Collaborative Research: MRA: Elucidating the multi-dimensionality and scaling of avian diversity-vegetation relationships

本项目将研究生境结构对生物多样性的影响；也就是生命形式的多样性。生境结构是自然群落中植物和资源的空间安排。这种结构对生物多样性很重要，因为它影响着生物的生存环境。该项目的目标是在面对人类影响的情况下有效地规划生态系统的未来。迄今为止，研究主要集中在栖息地结构的一个小方面——树冠高度——并且只在小空间尺度上进行了研究。但是，栖息地结构比树冠高度更复杂，当考虑到当地群落乃至整个大陆时，栖息地结构可能会在更大的空间尺度上发生变化。为了解决这一知识缺口，该项目将利用鸟类观测和从飞机和卫星上收集的数据来测试栖息地结构如何影响本地和大陆尺度上的生物多样性。研究结果将有助于理解人为干扰和自然干扰对生境和生物多样性的影响。该项目将为科学界和教育界提供结果和数据。该项目还将通过培训来自通常在科学领域代表性不足的群体的初高中学生和博士后研究人员，培养生态研究方面的多样化劳动力。该项目将通过探索鸟类多样性的分类和功能方面与从本地到大陆的三维植被结构之间的关系，为鸟类多样性-植被关联的机制基础提供新的见解。本项目将在现有研究的基础上进行扩展，认识到植被结构的多维性，包括植被的垂直和水平异质性。为此，该项目将使用机载和星载光探测和测距（LiDAR）传感器。其次，本研究将通过性状-环境关系的探索，找出介导鸟类多样性与三维植被结构关联的性状。因此，该项目将为确定持续响应植被结构变化的特征提供基础，并可能在面临栖息地改变和丧失的情况下预测鸟类多样性的未来状态。最后，通过对多个空间尺度的探索，为生物多样性-植被关系的尺度依赖提供理论基础。最终，这些发现将对理解环境变化对生物多样性的影响产生影响。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。

This project will study the impacts of habitat structure on biodiversity; that is, the variety of forms of life. Habitat structure is the spatial arrangement of plants and resources in natural communities. This structure is important for biodiversity because it affects where organisms can live. The goal of this project is to effectively plan for the future of ecosystems in the face of human impacts. To date, studies have focused on one small aspect of habitat structure—tree canopy height—and have only done studies at small spatial scales. But, habitat structure is more complex than tree canopy height and might change at larger spatial scales when considering local communities up to entire continents. To address this knowledge gap, this project will use bird sightings and data collected from airplanes and satellites to test how habitat structure affects biodiversity at local to continental scales. Findings from this research will help understand the impacts of human disturbance and natural disturbance on habitats and biodiversity. The project will provide results and data for the scientific and educational communities. The project will also train a diverse workforce in ecological research by training middle- and high-schoolers and postdoctoral researchers from groups typically underrepresented in science.This project will provide new insights into the mechanistic underpinnings of avian diversity-vegetation associations through the exploration of the relationships between taxonomic and functional facets of avian diversity and three-dimensional (3-D) vegetation structure across spatial scales from local to continental. This project will expand on existing studies by recognizing the multi-dimensionality of vegetation structure, including both its vertical and horizontal heterogeneity of vegetation. To do so, the project will use air-borne and space-borne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors. Second, this research will identify traits that mediate the associations of avian diversity with 3-D vegetation structure through the exploration of trait-environment relationships. As such, the project will provide a basis for identifying traits that consistently respond to changes in vegetation structure and might hold the strongest potential for predicting future states of avian diversity in the face of habitat modification and loss. Finally, by exploring multiple spatial scales, the project will advance the theoretical foundation of scale dependence in biodiversity-vegetation relationships. Ultimately, the findings will have implications for understanding the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity.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.