Re-evaluating the role of tannins in Australian forest ecosystems

随着大气中二氧化碳浓度的上升，桉树将通过减少叶片中的蛋白质含量和增加称为单宁的毒素浓度来做出反应。总而言之，这将使食草动物的树叶更难吃，并减缓在森林地面上分解的速度。我们已经开发了一种新的方法来衡量这些影响，并将用它来显示气候变化对哪些桉树群落影响最大，因此哪些森林将变得不能支持动物。除了有助于更好地管理澳大利亚森林，该项目还通过测量单宁如何影响凋落物分解并解释与树叶化学的联系来加强国家碳核算系统。

As atmospheric CO2 concentrations rise, eucalypts will respond by decreasing the amount of protein in the leaves and increasing the concentrations of toxins called tannins. Together this will have the effect of making the leaves harder for herbivores to eat and slower to break down on the forest floor. We have developed a new way of measuring these effects and will use it to show which eucalypt communities climate change will most affect and so which forests will become less able to support fauna. Apart from contributing to the better management of Australian forests, this project also enhances the National Carbon Accounting System by measuring how tannins influence litter decomposition and explaining the link with leaf chemistry.