Cells to ecosystems: fossil xylem is the missing link in reconstructing water use by plants, forests, and global vegetation in deep time

细胞到生态系统：木质部化石是重建植物、森林和全球植被深层用水的缺失环节

• 批准号: 2323169
• 负责人: Daniel Peppe
• 金额: $ 60万
• 依托单位: Baylor University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-04-01 至 2027-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2323169&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Cells; ecosystems; fossil; xylem; missing

Plant communities respond to climate change by moving and changing, but current predictions lack mechanistic connections between plant function and environmental change. Plant community responses are observed repeatedly in the fossil record, and could help predict future changes by measuring traits from plant fossils. Much effort has focused on the ways that leaves respond to and record environmental conditions. However, leaves depend on long-lived organs, such as stems, to enable plant function. This study will establish a new database dedicated to plant stem traits from fossil xylem to understand plant community responses to major intervals of ancient climate change. More broadly, this project will prepare a new generation of Earth scientists for this highly interdisciplinary work and expand participation in research through training and mentoring targeted towards underrepresented groups in paleontology through the creation of a paleontology and ecosystem modeling short course. This project is focused on assessing water transport in the xylem of Paleozoic and Mesozoic plants as an adaptation that influenced survivorship across two major intervals of climate change: the Late Paleozoic Ice Age of the Carboniferous-Permian (~300 million years ago [Ma]) and the hothouse climate of the Triassic-Jurassic (~200 Ma). This project will focus on three specific aims: (1) establish a unified xylem fossil functional anatomy database to facilitate (2) prediction of hydraulic traits for extinct taxa and (3) integration of fossil-observed leaf and xylem traits to predict whole-plant function using a modified ecosystem process model (Paleo-BGC). Investigators will use this approach to assess extinct plant water stress and ecosystem function through periods of extreme global climate change and test the hypothesis that coordination of leaf and stem water transport traits distinguished taxa as casualties, survivors, and thrivers during floral collapse and recovery during both global cooling and warming events. This project prioritizes training a new generation of interdisciplinary Earth scientists through training and mentoring opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral scholars. Additionally, a short course for underrepresented and early career scientists focused on linking paleobotany, plant physiology, and climate change will be created. Pre- and post-course summative evaluations will be applied with an aim to improve future course iterations’ delivery of climate-change-focused interdisciplinary geoscience to the target audience.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.

植物群落通过移动和变化来应对气候变化，但目前的预测缺乏植物功能和环境变化之间的机械联系。植物群落的反应在化石记录中被反复观察到，并且可以通过测量植物化石的特征来帮助预测未来的变化。许多努力都集中在树叶对环境条件的反应和记录上。然而，叶子依赖于长寿命的器官，如茎，使植物功能。这项研究将建立一个新的数据库，致力于从化石木质部植物茎性状，以了解植物群落对古代气候变化的主要间隔的反应。更广泛地说，该项目将为这一高度跨学科的工作培养新一代的地球科学家，并通过创建古生物学和生态系统建模短期课程，针对古生物学中代表性不足的群体进行培训和指导，扩大对研究的参与。该项目的重点是评估古生代和中生代植物木质部中的水分运输，作为一种适应，影响了两个主要气候变化时期的生存：石炭纪-二叠纪的晚古生代冰期（约3亿年前[Ma]）和三叠纪-侏罗纪的温室气候（约200 Ma）。该项目将重点关注三个具体目标：（1）建立统一的木质部化石功能解剖数据库，以促进（2）预测灭绝分类群的水力特征和（3）整合化石观察到的叶和木质部特征，以预测整株植物功能使用修改后的生态系统过程模型（Paleo-BGC）。研究人员将使用这种方法来评估灭绝的植物水分胁迫和生态系统功能，通过极端的全球气候变化时期，并测试假设，叶和茎水运输性状的协调区分类群的伤亡，幸存者和繁荣者在花崩溃和恢复在全球变冷和变暖事件。该项目通过为本科生、研究生和博士后学者提供培训和指导机会，优先培养新一代跨学科地球科学家。此外，将为代表性不足和早期职业科学家开设一门短期课程，重点是将古植物学，植物生理学和气候变化联系起来。课程前和课程后的总结性评估将被应用，旨在改善未来课程迭代向目标受众提供以气候变化为重点的跨学科地球科学。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。