Savanna Soil Carbon: investigating biological climate resilience

稀树草原土壤碳：调查生物气候适应能力

• 批准号: 2432088
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Lancaster University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2432088
• 关键词: Savanna; Soil; Carbon; investigating; biological

Savanna ecosystems occupy 20% of the Earth's land surface and are characterized by open canopied mixed woodland-grassland with seasonal rainfall in tropical and sub-tropical regions. They are also reservoirs of globally important biodiversity and carbon that are strongly influenced by the combined effects of grazing, fire and climate. Savannas are critical for human livelihoods and wellbeing, with over 1 billion people reliant on resources or services that these landscapes provide. These include the provision of food, fuel and fibre from natural and managed savanna ecosystems. The co-evolution of savannas and humans has occurred over 200,000 years.Soils underpin the delivery and sustainability of the form and function of these environments with soil biotic communities actively regulating biome scale vegetation dynamics, greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon sequestration. These ancient and valuable systems are, however, under pressure from increasing human activity and over-exploitation and changes in fire and climatic regimes. Together these drivers have the capacity to significantly alter savanna biodiversity and biogeochemical function with implications for dependent human welfare and happiness. Specifically, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the potential individual and interactive impacts of these phenomena on the biological and biogeochemical resilience of the underlying soils. The aim of this PhD research will be to improve understanding of the individual and interactive effects of grazing, fire and climate change on savanna soil biology, carbon biogeochemistry and resilience to future disturbance. Research will be focused on savanna ecosystems in South Africa that typify sub-tropical seasonal drylands found across the planet. Specific objectives and activities will include: 1. To determine the variability in soil properties across savanna degradation gradients. 2. To examine the effects of grazing/fire/climate interactions on soil properties and functions in the field. 3. To test the biotic and functional resilience of savanna soils to climate stress and physical disturbance. Approach - A range of plant-soil field, experimental and laboratory techniques will be used in collaboration with researchers from University of Witwatersrand, and Pretoria University in South Africa, the UKCEH at Lancaster and University of Liverpool.Student training will ensure specific research and transferable skills development that include; soil ecology and biogeochemistry, microbial molecular techniques, greenhouse gas sampling and analyses, isotope science, experimental design, statistics, scientific writing, research presentation/publication, project management, financial oversight and review, team working, advanced independent learning, people and time management, networking, international research.

稀树草原生态系统占地球陆地表面的20%，其特征是热带和亚热带地区有季节性降雨的开放式林冠混合林地-草地。它们还是具有全球重要意义的生物多样性和碳的储存库，受到放牧、火灾和气候的综合影响。热带草原对人类的生计和福祉至关重要，超过10亿人依赖这些景观提供的资源或服务。这些措施包括从自然和管理的热带草原生态系统中提供食物、燃料和纤维。稀树草原和人类的共同进化已经发生了20多万年。土壤支持这些环境的形式和功能的交付和可持续性，土壤生物群落积极调节生物群落规模的植被动态，温室气体排放和碳封存。然而，这些古老而宝贵的系统正面临着人类活动增加、过度开发以及火灾和气候状况变化的压力。这些驱动因素一起有能力显着改变稀树草原的生物多样性和生物地球化学功能，对依赖人类的福利和幸福的影响。具体而言，有相当大的不确定性，这些现象的潜在个人和相互作用的影响，对生物和土壤地球化学的基础土壤的弹性。这项博士研究的目的是提高对草原土壤生物学，碳地球化学和对未来干扰的恢复力的放牧，火灾和气候变化的个体和互动影响的理解。研究将侧重于南非的热带草原生态系统，这是全球各地亚热带季节性旱地的典型。具体目标和活动包括：1.确定稀树草原退化梯度上土壤性质的变异性。2.研究放牧/火灾/气候相互作用对田间土壤性质和功能的影响。3.测试热带稀树草原土壤对气候胁迫和物理干扰的生物和功能恢复力。方法-将与威特沃特斯兰德大学、南非比勒陀利亚大学、兰开斯特的英国环境卫生中心和利物浦大学的研究人员合作，使用一系列植物-土壤田间试验和实验室技术。土壤生态学和土壤地球化学，微生物分子技术，温室气体取样和分析，同位素科学，实验设计，统计学，科学写作，研究报告/出版物，项目管理，财务监督和审查，团队合作，高级独立学习，人员和时间管理，网络，国际研究。