MSA: Resolving structural diversity controls on ecosystem function along a volume gradient across NEON domains

生物多样性通常被认为是以存在的不同类型的生物的数量来衡量的。利用这一观点，研究表明，生物多样性是决定生态系统特征的重要因素，如稳定性和功能，以及不同生态系统维持地球上包括人类在内的所有生命的多种方式。这项研究将从一个非常不同的角度--空间结构--来考察生物多样性。该项目将研究不同类型的植物在不同生态系统内和之间相互排列和分层的三维模式，如草原、灌木和森林。这种结构多样性影响植物获取资源的方式，而资源反过来又控制着生态系统的健康和功能。结构多样性可能受到最大植被数量的限制，因此森林可能比灌丛和草原具有更高的结构多样性和功能。研究将使用国家生态观测网(NEON)空中观测站平台的遥感数据来测试这些生态系统类型内部和之间的结构多样性如何变化。这将得到使用较低飞行的无人机收集的新的、更精细的数据的称赞。这些分析将被用来开发一种新的理论基础，用于利用遥感来测量生态系统的结构多样性。该项目所产生的理解可能导致在地方和区域范围内监测和管理生态系统的新方法。该项目还将致力于通过弥合生态学家数据科学教育方面的差距，增加STEM中代表不足的群体的留存率。新的以大系统生物学为重点的课程和研究经验将在美国最大的拉美裔美国人服务机构培训学生。该项目的目标是揭示结构多样性在大系统尺度上沿着植物体积梯度类似地影响生态系统功能和生物多样性的程度，以及生态系统类型是否有独特的结构属性来管理连接结构多样性和功能的机制。具体目标是：(1)检验结构多样性与功能和生物多样性之间是否在空间尺度上沿植物体积梯度出现相同的关系，以及(2)检验调节结构多样性-功能和生物多样性关系空间格局的环境因素的相对重要性。该项目将利用霓虹灯数据产生的能量，并将其与次大陆范围内的新LiDAR无人机数据产品集成。这一综合方法对于衡量草原和灌丛的结构多样性尤为必要。该项目还将培养不同的本科生和研究生，并将支持两名职业生涯早期科学家的发展。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。

Biological diversity is commonly thought of and measured in terms of the number of different types of organisms that are present. Using this perspective, studies have established that biological diversity is an important factor determining ecosystem characteristics such as stability and function, and the many ways that different ecosystems sustain all life on Earth, including humans. This study will examine biological diversity from a very different perspective - by spatial structure. The project will examine the three-dimensional patterns by which different types of plants are arranged and layered in relationship to one another within and between different ecosystems such as grasslands, shrublands, and forests. This structural diversity impacts how plants obtain resources which, in turn, controls the health and functioning of ecosystems. Structural diversity may be limited by the maximum volume of vegetation, so forests may have higher structural diversity and functioning than shrublands and grasslands. Research will use remote sensing data from the National Ecological Observatory Network's (NEON's) Airborne Observatory Platform to test how structural diversity varies within and between these ecosystem types. This will be complimented by new, finer-scale data collected using lower-flying drones. The analyses will be used to develop a new theoretical basis for using remote sensing to measure structural diversity across ecosystems. The understanding generated by this project could lead to a new method for monitoring and managing ecosystems at local to regional scales. The project will also work toward increasing the retention of underrepresented groups in STEM by bridging a gap in data science education for ecologists. New macrosystems biology-focused curriculum and research experiences will train students at the USA’s largest Hispanic American-Serving Institution.The goal of this project is to uncover the degree to which structural diversity influences ecosystem function and biodiversity similarly along a plant volume gradient at macrosystem scales, and whether there are unique structural attributes of ecosystem types that govern the mechanisms linking structural diversity and function. Specific objectives are to: (1) test if the same relationships occur between structural diversity with function and biodiversity along a plant volume gradient across spatial scales, and (2) test the relative importance of environmental factors mediating the spatial patterns of structural diversity-function and -biodiversity relationships. The project will harness the power created by NEON data and integrate it with a new LiDAR drone data product across a sub-continental scale. This combined approach is especially needed for measuring structural diversity in grasslands and shrublands. The project will also train diverse undergraduate and graduate students and will support the development of two early-career scientists.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.