Assessing and understanding tree responses to changing climate from gene to canopy scale

评估和了解树木对气候变化的反应（从基因到冠层规模）

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-06928
• 负责人: Ensminger, Ingo
• 金额: $ 2.91万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=741497
• 关键词: Assessing; understanding; tree; responses; changing

The consequences of global climate change, with elevated temperature, altered precipitation patterns, and the increased frequency of extreme events such as heat waves and drought, alters the function of northern trees and forests. Their response to a changing climate already impacts carbon sequestration, productivity, and survival, with potentially large effects on species distribution and the global carbon cycle. However, we currently lack a detailed understanding of how future climate will affect the physiological and molecular responses of northern trees and forests. Such data are crucial to our understanding and potentially mitigating the effects of climate change. The long-term goal of the proposed research program is to determine the sensitivity of trees and forests to environmental change, from the molecular through to the species and ecosystem levels. It will assess how climatic changes impact photosynthetic processes, carbon metabolism, water relations and productivity of Canadian tree species at various scales. This research program is centered around three closely linked areas of research, which (i) investigate intraspecific variation in transcriptome dynamics in order to understand which trees perform better in a hotter and drier world, (ii) examine how phenology, cold hardening and de-hardening are affected by increased temperatures during autumn and spring in a warming world, (iii) further develop a drone based approach to remotely assess photosynthetic phenology and performance of conifers through high-throughput precision phenotyping in natural forest stands. Research in this program involves multiple experimental scales, including the use of experimental growth chambers, the use of field experiments where we manipulate and control air temperature and water availability, and use of long-term monitoring field sites. Results from this program will reveal how tree function is modified in response to increased temperature and drought and provide high-throughput approaches to better assess adaptability and plasticity of tree species to climatic change. This will help select and breed trees that are better adapted to future climate. This research program will therefore help to sustain ecologically and economically important tree species in a future climate with benefits to the environment and the Canadian forestry sector.

全球气候变化的后果，包括气温升高、降水模式改变以及热浪和干旱等极端事件的频率增加，改变了北方树木和森林的功能。它们对气候变化的反应已经影响到碳固存、生产力和生存，并可能对物种分布和全球碳循环产生巨大影响。但我们目前对未来气候将如何影响北方树木和森林的生理和分子反应缺乏详细的了解。这些数据对于我们理解和可能减轻气候变化的影响至关重要。拟议研究计划的长期目标是确定树木和森林对环境变化的敏感性，从分子到物种和生态系统水平。它将评估气候变化如何影响光合作用过程，碳代谢，水的关系和生产力的加拿大树种在不同的规模。该研究计划围绕三个密切相关的研究领域，（i）调查转录组动态中的种内变异，以了解哪些树木在更热和更干燥的世界中表现更好，（ii）研究物候学，冷硬化和去硬化如何受到秋季和春季温度升高的影响，在变暖的世界中，㈢进一步开发一种无人驾驶飞机办法，通过对天然林分进行高通量精确表型分析，远程评估针叶树的光合物候和表现。该计划的研究涉及多个实验规模，包括使用实验生长室，使用现场实验，我们操纵和控制空气温度和水的可用性，以及使用长期监测现场。该计划的结果将揭示树木功能如何在温度升高和干旱的情况下进行修改，并提供高通量方法，以更好地评估树种对气候变化的适应性和可塑性。这将有助于选择和培育更好地适应未来气候的树木。因此，这项研究计划将有助于在未来的气候中维持生态和经济上重要的树种，对环境和加拿大林业部门都有好处。