Biophysical interactions in agricultural systems across environmental gradients

农业生产的创新方法将最大限度地减少当前的一系列挑战：滥用化肥；土壤和水污染；土地利用变化。事实上，人们对这种复杂的环境问题的批判性观点越来越感兴趣。我和我的研究小组通过使用新技术量化农业生态系统动态来研究农业生产的替代系统，以回应这一研究需求。我的研究计划解决了我们在了解植物特性和不同农业生态系统的营养经济方面的重要差距。总的来说，我最重要的研究贡献通过确定有利于替代生产系统的农业生态系统动态，进一步加深了我们对这些系统的理解。NSERC发现资助计划下的新研究将推进在安大略省和国际农业背景下实现重要管理处方的战略。具体地说，我从这项研究计划提案中做出的贡献将：i)绘制以前未报道的多物种系统中的种间相互作用图；ii)开发新的研究工具，以克服描述地下过程的局限性；iii)增进我们对植物介导的农业养分供应的理解；以及iv)说明跨学科的环境研究。这项拟议的综合研究是加拿大独有的，也是非常及时的，因为在食品安全、保护和可持续发展的交叉点上迫切需要严格的科学信息。 在未来五年，我会提出三个目标： 1)通过研究各种非生物胁迫下植物介导的养分获取和转移过程，阐明农业生态系统养分经济的关键维度。 2)评估局部尺度的环境效应，特别是土壤肥力对植物功能性状和关键性状症状的影响。 3)开发新的研究工具，即探地雷达，用于探测农业生态系统的地下过程。 基本原理、实验技术和应用的结合使得这个研究项目非常适合吸引和培训本科生和研究生以及未来的博士后研究员。我努力创造一个协作的研究环境，并将为我所有的HQP提供有效的指导。我之前在我的学生中的出版记录，我现在的学生成就，以及我的学生在环境领域(从私营部门到大学教授)获得就业的巨大成功，都提供了激励我的证据，证明我有能力创造一个鼓励、适应和成功的培训环境。

Innovative approaches to agriculture production will minimize a host of current challenges: misuse of fertilizers; soil and water contamination; land-use change. Indeed, there is rising interest in critical perspectives for such complex environmental problems. My research group and I respond to this need for research by examining alternative systems of agricultural production using novel techniques to quantify agroecosystem dynamics. My research program addresses important gaps in our understanding of plant traits and the nutrient economy of diverse agroecological systems. Broadly, my most significant research contributions have furthered our understanding of alternative systems of production by identifying agroecosystem dynamics that are beneficial to such systems. New research under this NSERC Discovery Grant Program will advance strategies to achieve important management prescriptions in both an Ontario and international agricultural context. Specifically, my contributions from this research program proposal will i) chart previously unreported interspecific interactions in multi-species systems, ii) develop new research tools to overcome limitations in describing belowground processes, iii) advance our understanding of plant-mediated nutrient supply in agriculture, and iv) illustrate interdisciplinary environmental research. This proposed integrated research is unique to Canada and extremely opportune, as rigorous scientific information is urgently needed at the intersection of food security, conservation, and sustainable development.  Over the next five years, I will address three objectives: 1) Elucidate key dimensions of the nutrient economy of agroecosystems by examining plant-mediated nutrient acquisition and transfer processes under various abiotic stressors. 2) Assess local-scale environmental effects, specifically soil fertility, on plant functional traits and key trait syndromes. 3) Develop novel research tools, namely ground-penetrating radar, for detecting belowground processes in agroecosystems. The combination of fundamental principles, experimental techniques, and application renders this research program highly suitable for attracting and training of undergraduate and graduate students as well as prospective post-doctoral fellows. I strive to create a collaborative research environment and will delivery effective mentorship to all my HQP. My previous publication record with my students, my current student accomplishments and the high success of my students to secure employment in the environmental field (from private sector to university professorships) provides motivating evidence of my ability to create an encouraging, adaptable and successful training environment.