Dissertation Research: The Role of Plant Species and Plant Species Interactions in Mediating Nitrogen and Carbon Dynamics

[801487] Chapin/Eviner DDIG：植物物种和植物物种相互作用在调节氮碳动态中的作用本研究的目的是确定共同生长的植物物种如何影响生态系统动态。由于土地利用、污染物、气候和外来物种入侵的变化，植被组成正在发生巨大变化。植物不仅对这些变化作出响应，而且还积极调节其周围环境，影响养分和水分的有效性、可持续性、产量等。然而，我们没有办法预测哪些植被变化会影响生态系统。近年来的许多研究表明，单个植物物种可以对生态系统动力学产生不同的影响。然而，大多数植物物种存在于混合物种群落中，不能仅从组成物种的影响来预测整个群落的影响。了解植物物种相互作用的方式将有助于我们理解物种增加或删除对生态系统的重要性。

9801487 Chapin/Eviner DDIG: The role of plant species and plant species interactions in mediating nitrogen and carbon dynamics The objective of this study is to determine how plant species that are growing together influence ecosystem dynamics. Vegetation composition is being drastically altered due to changes in land use, pollutants, climate, and invasion of exotic species. Plants not only respond to these changes, but they also play an active role in mediating their surrounding environment, and can affect nutrient and water availability, sustainability, production, etc.. However, we have no way of predicting which vegetation shifts will impact an ecosystem. Many recent studies have indicated that individual plant species can have different effects on ecosystem dynamics. However, most plant species exist in a mixed species community, and the effect of the overall community can't be predicted from the effects of the component species alone. Understanding the ways that plant species interact will help us understand the importance of a species addition or deletion on the ecosystem.