Functional ecology of the alpine cryptogamasphere in the face of change (CryptFunc)

面对变化的高山隐球球的功能生态学（CryptFunc）

• 批准号: NE/Y000412/1
• 负责人: Robert Mills
• 金额: $ 65.68万
• 依托单位: University of York
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FY000412%2F1
• 关键词: Functional; ecology; alpine; cryptogamasphere; face

Cryptogams (mosses, lichens) are a conspicuous part of the ecology of alpine and higher-latitude ecosystems, and are important for cycling carbon and nutrients. In particular, how cryptogams take nitrogen from the atmosphere (N-fixation), could be of considerable importance in these systems, where nutrients are generally not easily accessible by plants and microbes. Our understanding on these processes is poor, especially in the alpine, and especially for times of the year outside of the main summer growing season. This is concerning given how climate change is disproportionally effecting higher latitude, higher elevation, ecosystems, and through changing snow-cover, affecting winter strongly. This also means that understanding the role cryptogams plays in global climate modelling is not well resolved, and in ecosystem where they are abundant, this is a shortcoming. Cryptogams also have a diverse microbial community inhabiting the aboveground parts. As part of a complex microbial food web, this includes photosynthesising organisms and microbes that can fix atmospheric nitrogen. Currently, we have little information on the molecular ecology of these communities, and if the structure and function of the microbe-cryptogam system varies over time, and amongst different cryptogams. To understand this, and how alpine cryptogams function over time and in response to changing energy and nutrient availability, we will study four different species of cryptogams in our fieldsite in the Cairngorms of eastern Scotland. In this sub-arctic alpine environment, we will measure how C and N are captured and cycled by cryptogams, measure for the first time how these processes occur under snow, and track the fate of C and N into soils. We will use shading methods to change how C enters to the system, allowing us to determine how cryptogams change their nutrient cycling under altered energy availability. Together, these investigations will help us better model how these ecosystems under a changing climate, and increase our understanding of the ecology of the cryptogamosphere.

加密（苔藓，地衣）是高山和更高纬度生态系统生态学的显着组成部分，对于循环碳和养分很重要。特别是，在这些系统中，加密果糖如何从大气中取氮（N固定）可能非常重要，在这些系统中，植物和微生物通常不容易获得营养。我们对这些过程的理解很差，尤其是在高山，尤其是在主要夏季生长季节以外的一年中。鉴于气候变化如何不成比例地影响更高的纬度，更高的海拔，生态系统以及通过变化的雪覆盖，从而强烈影响冬季。这也意味着，了解加密蛋白在全球气候建模中所扮演的作用尚未得到很好的解决，并且在它们丰富的生态系统中，这是一个缺点。加密摄像头也有多样化的微生物群落，居住在地上部分。作为复杂的微生物食物网的一部分，这包括光合作用的生物和可以固定大气氮的微生物。当前，我们几乎没有有关这些社区分子生态学的信息，以及微生物 - 晶体系统的结构和功能是否随着时间的推移而变化，以及在不同的加密甘油中。为了理解这一点，以及高山的加密甘露聚糖如何随着时间的流逝以及对不断变化的能量和养分可用性的响应，我们将研究我们在苏格兰东部凯恩格群岛的田地中的四种不同种类的加密货币。在这种亚北极高山环境中，我们将测量如何通过隐立只管捕获C和N捕获C和N，这是首次测量这些过程在雪下发生的方式，并将C和N的命运跟踪到土壤中。我们将使用阴影方法来更改C进入系统的方式，从而使我们确定加密蛋白如何在能量可用性变化下改变其营养循环。这些研究将共同​​有助于我们更好地模拟这些生态系统如何在气候变化下，并增强我们对加密赛生态学的理解。