Linking community composition and ecosystem processes within the intertidal

生态系统功能与群落结构的关系是复杂的、动态的。理解这种复杂的相互作用背后的机制，以及它是如何随着我们改变环境而变化的，是一个具有挑战性的问题。虽然积极的生态系统功能依赖于地点内多样性的充分补充这一概念存在争议，但人们一致认为，功能在某种程度上依赖于现有的群落结构。重要的是确定社区结构的变化如何改变站点内的功能。这一目标现在尤其重要，因为人类活动正在迅速改变水生和陆地群落，维持健康的生态系统功能是我们作为一个社会的一项要求，因为我们依靠这些功能来实现营养循环、健康的土壤、清洁的空气和水。虽然我们可以相对容易地评估群落结构的变化，但了解这些变化如何影响生态系统功能却不那么简单。气候变暖的主要影响是使我们理解群落结构变化如何影响生态系统功能的能力进一步复杂化。温度升高将直接影响地球化学循环的速率和过程，在试图将群落结构与生态系统功能联系起来时必须加以考虑。我的长期研究计划将直接解决这一知识差距，其总体目标是确定由于人为活动和环境变暖的背景下，群落组成的变化如何影响不列颠哥伦比亚省沿海潮间带区域内营养物质的循环。

The relationship between ecosystem function and community structure is complex and dynamic. Understanding the mechanisms underlying this complex interplay and how it changes as we modify our environment is a challenging problem. Although the concept that positive ecosystem function is dependent on a full complement of diversity within sites is subject to debate what is agreed upon is that function to some degree is dependent on the community structure that is present. Important then is to determine how changes to community structure alter this function within site. This objective is especially relevant now, as anthropogenic activities are rapidly altering aquatic and terrestrial communities and the maintenance of healthy ecosystem functions is a requirement for as a society we depend on these functions for nutrient cycling, healthy soils, clean air and water. Although we can assess changes in community structure with relative ease, understanding how these changes are affecting ecosystem function is much less straightforward. Further complicating our ability to understand how changes in community structure influence ecosystem function are the overriding effects of a warming climate. Increases in temperature will directly affect rates and processes of geochemical cycles and must be considered when attempting to link community structure to ecosystem function. My long term research program will directly address this knowledge gap with the general objective to determine how changes to community composition as a consequence of anthropogenic activities and within the context of a warming environment, influence the cycling of nutrients within the intertidal region in coastal BC.