Lakes in the Anthropocene: Studying lake ecosystem changes across broad spatial and temporal scales

人类世的湖泊：研究广泛的空间和时间尺度上的湖泊生态系统变化

• 批准号: RGPIN-2017-04548
• 负责人: Smol, John
• 金额: $ 7.87万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=745893
• 关键词: Lakes; Anthropocene; Studying; lake; ecosystem

One of the greatest challenges faced by ecologists and environmental scientists is the lack of reliable long-term observations. Yet, long-term perspectives (often pre-dating direct observational records) are often required for the study of ecological transitions and thresholds, and particularly during the human-impacted Anthropocene period. Fortunately, strategically selected lake and peat deposits often archive a robust record of past changes that can provide answers to many important questions. This proposal uses established, newly developed, and developing paleoenvironmental approaches to investigate different aspects of global environmental change. Theme 1 melds paleolimnology with the field of conservation biology through projects directed at seabird biovectors, and the use of paleolimnological records to track past changes in avian populations as well as their ecological repercussions (e.g. focussing of nutrients and contaminants into foodwebs). Conservation biologists rarely know the historical population sizes of extinct and threatened species, or how historical population fluctuations correspond to human influence versus climate change, and other environmental stressors. Working in close collaboration with some of Canada's leading ornithologists and focusing on colonies and species of national and international importance, we will study trajectories over time (on decadal to millennial scales) of avian inputs to a strategically selected suite of sites, which will allow us to assess these changes within the broader long-term environmental and climatic context. Questions posed include: How dynamic are bird colonies in space and time on the order of hundreds to thousands of years? Do seabirds move about the landscape as environmental changes occur in their terrestrial or marine habitat? What are the factors influencing these changes on long-time scales? Theme 2 expands our paleolimnological work in the Arctic to studies of the “Northern Great Lakes”. Although considerable progress has been made in understanding ecological transitions and threshold shifts in smaller Arctic lakes and ponds, similar research has lagged in large northern lakes such as Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake. We will address fundamental questions for these understudied Northern Great Lakes including: What are the baseline states of these lakes? How has recent warming and other anthropogenic stressors affected these lakes and how do these changes compare to changes reported in smaller lakes? Collectively, these projects will provide outstanding opportunities for the training of our next generation of ecologists and environmental scientists, addressing both fundamental and applied questions linked to conservation biology and aquatic ecology, while providing key information for policymakers and other stakeholders interested in using evidence-based management strategies.

生态学家和环境科学家面临的最大挑战之一是缺乏可靠的长期观测。然而，长期的观点（通常早于直接观测记录）往往需要研究生态过渡和阈值，特别是在人类影响的人类世时期。幸运的是，经过战略选择的湖泊和泥炭沉积物通常会对过去的变化进行强有力的记录，可以为许多重要问题提供答案。该建议使用已建立的、新开发的和正在开发的古环境方法来调查全球环境变化的不同方面。主题1通过针对海鸟生物载体的项目将古湖沼学与保护生物学领域融合在一起，并使用古湖沼学记录来跟踪鸟类种群的过去变化及其生态影响（例如将营养物质和污染物集中到食物网中）。保护生物学家很少知道灭绝和受威胁物种的历史人口规模，或者历史人口波动如何对应于人类对气候变化的影响，以及其他环境压力。与加拿大一些领先的鸟类学家密切合作，并专注于国家和国际重要性的殖民地和物种，我们将研究随着时间的推移（十年到千年尺度）的轨迹鸟类输入到一套战略选择的网站，这将使我们能够评估这些变化在更广泛的长期环境和气候背景。提出的问题包括：数百至数千年来，鸟类群落在空间和时间上的动态如何？海鸟是否随着陆地或海洋栖息地的环境变化而在景观中移动？在长期尺度上影响这些变化的因素是什么？ 主题2将我们在北极的古湖泊学工作扩展到“北方五大湖”的研究。 虽然在了解北极较小湖泊和池塘的生态转变和阈值变化方面取得了相当大的进展，但在北方大湖，如大奴湖和大熊湖，类似的研究却滞后了。我们将解决这些未充分研究的北方五大湖的基本问题，包括：这些湖泊的基线状态是什么？最近的变暖和其他人为压力因素如何影响这些湖泊，这些变化与较小湖泊的变化相比如何？总的来说，这些项目将为我们的下一代生态学家和环境科学家的培训提供出色的机会，解决与保护生物学和水生生态学相关的基本和应用问题，同时为决策者和其他利益相关者提供关键信息有兴趣使用循证管理战略。