Grazing and disturbance as management tools in coastal wetlands: consequences for soil organic matter, biodiversity and functional resilience.

沙丘湿地或休闲地是生物多样性的栖息地，支持许多稀有的英国植物，无脊椎动物和脊椎动物物种。它们是欧洲自然保护的优先栖息地。放牧和干扰对维持这种保护价值很重要。然而，我们的知识，在这些系统的地下生物多样性是有限的，特别是在植物和土壤成分之间的相互作用和后果的背景下，生态地球化学functioning.This博士将调查土壤有机质，微生物和动物群落在沿海沙丘松弛，以确定随时间的变化和干扰和放牧的影响。利用一个既定的长期实验（https：//www.ecologicalcontinuittrust.org/ainsdale-dune-slacks）和更广泛的研究地点网络，这项研究将测试有机质质量，土壤生物多样性和沿海系统功能恢复力之间的联系，并提供独特的地下证据，以帮助优化保护管理战略。

Sand dune wetlands or slacks are biodiverse habitats supporting many rare UK plant, invertebrate and vertebrate species. They are a priority habitat for nature conservation in Europe. Grazing and disturbance are important for maintaining this conservation value. Our knowledge, however, of belowground biodiversity in these systems is limited, particularly in the context of interactions between plants and soil components and consequences for biogeochemical functioning.This PhD will investigate soil organic matter, microbial and faunal communities in coastal dune slacks to determine change over time and the impacts of disturbance and grazing. Using an established long-term experiment (https://www.ecologicalcontinuitytrust.org/ainsdale-dune-slacks) and wider network of study sites, this research will test links between organic matter quality, soil biodiversity and functional resilience in coastal systems, and provide unique belowground evidence to help optimise conservation management strategies.