Development of biopores in the subsurface by burrowing organisms and their impacts on infiltration, runoff, and contaminant transport characteristics

洞穴生物在地下的发育及其对渗透、径流和污染物传输特征的影响地下洞穴生物可以在地下形成广泛的大孔隙网络的一个主要因素是穴居生物，包括脊椎动物和无脊椎动物。穴居动物和无脊椎动物产生的生物孔可能会对水文过程产生重大影响。对洞穴过程的了解引起了土壤形态学和昆虫学等其他学科的兴趣。在穴居无脊椎动物中，有一种在美国引起了极大的关注，那就是鼹鼠蟋蟀。该项目将是第一个研究鼹鼠蟋蟀的生物孔发育及其对储存、运输、渗透和径流过程的影响的多学科项目。该项目将从水文学和昆虫学的角度协同研究生物化石的开发。生物孔对入渗、污染物迁移和径流过程的影响将作为其年龄的函数进行研究，因为孔是由鼹鼠蟋蟀发育的。我们还将利用微形态技术研究生物孔的生物涂层对土壤水力学的影响。该项目包括实验室/现场规模的实验以及建模工作，这将为不同规模的挖洞鼹鼠蟋蟀造成的生物孔演变提供新的线索。由鼹鼠蟋蟀创造的生物孔也将与类似大小的人造大孔进行比较，以了解它们对渗透和污染物传输的影响。该项目的结果将使用适当的数学模型进行表征，以模拟生物孔对水文过程的影响。具体地说，我们将开发建模方法来描述生物孔在流动特性的各向异性方面如何以及为什么不同于人工大孔。该项目将从水文学和昆虫学的角度对我们对大孔的知识产生更广泛的影响。该项目将提高我们对生物孔发育及其对入渗和径流过程的影响的基本了解。将提供有关土壤中遇到的生物孔与实验室研究中通常使用的人工大孔之间的差异的新信息。从昆虫学的角度来看，这项研究将揭示蟋蟀的洞穴行为，它是美国东南部最重要的娱乐和牧场草坪害虫。该项目将为了解这种害虫的行为提供新的见解，并为开发更有效的农药投放策略来控制鼹鼠蟋蟀提供新的视角。

DEVELOPMENT OF BIOPORES IN THE SUBSURFACE BY BURROWING ORGANISMS AND THEIR IMPACTS ON INFILTRATION, RUNOFF, AND CONTAMINANT TRANSPORT CHARACTERISTICS.A major agent that can develop an extensive network of macropores in the subsurface is burrowing organisms that may include both vertebrates and invertebrates. Biopores created by burrowing animals and invertebrates could have a significant influence on hydrological processes. Understanding the burrowing process evokes interest among other disciplines such as soil morphology and entomology. Among the burrowing invertebrates, a species that has garnered significant attention in the U.S is the mole cricket. The project would be the first multi-disciplinary project to study biopore development by mole crickets and their effects on storage, transport, infiltration and runoff processes. The project will synergistically study biopore development from both hydrologic and entomological perspectives. The influence of biopores on infiltration, contaminant transport and runoff processes will be studied as a function of their age, as the pores are developed by mole crickets. We will also study the effects of biological coatings of the biopores on soil hydraulics using micro-morphological techniques. The project includes laboratory/ field-scale experiments as well as modeling work, which will shed new light on the evolution of biopores due to burrowing mole crickets at different scales. The biopores created by mole crickets will also be compared with similar-sized artificial macropores for their effects on infiltration and contaminant transport. The results from the project will be characterized using appropriate mathematical models to simulate effects of biopores on hydrologic processes. Specifically, we will develop modeling methods to describe how and why the biopores are different from artificial macropores, in terms of anisotropy in their flow characteristics.The project will have broader impacts on our knowledge of macropores from both hydrologic as well as entomological perspectives. The project will improve our basic understanding of the biopore development and their effects on infiltration and runoff processes. New information will be available on the differences between biopores encountered in soils and the artificial macropores typically used in laboratory studies. From an entomological perspective, the study will shed light on the burrowing behavior of mole crickets, the most important pest of recreational and pasture turfgrass in the southeastern U.S. This project will provide new insights into the behavior of this pest and for developing more efficient pesticide delivery strategies for controlling mole crickets.