MSB-ECA: Climate change and plants on unusual soils: Detecting and modeling ecosystem response of Caribbean serpentine floras

MSB-ECA：气候变化和异常土壤上的植物：检测和模拟加勒比蛇纹石植物群的生态系统响应

• 批准号: 1638581
• 负责人: Catherine Hulshof
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-09-01 至 2018-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1638581&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MSB; ECA; Climate; change; plants

Soils that are unusually harsh (like limestone, serpentine, and gypsum) tend to support distinct floras that are rich in endemic plant species and are among many of the world?s biodiversity hotspots. Whether unusual soil ecosystems respond differently to climate change compared to ?normal? soil types is unknown. On the one hand, stress-tolerant plant traits typical of unusual soil flora may result in greater resilience to climate change. On the other hand, spatial isolation and anthropogenic disturbances, like habitat fragmentation, may make unusual soil ecosystems more vulnerable to climate change. This project will use a combination of field measurements, remote sensing, and climate modeling to determine how serpentine soils in the Caribbean region respond to ongoing and predicted climate change. This research represents the first comprehensive effort to understand how tropical serpentine soils respond to climate change, and consequently will vastly improve our understanding of these unique ecosystems. The information generated by this research will be useful for conserving biodiversity and for improving predictions for other unusual soil ecosystems around the world. The data collected during this project will enhance national and global databases, facilitating further research. This project will strengthen the workforce and increase diversity in science by providing training workshops for students and faculty in data management and analytical skills, integrating the data collected in this research into introductory biology teaching modules, and training four undergraduate and four graduate students in all aspects of the study from data collection to publication.The proposed research will determine scaling relationships between functional trait diversity and environmental attributes of serpentine and non-serpentine ecosystems, quantify historical patterns and rates of land-use change of serpentine and non-serpentine ecosystems using satellite imagery, and model predicted ecosystem function by integrating soil and functional traits into climate and species distribution models. This project will measure key plant functional traits related to climatic tolerances and dispersal ability in serpentine and non-serpentine ecosystems throughout the Caribbean Basin. Soil chemistry will also be quantified, allowing a standardized comparison of soil characteristics across broad spatial scales. Climate and species distribution models will identify regions and species that are particularly vulnerable or resilient to climate change. Inter-annual trends in vegetation greenness and primary production will be analyzed using Landsat imagery data. Remote sensing analyses will determine the magnitude and rate of habitat fragmentation in serpentine and non-serpentine ecosystems and responses to inter-annual variation in precipitation. This project integrates fine-scale patterns of diversity with large-scale patterns of ecosystem change in a global biodiversity hotspot and will determine whether unusual soil ecosystems are uniquely resilient or uniquely vulnerable to climate change.

土壤是非常苛刻的（如石灰石，蛇纹石，石膏）往往支持独特的植物区系，丰富的特有植物物种，是世界上许多？的生物多样性热点。不寻常的土壤生态系统是否对气候变化的反应不同？正常吗土壤类型不详。一方面，不寻常的土壤植物群所特有的耐胁迫植物特性可能导致对气候变化的更大适应力。另一方面，空间隔离和人为干扰，如生境破碎化，可能使不寻常的土壤生态系统更容易受到气候变化的影响。该项目将使用现场测量，遥感和气候建模相结合，以确定如何在加勒比地区的蛇纹石土壤对正在进行的和预测的气候变化。这项研究代表了第一次全面了解热带蛇纹石土壤如何应对气候变化的努力，因此将大大提高我们对这些独特生态系统的理解。这项研究所产生的信息将有助于保护生物多样性，并改善对世界各地其他不寻常的土壤生态系统的预测。该项目期间收集的数据将加强国家和全球数据库，促进进一步研究。该项目将通过为学生和教师提供数据管理和分析技能的培训研讨会，将本研究中收集的数据整合到入门生物学教学模块中，并对四名本科生和四名研究生进行了从数据收集到发表的各个方面的培训。拟议的研究将确定功能特质之间的标度关系该项目的主要目的是评估蛇形生态系统和非蛇形生态系统的生物多样性和环境属性，利用卫星图像量化蛇形生态系统和非蛇形生态系统的土地使用变化的历史模式和速率，并通过将土壤和功能特性纳入气候和物种分布模型来模拟预测的生态系统功能。该项目将测量与整个加勒比海盆的蛇形和非蛇形生态系统的气候耐受性和扩散能力有关的关键植物功能性状。还将对土壤化学进行量化，以便在广泛的空间尺度上对土壤特性进行标准化比较。气候和物种分布模型将确定特别易受气候变化影响或对气候变化具有复原力的区域和物种。将利用大地卫星图像数据分析植被绿度和初级生产的年际趋势。遥感分析将确定蛇纹岩和非蛇纹岩生态系统生境破碎化的程度和速度以及对降水年际变化的反应。该项目将全球生物多样性热点的精细多样性模式与生态系统变化的大规模模式相结合，并将确定不寻常的土壤生态系统是否具有独特的弹性或独特的脆弱性。