Collaborative Research: Thermal Controls on Ecosystem Metabolism and Function: Scaling from Leaves to Canopies to Regions

温度在空间和时间尺度上对生物系统和过程施加主要的环境控制。它的影响是根本性的，从控制酶的反应速率，生态系统的生物地球化学反应，以及植物和动物物种的大规模分布。温度也是气候的一个基本特征。事实上，人们对气候变暖影响的担忧，很大程度上是因为温度对生物体的普遍影响。虽然大多数关注点通常是空气温度，但在许多情况下，生物体（如植物）的皮肤温度实际上更相关。然而，到目前为止，由于传感器和计算的限制，使用从一定距离拍摄的热图像测量生物体温度一直具有挑战性。该研究项目通过三个目标来解决这一认识上的差距：（1）评估热成像测量在生态和农业研究中的应用，例如监测植物冠层对高温和干旱胁迫的反应;（2）展示连续部署强大的热成像相机，用于一系列生态系统的连续冠层成像;以及（3）开发缩放算法，以将单个冠层位置的稀疏测量与飞机和卫星上的传感器在区域尺度上观察到的模式相关联。这项工作将以一种创新的方式把各种空间分辨率的联合收割机温度观测与综合活动结合起来。这些结果将增强我们对生态系统结构和功能与皮肤温度模式之间关系的理解。该项目将引入新的技术和基础设施，用于长期的热数据收集，这可能会对我们对多尺度生态功能的理解产生重大影响。 它将结合联合收割机的研究人员在不同阶段的职业生涯中，包括植物生理学，遥感，地理学和统计学领域的各种跨学科的专业知识。结果将直接告知叶温和生态系统的碳同化之间的联系，以及自然和农业生态系统对干旱胁迫的反应问题。它将处理与温度有关的性质和过程的尺度问题，这是预测对气候变化的反应所需要的。将特别注重生态系统对干旱和热浪的反应。更具体的成果将是在理解自然和管理的生态系统中植物温度相互作用方面取得进展，以及在三个长期监测地点建立树冠热成像设备。最后，该项目将通过博士后研究人员的培训，本科生的指导，以及基于该项目产生的概念和数据为本科生和研究生课程在地理，地球科学，生态学和环境科学的实验室模块的开发，整合研究和教学。

Temperature exerts a primary environmental control on biological systems and processes at a range of scales in space and time. Its influence is fundamental, ranging from controls on the reaction rates of enzymes, ecosystem biogeochemical reactions, and large-scale distributions of plant and animal species. Temperature is also a fundamental characteristic of climate. Indeed, much of the concern about the impact of climate warming is motivated by the pervasive influence of temperature on organisms. Although most focus is usually on air temperature, the skin temperature of an organism, such as a plant, is actually more relevant in many cases. However, until now measurements of organismal temperature using thermal images taken from some distance away have been challenging because of sensor and computational limitations. This research project addresses this gap in understanding through three goals: (1) to assess the use of thermal imaging measurements for ecological and agricultural studies, such as monitoring the response of plant canopies to heat and drought stress; (2) to demonstrate the continuous deployment of robust thermal cameras for continuous canopy imaging for a range of ecosystems; and (3) to develop scaling algorithms to relate sparse measurements at individual canopy sites to the patterns observed at regional scales by sensors on aircraft and satellites. The work will combine temperature observations at a range of spatial resolutions with synthesis activities in an innovative manner. The results will enhance our understanding of how ecosystem structure and function are related to skin temperature patterns. This project will introduce new technology and infrastructure for long-term thermal data collection that could have a large impact on our understanding of ecological functioning across multiple scales. It will combine the diverse interdisciplinary expertise of researchers at different stages in their careers in fields including plant physiology, remote sensing, biogeography, and statistics. Results will directly inform questions concerning the link between leaf temperatures and carbon assimilation by ecosystems and the response of natural and agricultural ecosystems to drought stress. It will address scaling of properties and processes related to temperature, as is required for predicting responses to climate change. Particular focus will be on the responses of ecosystems to drought and heat waves. More tangible outcomes will be advances in understanding of plant-temperature interactions in natural and managed ecosystems, as well as the establishment of canopy thermal imaging equipment at three long-term monitoring sites. Finally, this project will integrate research and teaching through the training of post-doctoral researchers, mentoring of undergraduate students, and development of laboratory modules based on the concepts and data generated by this project for undergraduate and graduate courses in geography, earth science, ecology, and environmental science.