A NEIGHBORHOOD APPROACH TO THE BIOGEOGRAPHY OF PUERTO RICAN TREES

波多黎各树木生物地理学的邻域方法

• 批准号: 1753810
• 负责人: Maria Uriarte
• 金额: $ 56.2万
• 依托单位: Columbia University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-06-01 至 2023-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1753810&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NEIGHBORHOOD; APPROACH; BIOGEOGRAPHY; PUERTO; RICAN

The geographic distributions of tree species reflects both physical (e.g., geology, climate) and biological processes (e.g., competition, herbivory). These factors do not act independently. For example, the strength of competition among trees may be stronger in low fertility soils. However, only a few studies have examined the simultaneous effects of physical factors and biological processes on tree growth and survival. Such synthesis is central to predicting tree species responses to environmental change. This is a critical issue in tropical forests because these ecosystems are experiencing rapid environmental change and play a key role in regulating global climate. This research will develop a novel analytical approach to characterize the joint effects of physical heterogeneity and local biological interactions on growth and survival of tree species across the island of Puerto Rico. The island has high tree diversity, marked environmental and climate gradients, and an extensive amount of existing data, making this an ideal site for this research. Results from this study will inform the likelihood of success of several USDA Forest Service initiatives to adapt to rapid environmental change. Existing collaborations between the researchers and local organizations will facilitate a direct impact on the management and conservation of Puerto Rican forests. Data will be made available online and provided directly to local management agencies, including the US Forest Service and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources. The researchers also will organize workshops on the analytical methods at Puerto Rican institutions. Finally, the project will train and employ a Puerto Rican technician and a postdoctoral researcher, contributing to STEM workforce development.Range dynamics and community assembly reflect the interactive effects of regional environmental heterogeneity and local processes. Yet empirical examination of these interactions is rare. The researchers will develop a novel functional trait-based, spatially-explicit neighborhood approach to disentangle local effects of environmental heterogeneity and biotic interactions on tree growth and survival across Puerto Rico while accounting for individual trait variation. To do so, they will couple (a) tree trait measurements across species ranges traits, including traits related to water use strategies, (b) trait-based neighborhood models of tree growth and survival derived from data collected in 24 mapped plots, and (c) generalized joint attribute models that characterize species distributions with respect to regional environmental gradients using herbaria collections. They will test the following hypotheses: (1) the negative effect of local biotic interactions on tree growth and survival is highest at the most environmentally favorable sites for a species, fostering regional coexistence; (2) the spatial structure of intraspecific trait variation across environmental gradients fosters such coexistence. Results from this research will empirically examine the importance of individual trait variation in mediating regional species coexistence and test the importance of a stabilizing mechanism in promoting species-coexistence and diversity in tropical forests. The research will lay a conceptual foundation for future studies that place local community interactions within a biogeographic context and transform understanding of the environmental and biotic factors that mediate forest community assembly at regional scales.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

树种的地理分布反映了物理过程（如地质、气候）和生物过程（如竞争、草食）。这些因素不是独立起作用的。例如，在低肥力土壤中，树木之间的竞争强度可能更强。然而，只有少数研究考察了物理因素和生物过程同时对树木生长和生存的影响。这种综合对于预测树种对环境变化的反应至关重要。这是热带森林的一个关键问题，因为这些生态系统正在经历快速的环境变化，并在调节全球气候方面发挥关键作用。本研究将开发一种新的分析方法来表征物理异质性和局部生物相互作用对波多黎各岛上树种生长和生存的共同影响。该岛树木多样性高，环境和气候梯度明显，现有数据丰富，使其成为本研究的理想场所。这项研究的结果将为美国农业部林业局几项适应快速环境变化的举措的成功可能性提供信息。研究人员与当地组织之间现有的合作将促进对波多黎各森林的管理和养护产生直接影响。数据将在网上提供，并直接提供给当地管理机构，包括美国林务局和波多黎各自然资源部。研究人员还将在波多黎各各机构组织有关分析方法的讲习班。最后，该项目将培训和雇用一名波多黎各技术人员和一名博士后研究员，为STEM劳动力发展做出贡献。范围动态和群落聚集反映了区域环境异质性和局部过程的相互作用。然而，对这些相互作用的实证研究却很少。研究人员将开发一种新的基于功能性状的、空间明确的邻域方法，以解开波多黎各树木生长和生存的环境异质性和生物相互作用的局部影响，同时考虑个体性状变异。为此，他们将结合(a)跨物种范围的树木性状测量，包括与水分利用策略相关的性状；(b)基于性状的树木生长和生存邻域模型，该模型来自24个绘制样地的数据；以及(c)利用植物标本室收集的数据，根据区域环境梯度表征物种分布的广义联合属性模型。他们将测试以下假设：(1)在环境最有利的地方，当地生物相互作用对树木生长和生存的负面影响最大，促进了区域共存；(2)跨环境梯度的种内性状变异的空间结构促进了这种共存。本研究结果将实证检验个体性状变异在调节区域物种共存中的重要性，并验证稳定机制在促进热带森林物种共存和多样性中的重要性。该研究将为未来的研究奠定概念基础，这些研究将把当地社区的相互作用置于生物地理背景下，并改变对在区域尺度上调节森林群落聚集的环境和生物因素的理解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Effects of topography on tropical forest structure depend on climate context

• DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.13261
• 发表时间: 2019-08
• 期刊: Journal of Ecology
• 影响因子: 5.5
• 作者: Robert Muscarella;Samira Kolyaie;D. Morton;J. Zimmerman;M. Uriarte

Hydraulic traits are not robust predictors of tree species stem growth during a severe drought in a wet tropical forest

• DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14235
• 发表时间: 2022-11
• 期刊: Functional Ecology
• 影响因子: 5.2
• 作者: Chris M. Smith‐Marin;Robert Muscarella;Roi Ankori‐Karlinsky;S. Delzon;Samuel L. Farrar;Melissa Salva‐Sauri;Jill Thompson;J. Zimmerman;M. Uriarte