William Pockman
• 金额: $ 17.16万
• 依托单位: University of New Mexico
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-08-15 至 2013-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1142350&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Using; natural; extreme; freeze

In plants, like other organisms, physiological limits define environmental conditions allowing survival and growth. For most species, especially evergreens, the rare extremes of local climate may exceed physiological limits, killing plants or severely limiting their function. The effects of extreme events can persist for decades, affecting the ecological (growth, reproduction, species composition, etc.) and sociological (aesthetic qualities, land value, freshwater, etc.) functions of that ecosystem. This project will test predictions from past measurements of the physiological limits of creosotebush (Larrea tridentata), a widespread evergreen desert shrub dominating millions of acres in the southwest, following an extreme freeze in central and southern New Mexico in February 2011. The project will measure freezing damage and recovery of creosotebush in central and southern NM, test the ability of characteristics identified in recent research to predict the damage caused by the natural freeze and, use satellite images to quantify the broad patterns of plant damage (measured as plant canopy greenness) throughout the season and link them to our present understanding of the physiological limits of creosotebush. We expect known physiological limits will explain immediate post-freeze damage but mortality in plot and satellite measurements will be reduced by regrowth from roots. This project will improve our understanding and ability to predict plant responses to extreme events and the large-scale effects of these responses. We need to understand the response to extreme events because ongoing climate change may alter them and thus their effect on vegetation. This project will train a postdoctoral scientist and two graduate students and results will be disseminated to primary and undergraduate students and the general public.

在植物中，像其他生物体一样，生理极限定义了允许生存和生长的环境条件。 对于大多数物种，尤其是常绿植物，当地罕见的极端气候可能会超出生理极限，杀死植物或严重限制其功能。 极端事件的影响可能持续数十年，影响该生态系统的生态（生长、繁殖、物种组成等）和社会（审美品质、土地价值、淡水等）功能。该项目将测试对杂酚油树 (Larrea tridentata) 生理极限的过去测量的预测。杂酚油树是一种分布广泛的常绿沙漠灌木，在 2011 年 2 月新墨西哥州中部和南部发生极端冰冻后，分布在西南部数百万英亩的土地上。该项目将测量新墨西哥州中部和南部的杂酚油树的冻害和恢复情况，测试最近研究中确定的特征预测损害的能力。 并使用卫星图像来量化整个季节植物损害的广泛模式（以植物冠层绿色度来衡量），并将其与我们目前对杂酚油树生理极限的理解联系起来。 我们预计已知的生理限制将解释立即的冰冻后损害，但地块和卫星测量中的死亡率将通过根部的再生而降低。 该项目将提高我们的理解和预测植物对极端事件的反应以及这些反应的大规模影响的能力。 我们需要了解对极端事件的反应，因为持续的气候变化可能会改变它们，从而改变它们对植被的影响。 该项目将培养一名博士后科学家和两名研究生，成果将向小学生、本科生和公众传播。