CAREER: The role of small wetland connectivity in controlling greenhouse gas emissions and downstream carbon fluxes from headwater tropical streams

源流是指把水从流域上游输送到主河道的小溪。源头溪流连接陆地和水生生态系统，与邻近土壤直接接触的溪水比例很高。因此，源头溪流在控制最终流入大河和下游社区的水的生物和化学质量方面发挥着重要作用。本研究考察了热带源流中陆地和水生生态系统界面碳的变化和碳的运动。该项目将研究来自不同陆地和水生景观元素的二氧化碳通量，如高地地区、湿地和溪流。这个项目的结果将对高海拔流域的自然资源管理产生直接影响，这些流域是南美洲数百万人饮用水的来源。通过与北卡罗来纳州达勒姆的生命与科学博物馆的合作，该项目将设计和实施针对大量不同受众的教育活动，包括传统上在科学领域代表性不足的人群。这项工作将增强在科学领域代表性不足的学生的大学研究经历，同时使他们能够在当地社区担任大使。学生们将参加一个以水文和生态数据收集为重点的国际研究经验，并将通过一个为期一年的研究密集型项目获得支持，该项目旨在提高他们的长期职业成功。越来越多的研究认识到内陆水域是碳循环的基本参与者。特别是，已知水源流以温室气体（如二氧化碳）的形式将陆地上的碳移到大气中，并以溶解的有机、无机或颗粒形式移到下游。本研究旨在量化跨多个景观要素（即高地、洪泛平原、湿地和溪流）的水文连通性在调节大气和下游碳损失之间分配方面的作用。这项研究将在一个生态系统中进行，在这个生态系统中，单位面积的水通量和碳储量都是地球上最高的：厄瓜多尔的安第斯帕拉莫斯。这项研究的结果将在单位面积（或单位时间）的基础上，并作为一年中水文湿度状况的函数，对陆地和水生景观要素的二氧化碳外排进行比较。该项目的更广泛影响包括设计和实施针对广大和不同受众的教育活动，包括传统上在科学领域代表性不足的人口。在成功完成实地、外展和专业发展活动后，参与的本科生将在成绩单上获得研究指定，并以卡罗莱纳研究学者的身份毕业。这项工作的材料将用于为不同的受众开发教学讲座，包括K-12，本科生和研究生，以及公众。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Headwater streams are the small streams that carry water from the upper reaches of a watershed to the main channel of the river. Headwater streams connect terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and have a high proportion of stream water in direct contact with adjacent soils. For this reason, headwater streams play an important role in controlling the biological and chemical quality of waters that are ultimately delivered to large rivers and communities downstream. This study examines changes in carbon and the movement of carbon at the interface of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in tropical headwater streams. This project will examine the fluxes of carbon dioxide from different terrestrial and aquatic landscape elements such as upland areas, wetlands, and streams. The results of this project will have direct implications for the natural resource management of high-elevation watersheds that are the source of drinking water for millions of people in South America. Through a partnership with the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, NC, this project will design and implement educational activities directed at large and diverse audiences, including populations that are traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. This work will enhance the college research experience of underrepresented students in science while empowering them to serve as ambassadors in their local communities. The students will participate in an international research experience focused on hydrological and ecological data collection, and will be supported through a research-intensive, year-long program focusing on increasing their long-term career success.A growing body of work recognizes inland waters as fundamental players in the carbon cycle. In particular, headwater streams are known to remove terrestrial carbon in the form of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, and as dissolved organic, inorganic, or particulate forms downstream. This study seeks to quantify the role of hydrologic connectivity across multiple landscape elements (i.e., uplands, floodplains, wetlands, and streams) on regulating the partitioning between atmospheric and downstream carbon losses. The study will be conducted in an ecosystem where both water fluxes and carbon storage per unit area are among the highest on Earth: the Andean Paramos of Ecuador. Results from this research will provide a comparison of carbon dioxide effluxes across terrestrial and aquatic landscape elements on a per unit area (or per unit time) basis and as a function of the hydrologic wetness status of the year. The broader impacts of this project include the design and implementation of educational activities directed at large and diverse audiences, including populations that are traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. After successfully completing field, outreach, and professional development activities, participating undergraduate students will receive a research designation on their transcript and graduate as Carolina Research Scholars. Materials from this work will be used to develop teaching lectures for different audiences, including K-12, undergraduate and graduate students, and the general public.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.