Mapping above- and belowground vegetation traits in the Canadian Rockies and surrounding regions at multiple spatial and temporal scales

该项目调查加拿大落基山脉的植被，重点是根和其他地下特征，显着影响生态系统的结构和功能。该项目将利用加拿大一项公开的研究倡议“山区遗产项目”的历史照片和近期照片，比较植被随时间和空间的变化。这些照片将被用于绘制树线以上的植被地图，分辨率前所未有，使用温哥华大学的定制程序。这些信息将结合目前的工作特点的趋势，在北极/高山物种植物地下性状。这些植物性状是衡量生态系统功能不同方面的重要指标，因物种和环境因素（如气候和地形）而异。利用从山地遗产项目照片中提取的关键地下特征、植被覆盖和地上特征分布的数据，以及免费提供的环境因素遥感数据，我们的目标是预测落基山脉这一地区关键地下特征的分布。研究结果将提供更多的了解空间和时间变化的地下性状在区域和全球范围内。我们预测，自20世纪初以来，由于植物群落结构的变化，与生长有关的地上和地下性状将有所增加。我们还预测，地上和地下性状的变化不会是均匀的，将在很大程度上取决于地形和土壤水分等因素。我们还将比较最近受火灾和干旱影响的地区，以阐明对这些干扰的反应。这些信息将有助于评估生态系统健康，并为落基山脉这些地区的管理决策提供信息。对北极和阿尔卑斯系统地下相互作用的了解还不够，由于大多数植物生物量在地下，这些生态系统地下功能的变化可能会产生很大的后果。这些环境含有大量的碳储存，其释放可能对气候变化反馈产生重大影响。由于高山和北极环境具有许多共同的特征，植物物种和承受类似的快速程度的环境变化，这项研究将增加对适用于这两个系统的地下变化的反应的理解。此外，北极/阿尔卑斯山环境经历的快速变暖提供了对全球预测的未来气候变化的深入了解。新的分析技术，我们的目标是在这个项目中开发可用于调查环境变化，使用远程方法在北极和阿尔卑斯山系统。这方面的创新可能会提高我们预测这些生态系统未来气候变化情景的能力。对地下生态系统应对措施的进一步了解、在整个安置过程中共享的网络和技能也将为进一步开展国际合作和长期监测这些生态系统创造机会。这项工作可能会导致出版物，并有助于在加拿大落基山脉在维多利亚大学未来的研究。

This project investigates the vegetation of the Canadian Rockies, focusing on roots and other belowground characteristics which significantly influence ecosystem structure and function. The project will compare vegetation change over time and space using historical and recent photos from the Mountain Legacy Project, a publicly available Canadian research initiative. These photos will be used to map vegetation above the treeline at a resolution never done before, using custom programs at the University of Vancouver. This information will be combined with current work characterising trends in plant belowground traits in Arctic/ Alpine species. These plant traits, which are important measures of different aspects of ecosystem functioning, vary across species and with environmental factors such as climate and topography. Using the data for key belowground traits, vegetation cover and aboveground traits distributions extracted from the Mountain Legacy Project photos, and freely available remote-sensed on environmental factors, we aim to predict the distribution of key belowground traits in this region of the Rockies. The findings will provide increased understanding of spatial and temporal variation of belowground traits at regional and global scales. We predict that since the early 1900s, above and belowground traits relating to growth will have increased, due to changes in plant community structure. We also predict that the changes in above- and belowground traits will not be uniform and will depend heavily on factors such as topography and soil water. We will also compare regions affected recently by fire and drought to shed light responses to these disturbances. This information would be useful for assessing ecosystem health and informing management decisions in these regions of the Rockies. Understanding of belowground interactions in Arctic and Alpine systems is lacking, and with the majority of plant biomass belowground, changes to belowground functioning in these ecosystems can have large consequences. These environments contain huge stores of carbon, the release of which could have significant implications for climate change feedbacks. As Alpine and Arctic environments share many traits, plant species and endure similar rapid degree of environmental change, this research would increase understanding of belowground responses to change applicable to both systems. Furthermore, the rapid warming experienced in Arctic/Alpine environments provides and insight into future climate change predicted globally. New analytical techniques we aim to develop during this project may be used to investigate environmental change using remote methods across Arctic and Alpine systems. Innovation in this may improve our ability to predict future climate change scenarios in these ecosystems. Increased understanding of belowground ecosystem responses, networking and skills shared throughout the placement will also and create opportunity for further international collaboration and long-term monitoring of these ecosystems. This work could result in publications and contribute to future study in the Canadian Rockies at the University of Victoria.