MRI: Acquisition of a Spectral Analysis System to Measure Leaf Optical Properties

该奖项为科罗拉多斯普林斯的科罗拉多大学的Curtis保持器博士提供资金，用于购买带有积分球的UniSpec-SC光谱分析系统，以检查叶片光学特性和叶片防水性之间的关系。目的是确定具有高防水性的物种的叶子是否在反射率、透射率和入射光的吸收方面与具有低防水性的那些物种不同。由于叶片的斥水性在很大程度上取决于叶片的结构和叶片表面特性，叶片的光学特性可能是一个有用的方法来检测适应叶斥水性在生态系统中。Curits博士将研究三种不同生态系统中37种植物的叶片斥水性，叶片光学特性和叶片特征之间的关系：危地马拉的热带山地云雾林，危地马拉的热带干燥林和美国的草原-山麓交错带。这项研究，这将使这种仪器是重要的，因为它将允许开发更有意义的生态和森林水文过程的模型，其中包括并通过叶表面变量显示。云雾林、热带干旱森林和草原-针叶林交错带内的生态和水文过程的知识可用于指导生态系统管理的环境政策。学生将积极参与研究活动，从而学习现场方法，并获得经验，这将建立信心，鼓励追求科学事业。使用所要求的工具模块将开发课堂实验，通过假设检验开发基于探究的学习。

This award provides funds for Dr. Curtis Holder of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs to purchase a UniSpec-SC Spectral Analysis System with integrating sphere to permit examination of the relationship between leaf optical properties and leaf water repellency. The goal is to determine if leaves of species with high water repellency differ in reflectance, transmittance and absorption of incident light from those species with low water repellency. Because leaf water repellency is largely determined by leaf structure and leaf surface properties, leaf optical properties may be a useful method to detect adaptations to leaf water repellency in ecosystems. Dr. Curits will examine the relationships between leaf water repellency, leaf optical properties and leaf characteristics of 37 species within three distinct ecosystems: tropical montaine cloud forest in Guatemala, tropical dry forest in Guatemala and prairie-foothills ecotone in the USA. This study which will be enabled by this instrumentation is significant because it will permit the development of more meaningful models of ecological and forest hydrology processes which incorporate and are revealed through leaf surface variables. Knowledge of ecological and hydrological processes within cloud forests, tropical dry forests and grassland-confier ecotones can be used to guide environmental policy on the management of ecosystems. Students will be actively engaged in the research activities and thus learn field methods and receive experience that will build confidence and encourage the pursuit of scientific careers. Modules using the requested instrument will be developed for classroom experiments that develop inquire-based learning through hypothesis testing.