Northern Alpine Ecology

北高山生态

• 批准号: 305471-2010
• 负责人: Hik, David
• 金额: $ 1.09万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Northern Research Supplement
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=548432
• 关键词: Northern; Alpine; Ecology

Although mountains cover most of northwestern Canada, relatively little is known about these environments. Existing evidence suggests that the distribution and productivity of vegetation and mammalian herbivores in northern mountains will be extensively affected by climate change. The long-term objectives of my research program provide the context for a multidisciplinary research program focused on the dynamics of plant-herbivore-climate interactions in northern alpine ecosystems. In collaboration with a diverse group of students, university and government scientists, and northern partners, this research program will ultimately address the consequences of long-term change in northern mountain ecosystems. Existing field camp and research infrastructure in the Ruby Range mountains east of Kluane Lake in the southwest Yukon provides an opportunity to conduct intensive research into the processes that structure, sustain and alter these environments. Over the next decade several themes will be developed further, including (1) evaluation of demographic and behavioural responses of mammalian herbivores to inter-annual variation in resource availability, predation risk, seasonal phenology and extreme weather events; (2) measurement of responses of alpine vegetation to different levels of natural and experimental herbivory and variation in abiotic factors (especially snow), at physiological, demographic and community levels; (3) development of local, regional and global models to assess the influence of landscape-level processes (e.g. snowcover, treeline/shrubline dynamics, dispersal) on biodiversity at different scales; and (4) mechanisms for ensuring sustainability of northern tundra and alpine environments, through long-term monitoring, education, outreach, and integration of scientific and community-based knowledge.

尽管山脉覆盖了加拿大西北部的大部分地区，但人们对这些环境知之甚少。现有证据表明，北部山区的植被和哺乳动物草食动物的分布和生产力将受到气候变化的广泛影响。我的研究计划的长期目标为一个多学科研究计划提供了背景，该计划侧重于北部高山生态系统中植物-草食动物-气候相互作用的动态。这项研究计划将与不同的学生群体、大学和政府科学家以及北方合作伙伴合作，最终解决北方山区生态系统长期变化的后果。育空地区西南部克鲁安湖以东的Ruby山脉现有的野外营地和研究基础设施为深入研究构成、维持和改变这些环境的过程提供了机会。今后十年将进一步发展若干专题，包括：(1)评估哺乳动物草食动物对资源可获得性、捕食风险、季节物候和极端天气事件年际变化的人口和行为反应；(2)在生理、人口和社区层面测量高山植被对不同水平的自然和实验草食以及非生物因素(特别是雪)变化的反应；(3)开发地方、区域和全球模型，以评估不同尺度上景观水平的过程(如积雪、林线/灌木动态、扩散)对生物多样性的影响；以及(4)通过长期监测、教育、推广和整合科学知识和社区知识，确保北部冻土带和高山环境的可持续性的机制。