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

温度在一定的空间和时间尺度上对生物系统和过程施加了主要的环境控制。它的影响是根本性的，从控制酶的反应速度，到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由温度对生物体的普遍影响引发的。虽然大多数人的注意力通常集中在气温上，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，使用从一定距离上拍摄的热像来测量生物体温度一直是具有挑战性的。这一研究项目通过三个目标解决认识上的差距：(1)评估热成像测量在生态学和农业研究中的使用，例如监测植物冠层对高温和干旱胁迫的反应；(2)展示持续部署坚固耐用的热像仪，对一系列生态系统进行连续的冠层成像；(3)开发尺度算法，将个别树冠部位的稀疏测量与飞机和卫星上的传感器在区域尺度上观测到的模式联系起来。这项工作将以一种创新的方式将一系列空间分辨率的温度观测与合成活动结合起来。这一结果将加深我们对生态系统结构和功能如何与皮肤温度模式相关的理解。该项目将为长期热量数据收集引入新的技术和基础设施，这可能会对我们对多个尺度上的生态功能的理解产生重大影响。它将结合处于职业生涯不同阶段的研究人员在植物生理学、遥感、生物地理学和统计学等领域的各种跨学科专业知识。研究结果将直接为有关树叶温度与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的问题提供信息。它将解决与温度相关的属性和过程的缩放问题，这是预测对气候变化的反应所必需的。将特别关注生态系统对干旱和热浪的反应。更切实的成果将是在了解自然生态系统和管理生态系统中的植物-温度相互作用方面取得进展，以及在三个长期监测点建立冠层热成像设备。最后，这个项目将通过培训博士后研究人员，指导本科生，并根据这个项目产生的概念和数据，为地理、地球科学、生态和环境科学的本科生和研究生课程开发实验室模块，将研究和教学结合起来。

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.