IRES: US-South Africa International Research Experience for Students -- Impacts of Disturbance on Above- and Below-ground Structure of Southern African Savannas

该奖项资助南部非洲的一个重点国际本科生/研究生研究项目，该项目将研究南非和莫桑比克受人类影响和未受干扰的稀树草原生态系统中地上和地下碳的分布。随着时间的推移，非洲南部的稀树草原与人类、食草动物和火一起进化。然而，最近人类动态土地利用战略的空前变化现在可能正在影响它们的结构、组成和功能。影响热带稀树草原燃料负荷的过程最终通过生物质燃烧的作用影响区域大气的性质和组成。不同的干扰如何影响稀树草原地上和地下植被的结构和组成，这是一个悬而未决的问题。学生在本项目中进行的实地研究将有助于阐明生态干扰对热带稀树草原生态系统结构和功能的影响，因为它们影响了火情和碳平衡之间的相互作用。PI和他来自美国和南部非洲的合作者将监督由来自美国的五名学生和来自南部非洲的两名学生组成的年度研究小组。该项目的一个主要目标是生产学生创作的、同行评审的手稿，这些手稿涉及美国和南部非洲的参与者。与这些生态系统的可持续管理有关的结果将提交给当地和区域科学家，并为决策者进行解释。学生不仅将学习国际生态研究的发展和实施，还将学习道德行为、文化背景和最佳实践。美国学生从他们与南部非洲同事的互动中获得的经验学习和思想和方法的交流，可能会对他们作为科学家的发展产生持久的影响。

This award funds a focused international undergraduate/graduate research project in southern Africa that will examine the distribution of aboveground and belowground carbon in both human-influenced and undisturbed savanna ecosystems in South Africa and Mozambique. Southern Africa savannas have evolved over time along with humans, herbivores and fire. However, recent unprecedented changes in dynamic human land use strategies may now be impacting their structure, composition and function. Processes that influence savanna fuel load ultimately impact the nature and composition of the regional atmosphere through the role of biomass burning. There are outstanding questions as to how different disturbances impact the above- and below-ground structure and composition of vegetation in savannas. The field-based research conducted by the students in this project will help clarify the effects of ecological disturbance on the interactions between fire regime and carbon balance as they shape the structure and function of savanna ecosystems.The PI and his collaborators from the U.S. and southern Africa will supervise yearly research teams composed of five students from the United States and two from southern Africa. A primary goal of the project is the production of student-generated, peer-reviewed manuscripts that involve both the U.S. and southern African participants. Results relevant to the sustainable management of these ecosystems will be presented to local and regional scientists and interpreted for policy makers. Students will be educated not only in the development and implementation of international ecological research, but on ethical conduct, cultural context and best practices. The experiential learning and cross-fertilization of ideas and approaches that the U.S. students gain from their interactions with southern African colleagues are likely to have a lasting influence in their development as scientists.