Grazing and disturbance as management tools in coastal wetlands: consequences for soil organic matter, biodiversity and functional resilience.

沙丘湿地是生物多样性的栖息地，支持许多英国珍稀植物，无脊椎动物和脊椎动物物种。它们是欧洲自然保护的优先栖息地。放牧和干扰是维持这一保护价值的重要因素。然而，我们对这些系统中地下生物多样性的了解是有限的，特别是在植物和土壤成分之间的相互作用以及生物地球化学功能的后果的背景下。本博士将研究海岸沙丘的土壤有机质、微生物和动物群落，以确定其随时间的变化以及干扰和放牧的影响。利用一个已建立的长期实验（https://www.ecologicalcontinuitytrust.org/ainsdale-dune-slacks）和更广泛的研究站点网络，这项研究将测试沿海系统中有机质质量、土壤生物多样性和功能恢复力之间的联系，并提供独特的地下证据来帮助优化保护管理策略。

Sand dune wetlands or slacks are biodiverse habitats supporting many rare UK plant, invertebrate and vertebrate species. They are a priority habitat for nature conservation in Europe. Grazing and disturbance are important for maintaining this conservation value. Our knowledge, however, of belowground biodiversity in these systems is limited, particularly in the context of interactions between plants and soil components and consequences for biogeochemical functioning.This PhD will investigate soil organic matter, microbial and faunal communities in coastal dune slacks to determine change over time and the impacts of disturbance and grazing. Using an established long-term experiment (https://www.ecologicalcontinuitytrust.org/ainsdale-dune-slacks) and wider network of study sites, this research will test links between organic matter quality, soil biodiversity and functional resilience in coastal systems, and provide unique belowground evidence to help optimise conservation management strategies.