A macronutrient analysis system for studies of natural and stressed terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

加拿大亚北方到亚北极地区的森林、泥炭地和湖泊储存了大量的大气碳(C)，作为有机物质存在于植被、土壤和沉积物中，在气候系统反馈中发挥着关键作用。此外，它们拥有世界上大量的可饮用淡水，是重要的栖息地，并支持体育和自给性渔业以及林业和矿产自然资源产业。包括资源开发、区域大气污染、入侵物种和全球气候变化在内的多种区域和全球应激源影响着这些生态系统中的碳、养分和污染物循环。C、养分和污染物动态之间的联系通常是相互交织的，在前寒武纪地盾环境中，水文连接紧密，高地、湿地和水生环境的生态系统动态也紧密联系在一起。*我们要求一个能够进行液体(地表水和土壤水以及土壤和沉积物提取物)和固体(土壤、沉积物、组织)相分析的C和N(N)分析系统。对有机碳和相关氮的分析将使我们的团队能够测量凋落物和土壤分解过程的净速率，加拿大北部森林、湿地和湖泊生态系统中植物和微生物的转移，以及水、土壤和沉积物微生物群落的底物生物有效性和生物量，这些微生物群落负责有机物质的矿化和温室气体的排放。该系统将使我们的HQP能够在严重的地区性工业污染、气候变化、入侵和林业的背景下，表征生态系统C储量和通量、有机质生物有效性以及在受影响和恢复的景观(连接的旱地-湿地-湖泊集水区)中的微生物生物量。

The forests, peatlands and lakes of the sub-boreal to sub-arctic regions of Canada store and vast amounts of atmospheric carbon (C) as organic matter in vegetation, soils, and sediments that play key roles in climate system feedbacks. Further, they contain a large volume of the world's potable freshwater, are vital habitats, and support sport and subsistence fisheries and forestry and mineral natural resource industries. Multiple regional and global stressors ranging including resource exploitation, regional atmospheric pollution, invasive species, and global climate change impact the carbon, nutrient, and pollutant cycling in these ecosystems. Linkages between C, nutrient, and pollutant dynamics are often intertwined, and in Precambrian Shield environments where hydrologic connectivity is tight, ecosystem dynamics of upland, wetland, and aquatic environments are also tightly linked.******We are requesting a C and nitrogen (N) analytical system capable of both liquid (surface and soil waters and soil and sediment extracts) and solid (soils, sediments, tissues) phase analyses. Analysis of organic C and associated N will allow our groups to measure net rates of litter and soil decomposition processes, plant and microbial transfers across northern Canadian forest, wetland, and lake ecosystems, and substrate bioavailability to, and biomass of, water, soil and sediment microbial communities that are responsible for mineralization of organic matter and release of greenhouse gasses from these ecosystems. This system will allow our HQP to characterize ecosystem C stocks and fluxes, organic matter bioavailability, and microbial biomass across impacted and recovering landscapes (connected upland-wetland-lake catchments) in the contexts of severe regional-scale industrial pollution, climate change, invasions, and forestry.