BRC-BIO: Diverse Undergraduate Research Students in Ecology (DURSiE)

屏障岛屿易受风暴侵蚀、沉积物流失和海平面上升的影响，而这些问题在过去几十年中都有所增加。沙子自然地从风、波浪和潮汐中移动到岛屿上，而植物则将沙子固定在适当的位置。通常，草对盐和沙埋有更高的耐受性，而许多树木和灌木更容易因暴露而死亡。然而，最近，盐敏感的灌木已经扩展到沿海草原，并可能受益于与真菌的关系，在某些条件下最大限度地减少盐的吸收。当灌木取代草时，岛屿变得更加脆弱，因为灌木抵抗侵蚀，从而阻碍岛屿的自然迁移，导致岛屿支离破碎。 如果没有屏障岛，大陆将处于沿海风暴的最前沿，可能导致更大的生命和财产损失。在这项研究中，风暴事件将通过暴露灌木盐条件和埋葬模拟。将分析灌木根部真菌感染的存在和程度，并测量根和芽的生长。确定灌木扩展到草地的限制是必要的，以预测和管理屏障岛屿的未来。研究的更广泛的影响包括通过实地研究经验和通过植物学课程中基于课程的研究来培训多样化的学生干部。 研究生还将作为榜样，同时吸引宾夕法尼亚州当地中学的年轻学生学习气候变化的影响。木本植物入侵草原在世界范围内迅速增加;然而，这对屏障岛屿特别有害，那里的植被类型有助于生态系统的结构和功能。在弗吉尼亚州的屏障岛上，本土灌木莫雷拉Cerifera正在侵入草原，部分原因是非生物环境的变化。关于植物组成、草和灌木的功能性状以及菌根关系如何随干扰而变化，仍然存在知识缺口。本研究将联合收割机与田间调查、田间试验、温室试验相结合，研究1）玉米根际腐殖酸的分布; cerifera和禾本科植物的功能性状沿着过渡梯度变化;加速干扰对禾本科植物和M. cerifera菌根定殖的影响。蜡树属。通过更好地了解生态社区将如何应对和推动环境变化，该项目可以帮助沿海土地管理者更好地预测和管理屏障岛屿的未来。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。

Barrier islands are vulnerable to storm erosion, sediment loss, and sea level rise, which have all increased during the past decades. Sand naturally moves on islands from wind, waves, and tides, while plants hold sand in place. Typically, grasses have higher tolerance to salt and sand burial whereas many trees and shrubs are more likely to die with exposure. Recently, however, salt sensitive shrubs have expanded into coastal grasslands and may be benefiting from a relationship with a fungus that minimizes salt uptake in some conditions. Islands become more vulnerable when shrubs replace grasses because shrubs resist erosion and thus impede the natural migration of islands leading to island fragmentation. Without barrier islands, the mainland would be at the forefront of coastal storms potentially leading to greater loss of life and property. In this study, storm events will be simulated through exposing shrubs to salty conditions and burial. Shrub roots will be analyzed for the presence and extent of fungus infection and root and shoot growth will be measured. Determining the constraints on shrub expansion into grasslands is necessary to predict and manage the future of barrier islands. Broader impacts of the research include training a diverse cadre of students via field research experiences and through course-based research in a Botany course. Research students will also serve as role models while engaging younger students at local middle schools in Pennsylvania to learn about the impacts of climate change.Woody plant encroachment into grasslands has rapidly increased worldwide; however, this is particularly detrimental on barrier islands, where vegetation type contributes to the structure and function of the ecosystem. On Virginia barrier islands, the native shrub, Morella cerifera is encroaching into grasslands due in part to changes in the abiotic environment. A knowledge gap remains about how plant composition, functional traits of grasses and shrubs, and mycorrhizal relationships change with disturbance. This project will combine field surveys, field experiments, and greenhouse experiments to investigate 1) the distribution of M. cerifera and grasses change along a transitional gradient, 2) the impact of accelerated disturbance on the functional traits of grasses and M. cerifera, and 3) the impact of accelerated disturbance on mycorrhizal colonization of grasses and M. cerifera. By better understanding how ecological communities will respond to and drive environmental change, this project can help coastal land managers better predict and manage the future of barrier islands.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.