Dissertation Research: Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling in a Changing Environment: Is Genetic Diversity Redundant to Ecosystem Function?

尽管有大量的研究，生物多样性如何影响生态系统功能仍不清楚。本研究将评估种间效应是否掩盖了种内变化对生态系统动力学的影响。本论文进行的一项田间试验发现，凋落叶的遗传组成通过影响单宁含量、分解速率和氮含量来影响碳和氮循环的组成部分。与高遗传多样性处理相比，低遗传多样性处理产生了特殊的营养循环。虽然这个项目的独特之处在于它关注的是种内多样性，而不是种间多样性，但它的影响需要考虑到种间多样性。具体来说，种内多样性减少的影响是否会被一个共同存在的物种的增加所掩盖？为了回答这个问题，pi建议在实验室中重复实地实验，并在实验中添加或不添加自然共生的松树凋落物。通过比较栎树凋落物与松木凋落物的碳氮动态，pi将能够评估群落中其他物种对种内遗传多样性减少的生态系统水平后果的影响

Despite numerous studies, it is still unclear how biodiversity affects ecosystem function. This research will evaluate whether interspecific effects overshadow intraspecific variation in influencing ecosystem dynamics. A field experiment being conducted as part of this dissertation has found that genetic makeup of leaf litter affected components of the carbon and nitrogen cycles by influencing tannin content, decomposition rate, and nitrogen content. Low genetic diversity yielded idiosyncratic nutrient cycles that differed significantly from high diversity treatments. While this project is unique in its focus on intraspecific, and not interspecific diversity, the implications need to be considered in relation to interspecific diversity. Specifically, will the effects of decreased intraspecific diversity be masked by the addition of a single commonly co-occurring species? To answer this, the PIs propose to replicate field experiments in the lab with and without the addition of naturally co-occurring pine litter. By comparing carbon and nitrogen dynamics of oak litter with and without pine litter, the PIs will be able to assess the effects of additional species in the community on the ecosystem-level consequences of reduced intraspecific genetic diversity