Holocene perspectives on the ecology of moorland burning in northern England

该项目旨在将当前的沼地焚烧做法置于长期生态系统动态的背景下，以提高我们对沼地生态系统如何应对焚烧制度变化的理解。新的古生态数据集将从一个从这个角度进行研究的地区--约克郡山谷国家公园产生。还将选择英格兰北部其他地方的选址，以便利用同时进行的关于现代泥炭地生态和火灾的研究(例如，在宾宁北部和南部)。这些地区正在规划大规模的泥炭地恢复项目，迫切需要充分了解这些项目的生态影响。要做到这一点，对生态系统功能的长期观点是至关重要的。泥炭沉积的古生态分析涉及一系列替代技术，将用于重建选定的环境参数，包括燃烧强度(木炭)、植被组成(花粉和植物大型化石)和表面湿润度(遗体变形虫)。对文献证据的分析将增加关于过去50-500年生态系统变化轨迹的细节。这些方法将使学生能够检验以下中心无效假设：1)目前沼地生态系统变化的短期(50-500年)轨迹在全新世的可变性范围内；2)计划中的燃烧程度、频率和强度的减少不会导致研究地区的植被组成和泥炭地水文的变化。这些成果将满足改善研究基础的迫切需要，以帮助制定实用的管理政策，并将对了解火在确定生态系统功能中的作用的国际科学努力作出重大贡献。因此，该项目是一个极好的培训机会，既涉及该领域的蓝天问题，也涉及该领域的应用问题，并可能导致在学术研究或土地管理和政策方面的职业生涯。这个项目很容易处理(已经确定了几个潜在的合适地点)，并为学生提供了机会，让他们根据自己的兴趣和与项目合作伙伴一起发展的想法，在不同的方向上发展项目。与约克郡山谷国家公园管理局(YDNPA)保护和政策部门的合作将确保将结果用于为管理和恢复政策提供信息，并允许学生在沼地保护和政策制定方面获得实践经验。YDNPA还将为学生提供专业培训、项目监督和为期一年的实习职位外，还将为现场工作提供实际支持。与实践者的密切接触将使项目成果在科学发现和工作影响方面受益，并将对学生的职业准备做出重大贡献。主办机构(HI)将提供符合RCUK要求的通用技能培训，项目主管将提供古环境解释原理和实践方面的科学和技术培训。对研究生的监督和支持组织得很好，为通过研究支持小组系统评估进展提供了一个极好的支持网络和框架。HI将为学生提供一系列优秀的设施，包括高质量的实验室和办公空间、世界级的分析设施、专用PC和车辆；YDNPA还将提供访问其设施的机会，包括现场设备和现场使用的车辆，此外还将满足学生在实习期间的办公室要求。

This project aims to place current moorland burning practices into the context of long-term ecosystem dynamics to improve our understanding of how moorland ecosystems respond to changes in burning regime. New palaeoecological data sets will be generated from a region that is understudied from this perspective, the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Sites elsewhere in northern England will also be chosen in order to take advantage of concurrent studies on modern peatland ecology and fire (e.g. in the northern and southern Pennines). Large-scale peatland restoration projects are planned for these regions and there is an urgent need to fully understand the ecological implications of these projects. In order to do this, the long-term perspective on ecosystem function is essential. Palaeoecological analysis of peat deposits, involving a range of proxy techniques, will be used to reconstruct selected environmental parameters, including burning intensity (charcoal), vegetation composition (pollen and plant macrofossils), and surface wetness (testate amoebae). Analysis of documentary evidence will add detail on the trajectory of ecosystem change for the last 50-500 years. These approaches will enable the student to test the following central null hypotheses: 1) That current short-term (50-500 year) trajectories of moorland ecosystem change are within the range of variability for the Holocene; 2) That planned reduction in burning extent, frequency and intensity will not lead to changes to the vegetation composition and peatland hydrology in the areas studied. The results will meet an urgent need for an improved research base to aid the development of practical management policies and will make a significant contribution to the international scientific effort to understand the role of fire in determining ecosystem function. This project therefore represents an excellent training opportunity which addresses both blue-skies and applied dimensions of the field and could lead to a career in either academic research or land management and policy. The project is tractable (several potential appropriate sites have already been identified) and provides opportunities for the student to develop the project in different directions according to their interests and development of ideas in conjunction with the project partner. Collaboration with the Conservation and Policy Department of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) will ensure the results are used to inform management and restoration policy, and allow the student to gain hands-on experience in moorland conservation and policy development. The YDNPA will also provide practical support for fieldwork in addition to specialist training, project supervision, and a year-long internship position for the student. Close involvement with practitioners will benefit the project outcomes in terms of both the scientific findings and the impact of the work, and will also contribute significantly to the student's career preparation. The Host Institution (HI) will provide generic skills training attuned to RCUK requirements and the project supervisors will provide scientific and technical training in the principles and practice of palaeoenvironmental interpretation. Supervision and support of postgraduate research students is well organised, providing an excellent support network and framework for assessment of progress through the Research Support Group system. The HI will provide the student with an excellent range of facilities including high-quality laboratory and office space, world-class analytical facilities, a dedicated PC and access to vehicles; the YDNPA will also offer access to its facilities including field equipment and vehicles for use in the field, in addition to providing for the student's office requirements during the internship periods.