Collaborative Research: Stream Consumers and Lotic Ecosystem Rates (SCALER): Scaling from Centimeters to Continents

合作研究：流消费者和 Lotic 生态系统费率 (SCALER)：从厘米扩展到大陆

• 批准号: 1258994
• 负责人: Ford Ballantyne
• 金额: $ 19.28万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-08-01 至 2017-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1258994&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Stream; Consumers; Lotic

The overarching question that Scale, Consumers and Lotic Ecosystem Rates (SCALER) will address is: How can small-scale ecological experiments be applied to understand the behavior of entire ecological systems? Funds are provided to address:: 1) How should measures of fundamental properties of streams and effects of animals on those properties be scaled up to predict ecosystem characteristics of stream networks. 2) How do patterns of scaling compare across the wide array of ecological systems (from tundra to tropical forest) that occurs across North American? The SCALER experiment will be done in tropical forest, temperate mountainous forest, prairie, northern boreal evergreen forest, and tundra areas. Streams in each of these five areas will be examined at scales of centimeters to 10?s of meters in small, medium and large streams. Rates of stream metabolism (photosynthesis and respiration) and nutrient uptake will be measured as well as the way these rates respond to animal exclusions (used to mimic loss of animal diversity in streams). These local results will be linked to the scale of watersheds and regions by modeling. Watershed scale predictions will be verified by broader, but less intensive sampling. Mechanistic explanation of how ecological measurements and experiments in streams can be scaled to watersheds will be provided. This scaling will be characterized in each of the five areas across the continent to explore how scaling differs across natural habitats. The knowledge that will be generated by this project is essential to quantify controls on stream ecosystem processes as well as to manage human impacts on entire watersheds. The experimental and modeling results will be relevant to general ecology because few nested, and experimental and theoretically coupled scaling experiments have been undertaken in any environment. Results will inform those involved in conservation, management, and restoration of freshwater resources. Resource managers will gain a quantitative rationale and framework to link local measurements to regional patterns. The highly collaborative team will train six graduate students, five post doctoral students, and mentor three early career faculty members. Additional collaborations will be encouraged to collaborate and perform similar projects at additional sites through workshops related to the objectives and research design.

规模、消费者和生态系统比率 (SCALER) 将解决的首要问题是：如何应用小规模生态实验来了解整个生态系统的行为？提供资金用于解决： 1）如何扩大对河流基本特性以及动物对这些特性的影响的测量，以预测河流网络的生态系统特征。 2) 北美地区各种生态系统（从苔原到热带森林）的尺度模式如何比较？ SCALER实验将在热带森林、温带山地森林、草原、北部寒带常绿森林和苔原地区进行。将对这五个区域中的每一个区域的溪流进行小、中、大溪流的厘米至十米尺度的检查。 将测量河流新陈代谢（光合作用和呼吸）和养分吸收的速率，以及这些速率对动物排斥的反应方式（用于模拟河流中动物多样性的丧失）。这些局部结果将通过建模与流域和区域的规模联系起来。流域规模预测将通过更广泛但不那么密集的采样来验证。将提供如何将溪流中的生态测量和实验扩展到流域的机制解释。这种尺度将在整个大陆的五个区域中进行表征，以探索不同自然栖息地的尺度有何不同。 该项目将产生的知识对于量化河流生态系统过程的控制以及管理人类对整个流域的影响至关重要。实验和建模结果将与一般生态学相关，因为在任何环境中都很少进行嵌套的、实验和理论耦合的尺度实验。结果将为参与淡水资源保护、管理和恢复的人员提供信息。资源管理者将获得定量原理和框架，将当地测量结果与区域模式联系起来。这个高度协作的团队将培训六名研究生、五名博士后，并指导三名早期职业教师。将鼓励更多的合作，通过与目标和研究设计相关的研讨会，在其他地点合作和执行类似的项目。