Multi-elemental analyser to support applied and fundamental research in plant and soil ecology / Analyseur multi-élémentaire pour la recherche en écologie des plantes et du sol

陆地生态系统可以用通过其生物和非生物成分循环的营养物质来描述。因此，陆地生态学可以通过测量在植物和土壤中循环的不同养分的速率和数量，从应用和基本两方面进行研究。例如，关于植物生物质原料生产的应用研究，或关于农林业和垃圾填埋场生物覆盖的环境效益的应用研究，需要关于土壤养分有效性的信息。同样，与生物多样性、植物群落结构或营养相互作用的近缘或进化原因有关的基本生态问题也依赖于生态化学计量学数据。所要求的设备是一个高度通用的多元素分析仪，以支持陆地生态学的应用和基础研究领域。所提议的设备的多功能性允许11个共同申请人用一个具有比色和火焰光度功能的单一连续流多通道设备替换13年前购买的两台有缺陷的仪器。因此，拟议的设备是支持共同申请人的杰出研究项目的重要工具，并将每周使用一次。这些共同申请者目前（共同）指导62名研究生和博士后，他们都将在追求他们的研究目标的同时，通过使用拟议的仪器获得必要的技术技能。此外，拟议的设备将提供给基金和中心SÈVE的成员，这两个网络由148名研究人员和450多名研究生组成。

Terrestrial ecosystems can be described by the nutrients that are cycled through their biotic and abiotic components. Accordingly, terrestrial ecology may be studied in both applied and fundamental terms by measuring the rates and amounts of different nutrients being cycled in plants and soils. For example, applied research on plant biomass feedstock production, or on the environmental benefits of agroforestry and landfill biocovers, requires information on soil nutrient availability. Likewise, fundamental ecological questions pertaining to the proximal or evolutionary causes of biodiversity, plant community structure or trophic interactions, depend on ecological stoichiometry data. The requested equipment is a highly versatile multi-elemental analyser, to support both applied and fundamental research fields in terrestrial ecology. The versatility of the proposed equipment allows the 11 co-applicants to replace two defective instruments purchased 13 years ago by a single continuous-flow multi-channel device equipped with both colorimetric and flame photometric capabilities. The proposed equipment is thus a vital tool for supporting the outstanding research programs of the co-applicants and will be used on a weekly basis. These co-applicants are currently (co)supervising 62 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, all of whom will acquire essential technical skills by using the proposed instrument while pursuing their research objectives. Furthermore, the proposed equipment will be made available to members of CEF and Centre SÈVE, two provincially-funded networks comprising 148 researchers and over 450 graduate students.