Acclimation/Adaptation of Leaf Respiration in Eastern Deciduous Forests: A Biome-Wide Study

科学家在过去十年中所做的博尔斯塔德9806628研究有力地指出了人类造成的全球变暖，几项研究预测了我们的森林的木材生产、水生产和分布将发生重大变化。一些情景表明，随着气候变得太热，云杉、冷杉和一些枫树等酷爱降温的树木将向北撤退。其他人认为，在一些地区，森林可能会完全消失，取而代之的是草或其他更耐旱或耐热的生命形式。PI的研究旨在确定气温变化对东部落叶林木生理的影响，从而帮助更好地确定森林将如何应对气候变化。当食物转化为能量时，所有的生物都会呼吸，植物也不例外。然而，在植物中，食物生产(光合作用)和消耗(呼吸作用)之间存在平衡，这种平衡会随着温度的变化而变化。PI的研究旨在确定植物在多大程度上适应了自然温度的变化。PI将测量白橡树和红枫在自然范围内的呼吸，这两种树种分布在佛罗里达州、新英格兰、明尼苏达州和阿肯色州。通过在它们的原生地点研究这些物种，并通过在普通花园中种植来自所有这些来源的幼苗，PI将确定远距离植物已经调整了它们的生理以适应温度的自然变化，并提高了我们预测它们将如何应对未来温度变化的能力。

Bolstad 9806628 Work by scientists over the last decade strongly points to human-caused global warming, and several studies have predicted large changes in the wood production, water production, and distribution of our forests. Some scenarios suggest cool-loving trees such as spruces, firs, and some maples, will retreat northward as climates become too warm. Others suggest forests may die out altogether in some regions, to be replaced by grass or other more drought or heat tolerant life forms. The PIs' study is designed to identify the impacts of changing temperatures on the physiology of eastern deciduous forest trees, and so help better determine how the forests will respond to changing climate. All living organisms respire as the convert food into energy, and plants are no different. However in plants, there is a balance between food production (photosynthesis) and consumption (respiration), which changes, depending on the temperature. The PIs' study is designed to identify just how much plants have adapted to natural changes in temperatures. The PIs will measure respiration across the natural range for white oak and red maple, two species found from Florida to New England to Minnesota to Arkansas. By studying these species in their native locations, and by planting seedlings from all these sources in common gardens, the PIs will determine far plants have adjusted their physiology to natural changes in temperature, and improve our ability to predict how they will respond to future temperature changes.