Collaborative Proposal: Ecophysiological Instruments for Measuring Biotic Climate Impacts Across Western Field Stations

气候变化对不同的生物系统产生广泛的区域影响，但大多数野外台站尚未配备自动数据收集系统，无法在局部和大区域详细研究生理学、生态学、行为、进化和生态系统所需的微气候尺度上综合测量植物和脊椎动物的生态生理学。推动这一工具投资的核心假设是，气候变化导致生物灭绝的风险来自：a）气候的直接影响，通过进化的生理适应加剧灭绝风险，以及B）气候变化对植物多样性和栖息地的级联效应。这些数据以及使用这些数据的研究将使我们能够预测未来气候对生物系统的影响，并最终评估每个实地站及其周围气候的历史影响。生态和进化气候影响研究所（ISEECI）组织了整个UC系统的不同科学家，并将这些研究与使用北方亚利桑那大学西南实验花园阵列（SEGA）的科学家结合起来。这一系列生态生理植物和动物传感器将确保在足够大的空间尺度上的跨地点一致性和可比性，以解决气候对西南部沿海、中央谷、山地和沙漠生态系统的区域影响。这个新的传感器网络将为加州的12个地点和北方亚利桑那州的8个地点提供仪器，其数据记录器和传感器旨在测量与各种动植物物种相关的环境参数。将监测选定的针叶树和沿海红杉的树液流、土壤温度和湿度，并监测更多开放的草原/杂草和灌木群落的土壤温度和湿度传感器以及生物显着高度的表面温度，以补充现有的升级气象站系统已经存在于NRS和SEGA站点。温度传感器将收集吸热和吸热动物类群的环境温度的类似数据，并安装phenocams来记录气候变化导致的树木物候变化。该系统可以通过新的传感器进行升级，在我们收集的数据类型和我们可以检测的生物系统方面是可扩展的，并且将非常适合未来的研究。这些仪器将捕获温度和干旱对陆地系统影响的重要测量结果，从而能够对气候变化中的生态系统功能进行统一分析，为每个实地站增加科学价值，对历史变化进行更深入的生物记录，并在整个实地站系统中加强美国西海岸和西南地区的合作。传感器数据将立即在线提供给所有ISEECI和SEGA科学家小组，并在全面运行后提供给其他研究人员。与教育和公共宣传相结合将向数百名学生提供有关气候变化的重要信息，并利用科学帮助减轻其影响。NAU和UC系统为研究生和本科生提供了许多环境科学方面的体验式学习机会，详细的长期数据将补充课堂作业和研究项目。UC和NAU积极致力于提高学生的多样性：NAU在接触美国原住民学生方面具有特殊的专业知识，而两个州大学的西班牙裔代表性正在增加，并积极融入校园计划和实验室。

Climate change has widespread regional impacts on diverse biotic systems but most field stations are not yet instrumented with automated data collection systems that would allow integrated measurements of ecophysiology of plants and vertebrates at micro-climate scales needed for detailed studies of physiology, ecology, behavior, evolution and ecosystems, both locally and across large regions. The central hypothesis motivating this instrument investment is that the risk of extinction of organisms due to climate change arises from: a) the direct effects of climate, acting via evolved physiological adaptations that exacerbate extinction risk, and b) the cascading effects of climate change impacts on plant diversity and habitats. These data, together with research that uses them, will allow us to forecast future climate impacts on biotic systems, and to eventually assess historical impacts of climate in and around each of the field stations. The Institute for the Study of the Ecological and Evolutionary Climate Impacts (ISEECI) organizes diverse scientists across the UC System and are integrating these studies with the scientists using Northern Arizona University's Southwest Experimental Garden Array (SEGA). This array of ecophysiological plant and animal sensors will ensure cross-site consistency and comparability at a sufficiently large spatial scale to address regional impacts of climate on coastal, central valley, montane and desert ecosystems of the Southwest. This new sensor network will instrument 12 sites in the California and 8 sites in Northern Arizona with data loggers and sensors designed to measure environmental parameters relevant to a wide range of animal and plant species. Selected conifers and coastal redwoods will be monitored for sap flow and soil temperature and moisture, and more open grassland/forb and shrub communities with soil temperature and moisture sensors as well as surface temperature at biologically salient heights to complement the existing system of upgraded weather stations already present at NRS and SEGA sites. Temperature sensors will collect similar data on environmental temperatures of endothermic and ectothermic animal taxa, and install phenocams to record phenological changes in trees driven by climate change. The system can be upgraded with new sensors, is expandable with respect to the kinds of data we gather and biotic systems we can instrument, and will be very adaptable for future research. The instruments will capture salient measurements of temperature and drought impacts on terrestrial systems that will allow a unified analysis of ecosystem functioning in the face of changing climate, adding scientific value to each individual field station with a more in-depth biotic record of historical change, and also across the system of field stations enhancing collaboration across the west coast and southwest region of the US. Sensor data will be available immediately online to all ISEECI and SEGA scientists groups, and once fully operational to other researchers. Integration with education and public outreach will give hundreds of students critical messages about climate change and using science to help mitigate its impacts. NAU and the UC system provide graduate and undergraduate students with many experiential learning opportunities in environmental sciences, and detailed, long-term data will supplement and contextualize classwork and research projects. UC and NAU actively work to enhance student diversity: NAU has particular expertise in reaching Native American students, while the Hispanic representation at universities in both states is increasing and being actively incorporated into campus programs and labs.