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;土地使用的变化。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研究替代农业生产系统来应对这种研究需求，使用新技术来量化农业生态系统动态。我的研究计划解决了我们对植物性状和不同农业生态系统的营养经济的理解的重要差距。从广义上讲，我最重要的研究贡献，通过确定农业生态系统的动态，有利于这种系统，进一步加深了我们对替代生产系统的理解。根据NSERC发现补助金计划进行的新研究将推进战略，以实现安大略和国际农业背景下的重要管理处方。具体来说，我从这个研究计划提案的贡献将i）图表以前未报告的种间相互作用在多物种系统，ii）开发新的研究工具，以克服描述地下过程的局限性，iii）推进我们的理解植物介导的营养供应在农业中，和iv）说明跨学科的环境研究。这项综合研究对加拿大来说是独一无二的，也是非常及时的，因为在粮食安全、保护和可持续发展的交叉点上迫切需要严格的科学信息。

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.