COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Interacting influences of climate, land use, and other disturbances on regime shifts in forest ecosystems: Holocene dynamics in the northeastern US

气候变化、人类土地利用和自然干扰相互作用破坏自然系统的方式仍然是科学和社会关注的一个关键问题。随着气候和土地利用变化速度的加快，生态系统变化的速度和幅度可能会增加，对人类的关键服务产生重大影响，包括自然资源的可获得性和自然缓冲气候影响的能力。这项研究项目将通过开发和分析过去13,000年来丰富的古生态、古气候和考古数据，促进对气候变化如何与人类和自然干扰相互作用产生突然的生态变化的理解。这项研究将侧重于橡树和铁杉急剧下降的时期，这是由于快速气候变化、重大干旱、虫害爆发、人类人口和土地利用制度(例如，砍伐森林、火灾)在公元6000年、5500年和4000年左右以及欧洲人定居时发生的。将应用新的方法来分析生态系统变化，并探索其对地球-S未来的影响。这项研究将集中在新英格兰南部和三个重要的、截然不同的景观上：海岸(科德角和岛屿)、近海湿地区域(汤顿河)以及康涅狄格河和迪尔菲尔德河的内陆河流区域。合作伙伴将利用他们在生态、生物物理学和社会科学方面的优势，推动：(I)本科生、研究生、博士后和职业生涯中期的跨学科培训；(Ii)与广大科学家、决策者和政策制定者进行交流和接触；(Iii)环境和保护政策。这些努力将利用现有的机构优势：哈佛森林科学与政策整合计划、保护创新计划、夏季生态学研究计划(NSF REU)、布拉德奖学金计划、考古学/古生态学野外学校和LTER计划；新的LTER网络与MBL Logan记者计划合作；艾默生学院科学传播本科生课程以及马萨诸塞大学的地质和地球物理研究生课程以及人类学和考古学。

The manner in which climate change, human land-use and natural disturbances interact to disrupt natural systems remains a critical concern for science and society. With increasing rates of climate and land-use change the rate and magnitude of ecosystem changes will likely increase with major effects on critical services to humankind including the availability of natural resources and the ability of nature to buffer climate impacts. This research project will advance the understanding of how climate change interacts with human and natural disturbances to generate abrupt ecological changes by developing and analyzing a rich array of paleoecological, paleoclimatic, and archaeological data over the past 13,000 years. The study will focus on periods characterized by sharp declines in oak and hemlock due to rapid climate change, major droughts, insect outbreaks, changing human-population and land-use regimes (e.g., deforestation, fire) at ca. 6000, 5500, and 4000 yr BP and the time of European settlement. New methodologies will be applied to analyze ecosystem change and to explore the consequences for the earth?s future. The research will concentrate on southern New England and three important, contrasting landscapes: the coast (Cape Cod and islands), near-coastal wetland area (Taunton River), and the inland-riverine area of the Connecticut and Deerfield Rivers. The collaborators will apply their strengths in ecological, biophysical and social science to advance: (i) interdisciplinary training at undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral and mid-career levels; (ii) communication and engagement with broad audiences of scientists, decision makers, and policy makers; and (iii) environmental and conservation policy. These efforts will capitalize on existing institutional strengths: Harvard Forest Programs in Science and Policy Integration, Program on Conservation Innovation, Summer Research in Ecology (NSF REU), Bullard Fellowship Program, Archaeology/ Paleoecology Field School and LTER program; the new LTER Network collaboration with the MBL Logan Journalist Program; the Emerson College undergraduate program in Science Communication and graduate programs in Geology and Geophysics at the University of Wyoming and Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Massachusetts.