Dimensions US-China: Integrating the dimensions of biodiversity to understand tree performance in a changing world

森林拥有地球上大部分的生物多样性。它们在储存碳和为社会提供其他利益方面也发挥着关键作用。我们对森林如何运作的了解取决于我们对树木生长、死亡和繁殖驱动因素的了解。这些驱动因素的重要性可能会随着树龄、物种和环境条件的变化而变化。然而，这些不同驱动因素的性质和相对重要性很难研究，因为它们的作用时间跨度很长，空间尺度很大。该研究项目将研究热带，亚热带和温带森林的树木性能，以应对这一挑战。该项目利用有关这些森林的长期数据集来了解所涉及的缓慢过程。具体来说，研究小组将测量16种常见树种的生长、死亡率和繁殖率，包括那些在北美东部森林中占主导地位的树种。生物多样性的三个方面-遗传、功能和系统发育-将被纳入该项目。该项目产生的数据将对研究该区域森林生物学的人很有价值。最后，该项目将在美国培训一名博士后研究员、两名研究生和两名本科生，并将为美国早期职业研究人员举办两次培训讲习班。森林动态是从个体树木一级的人口结果中产生的。该项目研究了树木性能的基本权衡是如何由生物多样性的三个方面以及环境条件决定的。这个项目的核心问题是：（1）在一个分类学和功能多样的物种样本中，树木性能的权衡因素是否一致？(2)一个群体中个体的种内功能和遗传相似性如何与其人口统计学上的成功联系起来？(3)种内功能和遗传多样性在不同种群之间是如何变化的，以及这种多样性与树木在不同生命阶段的表现有何联系？以及（4）非生物和生物环境的变化如何驱动树木的性能？该项目将在美国和中国长期使用50公顷的林地，研究温带、亚热带和热带森林系统的树木数量。参考基因组组装将产生14个物种的遗传多样性树木。最后，一个在不同条件下用树苗进行的大型温室实验将有助于提供对幼树权衡的机械理解。该奖项反映了NSF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。

Forests contain the majority of the biological diversity on the planet. They also play a critical role in storing carbon and in providing other benefits to society. Our knowledge of how forests function depends on our understanding of the drivers of tree growth, death and reproduction. The importance of these drivers may change with tree age, species and environmental conditions. Yet, the nature and relative importance of these different drivers is difficult to study because they act over very long timescales and large spatial scales. This research project will examine tree performance in tropical, sub-tropical and temperate forests to address this challenge. The project makes use of long-term datasets about these forests to understand the slow processes involved. Specifically, the research team will measure growth, mortality and reproductive rates for 16 common tree species, including those that dominate eastern North American forests. The three dimensions of biodiversity- genetic, functional, and phylogenetic- will be integrated in this project. The data produced by the project will be valuable for those studying the biology of forests in this region. Lastly, the project will train one postdoctoral researcher, two graduate students and two undergraduate students based in the United States and will provide two training workshops for early career United States researchers. Forest dynamics emerge from demographic outcomes on the level of individual trees. This project examines how the fundamental tradeoffs in tree performance are determined by the three dimensions of biodiversity as well as environmental conditions. The core questions of this project are: (1) Are the drivers of the tradeoffs underlying tree performance consistent across a taxonomically and functionally diverse sample of species? (2) How are intra-specific functional and genetic similarity of individuals within a population linked to their demographic success? (3) How does intra-specific functional and genetic diversity vary across populations and how is this linked to tree performance across life stages? and (4) How does variation in the abiotic and biotic environment drive tree performance? The project will use long-term 50 hectare forest plots in the U.S. and China to study tree demography across temperate, subtropical, and tropical forest systems. Reference genome assemblies will be produced for 14 species of phylogenetically diverse trees. Finally, a large greenhouse experiment with tree seedlings under different conditions will help provide mechanistic understanding of the tradeoffs for young trees.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.