NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology for FY 2011

-本行动资助2011年度美国国家科学基金会生物学博士后研究奖学金，生物学与数学和物理科学的交叉。该奖学金支持奖学金获得者在生物学、数学和地球化学交叉领域的一个主办实验室进行研究和培训计划。Kerri Crawford的研究和培训计划的标题是“初级演替生态系统中的植物多样性和土壤发育”。该奖学金的主办机构是圣路易斯华盛顿大学、印第安纳大学-印第安纳波利斯普渡大学和印第安纳大学布卢明顿分校。乔纳森·蔡斯，皮埃尔-安德烈·贾辛特和詹姆斯·比弗。土壤提供对生态系统功能至关重要的服务。例如，植物生长是由土壤养分介导的，而土壤吸收了大气中大量的二氧化碳。土壤的化学和物理结构决定了它实现这些功能的能力。因此，了解影响土壤性质的因素为保护土壤服务提供了见解。植物及其相关微生物通过改变养分循环、土壤稳定性和土壤有机质的数量来影响土壤性质。在最初的演替生态系统中，例如正在进行这项研究的密歇根湖沿岸的沙丘，尚未发生土壤发育。这为测试影响土壤发育的因素提供了一个独特的机会。此外，该实验系统允许沿着时间序列直接检查土壤发育，其中不同年龄的生态系统沿着空间梯度保存。在这个项目中，植物和微生物如何影响土壤发育的实验测试与时间序列的观察研究相结合，有助于我们了解影响土壤功能的因素。培训目标包括建立数学模型和了解土壤在从大气中吸收二氧化碳方面的作用。更广泛的影响直接适用于五大湖沙丘的恢复和保护，这是一个极度濒危的生态系统。拓展和教育活动包括本科生参与跨学科环境研究的机会。

---This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2011, Intersections of Biology with Mathematical and Physical Sciences. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow at the intersection of biology with mathematics and geochemistry. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Kerri Crawford is "Plant diversity and soil development in a primary successional ecosystem." The host institutions for this fellowship are the Washington University in St. Louis, Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis, and Indiana University Bloomington, and sponsoring scientists are Drs. Jonathan Chase, Pierre-Andre Jacinthe, and James Bever.Soils provide services that are critical to ecosystem functioning. For example, plant growth is mediated by soil nutrients, and soils sequester a large amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The chemical and physical structure of soil determines its ability to fulfill these functions. Therefore, understanding what factors influence soil properties provides insights into preserving soil services. Plants and their associated microbes influence soil properties by altering nutrient cycling, soil stability, and the amount of soil organic matter. In primary successional ecosystems, such as the sand dunes along Lake Michigan - where this research is taking place, soil development has not yet occurred. This provides a unique opportunity to test what factors influence soil development. Furthermore, this experimental system allows for direct examination of soil development through time along chronosequences, where ecosystems of different ages are preserved along a spatial gradient. In this project, experimental tests of how plants and microbes influence soil development are being paired with observational studies along chronosequences, contributing to our understanding of the factors that influence soil functioning. The training objectives include mathematical modeling and gaining knowledge of the role of soils in sequestration of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The broader impacts are directly applicable to restoration and conservation of the Great Lakes sand dunes, a critically endangered ecosystem. Outreach and educational activities include opportunities for undergraduates to engage in interdisciplinary environmental research.