New tracer methods for revealing the hidden connections between ecosystems

随着人类对生物圈的改变，许多复杂的景观问题正在出现。需要新的方法来处理这些大规模的问题。该项目的目的是开发涉及微量元素和同位素的新方法，为探索陆地生态系统与下游河口之间的大规模联系开辟新的途径。计划使用这些新方法来测试洪水对河口渔业的意外积极效益。该项目意义重大，具有创新性，因为它开发了两种全新的示踪工作，一种是在沉积物-动物水平，另一种是在分子内水平。预期的结果包括一个用于追踪陆地和水生生态系统之间隐藏联系的新工具包。

As humans modify the biosphere, many complex landscape-level problems are emerging. New methods are required to work on these large-scale problems. The aim of this project is to develop novel methods involving trace elements and isotopes, opening up new ways to explore the large-scale connections between terrestrial ecosystems and downstream estuaries. It is planned to use these new methods to test for unexpected positive benefits of floods for estuarine fisheries. The project is significant and innovative because it develops two fundamentally new types of tracer work, one at the sediment-animal level and one at the within-molecule level. The expected outcomes include a new toolkit for tracing the hidden connections between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.