Collaborative Proposal: Ecophysiological Instruments for Measuring Biotic Climate Impacts Across Western Field Stations

气候变化对不同的生物系统具有广泛的区域影响，但大多数野外观测站尚未配备自动化数据收集系统，以便能够在微气候尺度上综合测量植物和脊椎动物的生态生理学，这是详细研究当地和跨大区域的生理、生态、行为、进化和生态系统所需的。推动这一工具投资的中心假设是，生物因气候变化而灭绝的风险来自：a)气候的直接影响，通过进化的生理适应加剧灭绝风险，以及b)气候变化对植物多样性和栖息地的连锁影响。这些数据，再加上使用这些数据的研究，将使我们能够预测未来气候对生物系统的影响，并最终评估每个野外站内和周围气候的历史影响。生态和进化气候影响研究所(ISEECI)组织了加州大学系统内不同的科学家，并使用北亚利桑那大学的西南实验花园阵列(SEGA)将这些研究与科学家们整合在一起。这一生态生理学植物和动物传感器阵列将确保在足够大的空间范围内的跨地点一致性和可比性，以应对气候对西南沿海、中央山谷、山地和沙漠生态系统的区域影响。这一新的传感器网络将在加利福尼亚州的12个地点和亚利桑那州北部的8个地点安装数据记录器和传感器，旨在测量与各种动植物物种相关的环境参数。将监测选定的针叶树和沿海红杉的树液流动、土壤温度和湿度，以及更多开阔的草地/杂草和灌木群落，安装土壤温度和水分传感器以及生物显著高度的地表温度，以补充国家气象局和SEGA地点已有的升级气象站的现有系统。温度传感器将收集吸热和放热动物类群环境温度的类似数据，并安装酚类摄像头来记录气候变化驱动下树木的物候变化。该系统可以升级为新的传感器，对于我们收集的数据类型和我们可以测量的生物系统来说是可扩展的，并且将非常适合未来的研究。这些仪器将捕捉对陆地系统的温度和干旱影响的显著测量，从而能够统一分析面对气候变化的生态系统功能，为每个具有更深入的历史变化生物记录的野外站增加科学价值，以及整个野外站系统加强美国西海岸和西南地区的合作。传感器数据将立即在线提供给所有ISEECI和SEGA科学家小组，并在完全投入使用后提供给其他研究人员。与教育和公众宣传相结合，将向数百名学生提供有关气候变化的关键信息，并利用科学帮助减轻其影响。NAU和UC系统为研究生和本科生提供了许多环境科学方面的体验式学习机会，详细的、长期的数据将补充课堂作业和研究项目，并使其与背景相联系。加州大学和北卡罗来纳大学积极致力于增强学生多样性：北卡罗来纳大学在接触美洲原住民学生方面拥有特殊的专业知识，而拉美裔在这两个州的大学的代表人数正在增加，并积极纳入校园项目和实验室。

Climate change has widespread regional impacts on diverse biotic systems but most field stations are not yet instrumented with automated data collection systems that would allow integrated measurements of ecophysiology of plants and vertebrates at micro-climate scales needed for detailed studies of physiology, ecology, behavior, evolution and ecosystems, both locally and across large regions. The central hypothesis motivating this instrument investment is that the risk of extinction of organisms due to climate change arises from: a) the direct effects of climate, acting via evolved physiological adaptations that exacerbate extinction risk, and b) the cascading effects of climate change impacts on plant diversity and habitats. These data, together with research that uses them, will allow us to forecast future climate impacts on biotic systems, and to eventually assess historical impacts of climate in and around each of the field stations. The Institute for the Study of the Ecological and Evolutionary Climate Impacts (ISEECI) organizes diverse scientists across the UC System and are integrating these studies with the scientists using Northern Arizona University's Southwest Experimental Garden Array (SEGA). This array of ecophysiological plant and animal sensors will ensure cross-site consistency and comparability at a sufficiently large spatial scale to address regional impacts of climate on coastal, central valley, montane and desert ecosystems of the Southwest. This new sensor network will instrument 12 sites in the California and 8 sites in Northern Arizona with data loggers and sensors designed to measure environmental parameters relevant to a wide range of animal and plant species. Selected conifers and coastal redwoods will be monitored for sap flow and soil temperature and moisture, and more open grassland/forb and shrub communities with soil temperature and moisture sensors as well as surface temperature at biologically salient heights to complement the existing system of upgraded weather stations already present at NRS and SEGA sites. Temperature sensors will collect similar data on environmental temperatures of endothermic and ectothermic animal taxa, and install phenocams to record phenological changes in trees driven by climate change. The system can be upgraded with new sensors, is expandable with respect to the kinds of data we gather and biotic systems we can instrument, and will be very adaptable for future research. The instruments will capture salient measurements of temperature and drought impacts on terrestrial systems that will allow a unified analysis of ecosystem functioning in the face of changing climate, adding scientific value to each individual field station with a more in-depth biotic record of historical change, and also across the system of field stations enhancing collaboration across the west coast and southwest region of the US. Sensor data will be available immediately online to all ISEECI and SEGA scientists groups, and once fully operational to other researchers. Integration with education and public outreach will give hundreds of students critical messages about climate change and using science to help mitigate its impacts. NAU and the UC system provide graduate and undergraduate students with many experiential learning opportunities in environmental sciences, and detailed, long-term data will supplement and contextualize classwork and research projects. UC and NAU actively work to enhance student diversity: NAU has particular expertise in reaching Native American students, while the Hispanic representation at universities in both states is increasing and being actively incorporated into campus programs and labs.