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界和社会关注的一个重大问题。随着气候和土地利用变化速度的增加，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，包括自然资源的可用性和自然缓冲气候影响的能力。该研究项目将通过开发和分析过去13000年丰富的古生态、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而产生突然生态变化的理解。这项研究将集中在大约6000年、5500年和4000年前，以及欧洲人定居时期，由于快速的气候变化、严重的干旱、虫害爆发、人口和土地利用制度的变化（如森林砍伐、火灾），橡树和铁杉数量急剧下降的时期。新的方法将被应用于分析生态系统的变化和探索对地球的影响？年代的未来。研究将集中在新英格兰南部和三个重要的，对比鲜明的景观：海岸（科德角和岛屿），近岸湿地地区（陶顿河），康涅狄格河和迪尔菲尔德河的内陆河流地区。合作伙伴将发挥其在生态、生物物理和社会科学方面的优势，推动以下工作：(i)在本科生、研究生、博士后和职业中期进行跨学科培训；（ii）与科学家、决策者和政策制定者的广泛受众进行沟通和参与；（三）环境及保育政策。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项目、保护创新项目、生态学暑期研究（NSF REU）、布拉德奖学金项目、考古学/古生态学野外学校和LTER项目；LTER网络与MBL洛根记者计划的新合作；艾默生学院科学传播本科课程，怀俄明大学地质学和地球物理学研究生课程，马萨诸塞大学人类学和考古学研究生课程。

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.