The development and function of subarctic alpine soil surface biological communities

亚北极高山土壤表层生物群落的发育与功能

• 批准号: RGPIN-2017-05285
• 负责人: Stewart, Katherine
• 金额: $ 1.68万
• 依托单位: University of Saskatchewan
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=634050
• 关键词: development; function; subarctic; alpine; soil

Due to their ubiquitous distribution and unique physiology, establishment of biological soil crust (BSC) communities and corresponding initiation of key ecosystem functions is a common early successional process. In alpine and arctic environments, BSCs are often a dominant vegetation unit, making these ecosystems a uniquely powerful model for examining the role of BSCs in terrestrial ecosystem development. My long-term goal is to identify mechanisms at the BSC-soil surface interface that drive nutrient cycling processes in arctic and alpine environments. BSCs are located at the soil-atmosphere interface where their developmental trajectories are driven by both microclimate and soil physicochemical factors. As these soil surface assemblages establish, they in turn modulate their environment through the initiation of key ecosystem functions at biogeochemical interfaces between BSCs and below-crust soils. Over the next 5 years my short-term goal is to link the realized niches of key BSC components with the initiation and modulation of nutrient cycling processes at the BSC-soil interface. My specific objectives are to: 1) develop successional models of BSC communities based upon the realized niche of primary macro and micro BSC phyla; 2) examine the development and function of BSC assemblages in relation to soil physical, chemical and microbial properties; and 3) relate BSC development to ecosystem-level nutrient cycling driven by BSC and below-crust soil microbial communities.

由于其普遍的分布和独特的生理，生物土壤结皮（BSC）社区的建立和相应的关键生态系统功能的启动是一个常见的早期演替过程。在高山和北极环境中，生物多样性干细胞通常是一个占主导地位的植被单位，使这些生态系统成为一个独特的强大的模型，研究生物多样性干细胞在陆地生态系统发展中的作用。我的长期目标是确定在BSC-土壤表面界面驱动北极和高山环境中的营养循环过程的机制。BSCs位于土壤-大气界面，其发育轨迹受小气候和土壤理化因素的驱动。随着这些土壤表面组合的建立，它们又通过生物地球化学界面生物地球化学和地壳下土壤之间的关键生态系统功能的启动来调节其环境。在接下来的5年里，我的短期目标是将BSC关键组件的实现生态位与BSC-土壤界面养分循环过程的启动和调节联系起来。我的具体目标是：1）基于BSC主要宏、微观门的生态位，建立BSC群落演替模型; 2）研究BSC群落的发育与功能，以及与土壤理化和微生物性质的关系; 3）将BSC的发育与BSC和壳下土壤微生物群落驱动的生态系统水平养分循环联系起来。