Micro to mega-landscapes: scaling arboreal lichen pattern and processes in the boreal rainforest

作为一名景观生态学家，我想知道为什么物种会在它们所在的地方被发现。景观生态学家利用对物种发生的观察和GIS数据（数字地图）来开发分布模型，以帮助理解这一点。这些模型的一个挑战可能是缺乏关于生物体的数据。同样，可靠的科学实验需要实验被复制。然而，在景观生态学中，很难复制可供实验的景观。我的目标是克服这些挑战。我将使用纽芬兰岛上的树栖地衣作为模型系统（拥有大量个体），以更好地理解是什么驱动了跨尺度生物多样性的空间模式。纽芬兰因其丰富的地衣多样性而被称为“北方雨林”。我将克服缺乏复制的挑战，在多个空间尺度上使用林分和树木作为“景观”。这将允许验证和改进统计模型，从而有助于改进其他物种的栖息地模型。这将有助于我正在进行的研究，以获得对北方物种的物种栖息地动态的见解。最后，我将探讨如何利用树栖地衣作为森林生态完整性的指标。******拟议的计划将包括实地工作、地理信息系统分析和三个不同空间尺度的统计建模项目，以调查多种树栖地衣物种的空间多样性模式和栖息地需求。该项目将涉及9名HQP（2名博士，2名硕士，5名本科生）。在微观尺度上，我将把一个林分内的一棵棵树作为复制景观，并测试沿着树干的细微变化是如何影响地衣分布的。在中观尺度上，我将在林分内部和林分之间进行研究，比较影响地衣分布的林分水平属性。在大尺度上，我将比较两个地理上分开的地衣“热点”的地衣分布模式。最后，一个综合的、基于桌面的项目将使用多尺度的预测分布来确定地衣如何作为生态指标发挥作用。******这项工作是新颖的，因为它采用了跨尺度的视角，并将明确的景观生态学原理应用于地衣生态学。跨尺度抽样设计允许对空间尺度如何影响多样性模式进行非常清晰的检查。这些见解将有助于分析其他物种跨尺度多样性模式的统计建模技术。地衣是大气污染和森林完整性的重要指标，是研究地衣的重要对象。这项工作将为我们对北方地区树栖地衣多样性模式的理解开辟新的领域，并有助于提供可用于森林管理的信息，以确保森林生态不受人类活动的负面影响。

As a landscape ecologist, I want to know why species are found where they are. Landscape ecologists use observations about species occurrences together with GIS data (digital maps) to develop distribution models to aid with this understanding. A challenge with these models can be lack of data on organisms. As well, robust scientific experimentation requires experiments to be replicated. However, in landscape ecology it is very difficult to have replicate landscapes on which to experiment. My goal is to overcome these challenges. I will use arboreal (tree-dwelling) lichens on the island of Newfoundland as a model system (with high numbers of individuals) to better understand what drives spatial patterns of biodiversity across scales. Newfoundland is known as the "boreal rainforest" because of its high lichen diversity. I will overcome the challenge of lack of replication using stands and trees as "landscapes" at multiple spatial scales. This will allow for validation and improvement of statistical models and thereby help to improve habitat models for other species. This will contribute to my on-going research to gain insights into species-habitat dynamics for boreal species. Finally, I will investigate how arboreal lichens can be used as an indicator for forest ecological integrity.******The proposed program will include field work, GIS analysis and statistical modelling projects at three different spatial scales to investigate spatial diversity patterns and habitat requirements for multiple arboreal lichen species. The program will involve 9 HQP (2 PhD, 2 MSc, 5 Undergraduates). At the micro-scale I will treat individual trees within a stand as replicate landscapes and test how fine-scale changes along the trunk of a tree affect lichen distribution. At the meso-scale I will work within and between stands to compare stand level attributes that influence lichen distribution. At the mega-scale I will compare lichen distribution patterns in two geographically separated lichen "hot-spots". Finally, an integrative, desk-based project will use predictive distributions at multiple scales to determine how lichens can function as ecological indicators.******This work is novel in that it adopts a cross-scale perspective and applies explicit landscape ecology principles to lichen ecology. The cross-scale sampling design allows for a very clear examination of how spatial scale influences diversity patterns. These insights will contribute to statistical modelling techniques for analysing diversity patterns of other species across scales. Lichens are an important organism for study because they are indicators of atmospheric pollution and forest integrity. The work will break new ground in our understanding of arboreal lichen diversity patterns in the boreal region and help provide information that can be used in forest management to ensure forest ecology is not negatively affected by human activities.