Collaborative Research: The biology of lightning in tropical forests

合作研究：热带森林闪电生物学

• 批准号: 1354060
• 负责人: Stephen Yanoviak
• 金额: $ 9.45万
• 依托单位: University of Louisville Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-07-01 至 2017-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1354060&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; biology; lightning; tropical

Lightning is an exceptionally powerful natural phenomenon; its destructive effects have been a source of fear and fascination for humans throughout history. Scientists have a relatively good understanding of the physics of lightning, but its ecological importance at the landscape scale - especially its role as an agent of tree death - remain unclear. Measuring the effects of lightning in tropical forests is important because lightning frequency is expected to increase by as much as 50% over the next few decades as the climate warms. Moreover, tropical forest structure is changing as lianas (woody vines) become more abundant. This research will provide the foundation for understanding how such changes will affect forest dynamics and ecosystem processes such as carbon cycling in the tropical rainforests of Panama. The field site in Panama is a popular tourist destination, thus the project provides a unique opportunity for participants to interact regularly with the public. Student training is an integral part of the project. Collaboration with the Kentucky Science Center will result in the production of a Podcast highlighting this research, and public discussions with project participants in a Science Café format. Ecologists consistently list lightning as a source of tropical tree mortality, yet supporting data are remarkably scant. This project will systematically quantify lightning effects on tropical trees and lianas on a forest-wide scale in real time. The work will integrate information from field ecology, physics, and plant electrophysiology to answer three basic questions: What is the extent of lightning-caused tree mortality across a lowland tropical forest landscape? Are some trees or tree species especially susceptible to, or resistant to, the damaging effects of lightning? Do lianas function as lightning rods, protecting their host trees against lightning damage? Field work will be conducted in Panama at one of the best-studied tropical forest sites in the world. The methodology includes the installation of automated electronic sensors for monitoring strike events over large expanses of forest canopy. This project will also deploy an experimental lightning induction device - the Balloon Originating Lightning Trigger - to experimentally manipulate strike events to trees and lianas on isolated islands. Results of this work will fundamentally transform our understanding of tropical forest dynamics by quantifying lightning effects across the landscape and uncovering key interactions between lightning, lianas, and trees. In a practical context, this project will also reveal potentially confounding effects of communications towers and canopy cranes on tree mortality rates. This proposal is co-funded by the Division of Environmental Biology and the Physics of Living Systems program in the Physics Division.

闪电是一种特别强大的自然现象；在整个历史上，它的破坏性影响一直是人类恐惧和迷恋的来源。科学家们对闪电的物理学有了相对较好的了解，但它在景观尺度上的生态重要性--特别是它作为树木死亡媒介的作用--仍不清楚。测量热带森林中闪电的影响很重要，因为随着气候变暖，未来几十年闪电频率预计将增加50%。此外，随着藤本植物(木本藤本植物)变得更加丰富，热带森林结构正在发生变化。这项研究将为了解这种变化将如何影响森林动态和生态系统进程，如巴拿马热带雨林的碳循环提供基础。巴拿马的实地景点是一个受欢迎的旅游目的地，因此该项目为参与者提供了一个与公众定期互动的独特机会。学生培训是该项目不可或缺的一部分。与肯塔基州科学中心的合作将导致制作一个播客来突出这项研究，并以科学咖啡馆的形式与项目参与者进行公开讨论。生态学家一直将闪电列为热带树木死亡的一个来源，但支持这一点的数据非常少。该项目将在整个森林范围内实时系统地量化闪电对热带树木和藤本植物的影响。这项工作将整合田间生态学、物理学和植物电生理学的信息，以回答三个基本问题：在低地热带森林景观中，闪电导致的树木死亡程度如何？是否有些树木或树种特别容易受到或抵抗闪电的破坏影响？藤本植物是否起避雷针的作用，保护它们的寄主树木免受雷击损害？将在巴拿马进行实地工作，地点是世界上研究最多的热带森林地点之一。该方法包括安装自动化电子传感器，以监测大片森林树冠上的袭击事件。该项目还将部署一个实验性的闪电感应装置--气球始发闪电触发器--以实验性地操纵对孤立岛屿上的树木和藤本植物的撞击事件。这项工作的结果将从根本上改变我们对热带森林动态的理解，量化整个景观中的闪电效应，并揭示闪电、藤本植物和树木之间的关键相互作用。在实际情况下，该项目还将揭示通信塔和树冠起重机对树木死亡率的潜在混杂影响。这项提案是由物理部环境生物学和生命系统物理学项目共同资助的。