Dissertation Research: Morphology and plant-soil feedbacks in foggy environments

植物通常被认为是被动地存在于其环境中，但研究表明，植物可以改变土壤水分和养分的可用性，从而影响植物的生长。本研究将探讨植物与广泛可用但很少考虑的水和营养来源的相互作用：雾。雾与雨的不同之处在于，如果雾滴要滴到地面，就必须从空气中拦截下来，根部可以吸收水分。因此，收集的水量取决于现有植被的形状。通过将计算机建模与实验相结合，这位研究人员将确定植物形状如何影响收集的水量，并利用这些信息来模拟景观中植被收集雾水的效果。在智利和秘鲁的实地试验中，将在自然沙漠环境中建立人工植物形状，以创造雾“绿洲”，其中几乎所有植物生长所需的水都来自雾。这笔资金将用于监测以下三种类型的土壤湿度：天然植物；变形植物；还有人工结构。这些数据将为关于植物形状和水分收集之间关系的理论预测提供检验。更好地了解植被、雾和水之间的相互作用，将为面对气候变化的生物多样性保护工作和流域管理提供信息。该研究人员参与了几项国际合作，包括本科水平的教学和土地使用管理人员的外展。

Plants are often thought to exist passively within their environment, but research suggests that plants can change the availability of soil water and nutrients, which in turn affect plant growth. This study will address the interaction of plants with a widely available but rarely considered source of water and nutrients: fog. Fog is different from rain in that fog droplets must be intercepted from the air if they are to drip to the ground, where roots can take up the moisture. The amount of water collected thus depends on the shape of the vegetation present. By combining computer modeling with experimentation, this researcher will determine how plant shape can influence the amount of water collected, and use this information to simulate the effects of fog-water collection by vegetation in landscapes. In field experiments in Chile and Peru, artificial plant shapes will be established in a natural desert setting to create fog 'oases,' in which nearly all water for plant growth comes from fog. This funding will allow for monitoring of soil moisture below three types of shapes: natural plants; plants with modified shape; and artificial structures. These data will provide tests of theoretical predictions regarding relationships between plant shape and moisture collection. A better understanding of the interactions between vegetation, fog, and water availability will inform biodiversity conservation efforts and watershed management in the face of climate change. This researcher engages in several international collaborations involving teaching at the undergraduate level and outreach to land-use managers.