Moose Foraging Strategy, Energetics, and Ecosystem Processes in Boreal Landscapes

这项提议将开发地质定位系统(GPS)技术，用于监测驼鹿的觅食情况，并评估对土壤发展和植被动态等生态系统过程的影响。GPS将在明尼苏达州的冬季条件下在各种地形下进行精度测试。其中一只驼鹿将配备一个集成的GPS标准无线电项圈，以评估这项技术在继续研究驼鹿-植被相互作用方面的效用。一个整合了驼鹿觅食强度、植物生长和土壤养分有效性的模型将被改进，以提高对觅食策略对整个景观中氮素分布的影响的理解。动植物相互作用的时空动态对生态系统过程有重要影响。然而，动物觅食行为对不同景观中养分有效性和植被动态的影响的研究一直受到觅食模式监测技术的限制。这项研究将评估新的GPS技术在监测动物觅食模式方面的价值，并将这些模式与生态系统过程的后果评估结合起来。

This proposal will develop geological positioning system (GPS) technology for monitoring moose foraging and assessing effects on ecosystem processes such as soil development and vegetation dynamics. The GPS will be tested for accuracy under winter conditions in Minnesota in a variety of terrains. One moose will be outfitted with an integrated GPS-standard radio collar to assess the utility of this technology for continued study of moose- vegetation interaction. A model integrating moose foraging intensity, plant growth, soil nutrient availability over boreal landscapes will be refined improve understanding of effects of foraging strategy on nitrogen distribution across the landscape. %%% The spatial and temporal dynamics of animal plant interactions have important consequences for ecosystem processes. However, study of the effects of animal foraging behavior on nutrient availability and vegetation dynamics across landscapes has been limited by technologies for monitoring foraging patterns. This research will assess the value of the new GPS technology for monitoring animal foraging patterns and integrating these patterns with assessment of consequences for ecosystem processes.