Assessing the Effects of Human Activity on the Composition of Tropical Forests

评估人类活动对热带森林组成的影响

• 批准号: 2148984
• 负责人: Mark Bush
• 金额: $ 40万
• 依托单位: Florida Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-07-01 至 2026-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2148984&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Assessing; Effects; Human; Activity; Composition

This project examines human impacts on rain forest ecosystems. Noted for their biodiversity, the botanical composition of rain forests has potentially been shaped during extended periods of human occupation by the planting, cutting, and burning of plants. An alternative possibility is that human activity affects the composition of rain forests on shorter time scales, including recent periods of intensive exploitation of forests for rubber and other products. This study examines these alternatives though a combination of research methods that includes the analysis of sediment cores from tropical lakes, documentation of vegetation in forested locations, and surveys of local residents to determine variation in the uses of local plants. This combination of methods facilitates analysis of change in forest composition over time, allowing the researchers to infer when changes occurred and the extent to which human activity resulted in current patterns. The researchers also collaborate with local ecotourism organizations to promote greater awareness of human impacts on forested environments. The project also contributes to the mentorship and training of multiple students in ecological field methods and data analysis.The extent to which human activity has modified tropical rain forests has been a longstanding question among geographers. To make inferences about human impacts on forests, the researchers examine lake sediments, which accumulate over thousands of years. The analysis of pollens and plant parts that have fossilized in these sediments provides insights into fluctuations in botanical diversity over time. The researchers combine these findings with data on local ethnobiological knowledge, which permits retrospective insights into the ways that past human inhabitants may have curated the forest in beneficial ways. The historical trajectory of tropical forests is relevant to climate projections given evidence that newer forests absorb atmospheric carbon at relatively greater rates. Ascertaining the extent to which forests have been modified on different timescales also provides insights into the resilience of forests to human activity, including present impacts on the ecosystems. The project also contributes to conservation in tropical settings via partnerships with ecotourism organizations that support conservation efforts. The training of graduate and undergraduate students contributes to the goals of broadening participation in scientific research.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.

这个项目考察了人类对雨林生态系统的影响。雨林以其生物多样性而闻名，在人类长期占领期间，由于种植、砍伐和焚烧植物，雨林的植物组成可能已经形成。另一种可能性是，人类活动在较短的时间尺度上影响了雨林的组成，包括最近为生产橡胶和其他产品而密集开发森林的时期。本研究通过一系列研究方法考察了这些替代方案，包括分析热带湖泊的沉积物岩心，记录森林地区的植被，以及调查当地居民以确定当地植物利用的变化。这些方法的结合有助于分析森林组成随时间的变化，使研究人员能够推断变化发生的时间以及人类活动导致当前模式的程度。研究人员还与当地生态旅游组织合作，提高人们对人类对森林环境影响的认识。该项目还有助于指导和培训多名学生在生态领域的方法和数据分析。人类活动在多大程度上改变了热带雨林，这是地理学家长期以来的一个问题。为了推断人类对森林的影响，研究人员检查了湖泊沉积物，这些沉积物积累了数千年。对这些沉积物中已经变成化石的花粉和植物部分的分析，提供了对植物多样性随时间变化的见解。研究人员将这些发现与当地民族生物学知识的数据结合起来，可以回顾性地了解过去的人类居民可能以有益的方式管理森林的方式。热带森林的历史轨迹与气候预测有关，因为有证据表明，较新的森林以相对较大的速度吸收大气中的碳。确定森林在不同时间尺度上的改变程度，也有助于深入了解森林对人类活动的复原力，包括目前对生态系统的影响。该项目还通过与支持保护工作的生态旅游组织合作，为热带环境的保护做出贡献。研究生和本科生的培养有助于实现扩大科研参与的目标。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

4D GLOBAL MONTOLOGY: TOWARD CONVERGENT AND TRANSDISCIPLINARY MOUNTAIN SCIENCES ACROSS TIME AND SPACE

4D 全球本体论：迈向跨越时间和空间的融合和跨学科山地科学

• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Pirineos
• 作者: Fausto O. Sarmiento;Andreas Haller;Carla Marchant;Masahito Yoshida;David S. Leigh;Kyle Woosnam;David F. Porinchu;Kamal Gandhi;Elizabeth G. King;Mattia Pistone
• 通讯作者: Mattia Pistone

Phytolith assemblages reflect variability in human land use and the modern environment

• DOI: 10.1007/s00334-023-00932-2
• 发表时间: 2023-06
• 期刊: Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
• 影响因子: 2.5
• 作者: N. H. Witteveen;C. White;Barbara A. Sanchez Martinez;Roemer Booij;Ann Philip;W. Gosling;M. Bush;C. McMichael