Exploiting plant-soil feedbacks to provide economic and environmental benefits

植物以各种方式与土壤相互作用，产生积极和消极的反馈。例如，植物根系分泌物可能会刺激土壤微生物，这反过来又会导致更高的土壤养分矿化率，进而导致更高的植物养分吸收（即正反馈）。或者，植物可能会耗尽土壤养分储备或积累土壤传播的病原体，从而阻止个体在其亲本植物下繁殖（即负反馈）。我的研究计划的指导原则是，这些反馈可以用来提高商业价值作物和木质生物质的生产，以及减少一些相关的环境影响。具体来说，在接下来的五年里，我的研究计划将努力(1)在种植油菜籽作为生物燃料作物之后保持有益的共生土壤真菌，(2)通过推广树木间作系统减少非点源污染，(3)控制鹿在加拿大东部再生的香脂冷杉林中的食食，(4)提供植物多样性提高土壤微生物过程稳定性的科学证据。研究结果将适用于可再生资源的管理、生物多样性问题政策的制定，并为生产实践的认证提供指导方针。这项研究计划的受益者是加拿大农业和森林工业的利益相关者，以及所有具有环保意识的加拿大人。

Plants interact with soil in a variety of ways that result in both positive and negative feedbacks. For example, plant root exudates may stimulate soil microbes, which in turn can lead to higher soil nutrient mineralization rates and, subsequently, higher plant nutrient uptake (i.e., positive feedback). Alternatively, plants may deplete soil nutrient reserves or build-up soil-borne pathogens, thereby preventing the reproduction of individuals under their parent plants (i.e., negative feedback). The guiding principle of my research program is that feedbacks such as these can be exploited to improve the production of commercially-valued crops and woody biomass, as well as to reduce some of the associated environmental impacts. Specifically, over the next five years my research program will strive to (1) maintain beneficial symbiotic soil fungi following the cultivation of canola as a biofuel crop, (2) reduce non-point source pollution by promoting tree-based intercropping systems, (3) control deer browsing of regenerating balsam fir forests in Eastern Canada, and (4) provide scientific evidence that plant diversity improves the stability of soil microbial processes. Results will be relevant and applicable to the management of renewable resources, to the development of policy on biodiversity issues, and to provide guidelines for the certification of production practices. The beneficiaries of this research program are stakeholders in the Canadian agriculture and forest industries, as well as all environmentally-conscious Canadians.