Predictive ecology of forest plant diversity

森林植物多样性的预测生态学

• 批准号: 577-2008
• 负责人: Lechowicz, Martin
• 金额: $ 3.01万
• 依托单位: McGill University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2011-01-01 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=473349
• 关键词: Predictive; ecology; forest; plant; diversity

The many ecoregions across the Canadian landscape provide the diversity underpinning our natural heritage. The fundamental visual and biological character of any ecoregion is set by its vegetation, from barren tundra through expansive grasslands to dense forests. Plant ecology has a long history of descriptive studies classifying native vegetation into different plant communities arrayed along gradients in light, water and nutrient availability. Through studies of plant function and adaptation, we understand to a lesser degree why particular species prosper in some environments and die out in others. This knowledge is critical to developing well-founded policies for the sustainable management of our forests and wildlife habitat, and for protecting endangered plant and animal species. Descriptive studies unfortunately do not prepare us well for predicting how plant communities will respond to climate change and invasion by non-native species. Plant ecologists now are challenged to develop objective, quantitative methods for predicting the responses of plant communities to changes in their environment and in the regional species pool from which species in the community are drawn. These challenges organize my research program.

横跨加拿大景观的许多生态区提供了支撑我们自然遗产的多样性。 任何生态区的基本视觉和生物特征都是由其植被决定的，从贫瘠的苔原到广阔的草原再到茂密的森林。 植物生态学有着悠久的描述性研究历史，将原生植被划分为沿着光、水和养分可用性梯度排列的不同植物群落。 通过对植物功能和适应性的研究，我们在较小程度上理解了为什么特定物种在某些环境中繁荣而在其他环境中灭绝。 这方面的知识对于制定有充分根据的政策，以可持续地管理我们的森林和野生动物栖息地，以及保护濒危动植物物种至关重要。不幸的是，描述性研究并没有让我们很好地预测植物群落将如何应对气候变化和外来物种的入侵。 植物生态学家现在面临的挑战是发展客观的，定量的方法来预测植物群落对环境变化的反应，并在区域物种库中的物种在社区中被吸引。这些挑战组织了我的研究计划。