A multi-scale approach to determine patterns and drivers of grassland plant diversity

我研究的主要目标是了解温带草原群落和生态系统功能的机制，为其恢复和保护提供工具。我建议研究压力（通过气候变化）和干扰（放牧）以及这些因素如何影响植物物种组成和多样性。温带草原的主要压力是干旱。全球气候变化情景表明，气温将升高，降水模式将发生改变，夏季最热月份的降雨量将减少。我提出的研究是独一无二的。在当地尺度上，在位于BC省南部汤普森高原的草原上，我计划通过雨棚控制供水来改变自然环境生产力梯度的小气候条件。我将测试干旱对群落和生态系统过程的局部影响，如植物性状功能、植物多样性、养分循环和初级生产力动态。在区域范围内，我将测试放牧的影响，放牧是草原生态系统中普遍存在的干扰。虽然放牧的影响有充分的文献记载，但很少有针对不同草地类型的综合标准化研究。我将测试在不列颠哥伦比亚省内陆发现的不同草地类型的放牧响应，特别关注植物多样性，植物物种组成和土壤固碳。在全球范围内，我将把我的研究与两个国际网络——草本多样性网络（HerbDivNet）和干旱网络（drought net）——联系起来，以涵盖从温带到热带的各种草地类型，研究其多样性模式和对干旱的反应。

The main goal of my research is to understand the mechanics of community and ecosystem functions in temperate grasslands to provide tools to enable their restoration and conservation. I propose to study stress (through climate change) and disturbance (grazing) and how these factors affect plant species composition and diversity. The major stress in temperate grasslands is drought. Global climate change scenarios suggest that temperature will increase and that precipitation patterns will be altered, with a reduction in rainfall during the hottest months in the summer. The research I propose is unique. At a local scale, on grasslands located in the Thompson Plateau in Southern BC, I plan to alter micro-climatic conditions along a natural environmental productivity gradient by manipulating water supply through rainout shelters. I will test local effects of drought on community and ecosystem processes, such as plant trait functions, plant diversity, nutrient cycling and primary productivity dynamics. At a regional scale, I will test the effects of grazing, a pervasive disturbance in grassland ecosystems. While the effects of grazing are well-documented, there are few comprehensive standardized studies across different grassland types. I will test grazing response of the different grassland types found in the interior of British Columbia, with particular attention to plant diversity, plant species composition, and soil carbon sequestration. At a global scale, I will connect my research with two international networks, HerbDivNet (the Herbaceous Diversity Network) and DroughtNet, to encompass a broad array of grassland types from temperate to tropical with respect to diversity patterns and response to drought.