Collaborative Research: TIDE: Legacy effects of long-term nutrient enrichment on recovery of saltmarsh ecosystems

沿海营养丰富导致盐沼成为世界上最濒危的生态系统之一。这种过度的富集化损害了盐沼提供关键生态系统服务的能力，例如缓冲沿海城市免受风暴的影响，为鱼类和贝类提供栖息地，以及通过储存碳来缓解气候影响。美国正在投资数百万美元来减少沿海地区的氮素排放，并开始大规模的盐沼恢复，耗资数百万至数十亿美元来恢复失去的生态系统服务。目前，尚不清楚营养投入减少后，生态系统服务将以多快的速度恢复，或者是否会恢复。这项研究将深入了解氮污染作为湿地丧失的原因以及生态系统恢复的潜力和管理策略。有几个与该项目相关的教育努力将培训学生。该项目通过与马萨诸塞州奥杜邦协会合作开发高中课程“研究和应变能力：调查全球变化的局部影响”来加强教育。还将为职业生涯中期的记者制定一个关于环境科学的计划。该项目将促进可持续性，并为州和联邦营养标准提供科学基础。该项目将探讨历史上养分过度丰富的影响如何影响沼泽地恢复其提供生态系统服务的能力。该项目将结合全生态系统实验操作、关键物种的实地测量、遗传变化分析、营养和碳循环过程以及六个试验点的食物网结构来确定恢复轨迹。研究人员将通过负责编码氮循环过程中关键酶的功能基因的序列扩增来衡量分解者群落遗传多样性和活动的变化。该项目将测量植物特性和基因多样性。碳氮循环的恢复将由沼泽地貌、特定生境的反硝化速率、与开阔海湾的氮素交换和分解来确定。测量无脊椎动物和鱼类的物种多样性、丰富度和生产力以及稳定的同位素将评估食物网的恢复。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Coastal nutrient enrichment has resulted in saltmarshes being one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. This over enrichment has compromised the ability of saltmarshes to provide key ecosystem services such as buffering coastal cities from storms, providing habitat for fish and shellfish, and mitigating climate impacts by storing carbon. The U.S. is investing millions of dollars to reduce nitrogen to coastal regions and embarking on large-scale saltmarsh restoration costing millions to billions of dollars to restore lost ecosystem services. Currently, it is unknown how quickly or if ecosystem services will return after nutrient inputs are cut. This research will provide insight into nitrogen pollution as a cause of marsh loss and the potential for ecosystem recovery with management strategies. There are several education efforts associated with this project that will train students. The project enhances education by developing high school curriculum on "Research and Resiliency: Investigating the Local Effects of Global Changes" in collaboration with the Massachusetts Audubon Society. A program for mid-career journalists about environmental science will also be developed. This project will facilitate sustainability and provide a science-based foundation for state and federal nutrient standards. This project will address how the effects of historical nutrient over enrichment influences the ability of marshes to recover their ability to provide ecosystem services. The project will use a combination of whole-ecosystem experimental manipulations, field measurements of key species, assays of genetic change, nutrient and carbon cycle processes, and food-web structure in six experimental sites to determine recovery trajectories. Researchers will measure changes in the decomposer community genetic diversity and activity by sequence amplicons of functional genes responsible for encoding key enzymes in the nitrogen cycling processes. The project will measure plant traits and genotypic diversity. The recovery of carbon and nitrogen cycling will be determined from marsh geomorphology, habitat-specific denitrification rates, nitrogen exchange with the open bay, and decomposition. Measuring the species diversity, abundance and productivity and stable isotope of invertebrates and fish will assess food web recovery.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.