The Functional Significance of Plant Optical Diversity: A Multi-scale Analysis

该项目采用新的光学采样方法来研究生物多样性，气体交换（地球的呼吸）以及生态系统对大气和气候的反馈。 中心主题是“光学多样性”-植被光学模式在时间和空间上的变化-因为光学变化揭示了有关潜在物种丰富度，功能多样性和生态系统过程的有用信息。 这是可行的，因为植物叶片和树冠的显示反映了潜在的资源和环境限制，使我们能够用光学采样方法检测这些限制，其中几种方法已经在我的研究小组中开发出来。 这项研究将提高我们对基本物理和生物过程的理解，包括在压力时期通过光合作用下调对碳循环的控制，以及生态系统对大气和气候的反馈影响。这种方法也可以用来发展“光学类型”的概念，这是一种基于光学行为的新的植被分类，包括我们肉眼看不到的特征。 这些方法可以监测生态系统的功能和健康，提高我们对生物碳交换的理解，并提供新的方法来看待生物多样性根据基本的生态系统过程。 这些应用对资源管理者、决策者和广大公众都有实际好处。 例如，我们正在开展碳交换研究，以改善对阿尔伯塔牧场生物圈碳封存的估计。 我们对生态系统-大气反馈的研究可以帮助预测快速变化的北极环境的未来状况。 我们对光学多样性的研究正在导致从遥感中检测生物多样性的新方法，这可以帮助资源管理者进行土地管理和保护。 ** 在开发光学采样的新技术时，我们与行业和国际合作伙伴合作。 我们还开发数据系统，用于分析和共享我们研究中出现的大量数据。学生培训是研究的重点，许多学生继续深造，工业或机构就业。 **

This project applies new optical sampling methods to study biodiversity, gas exchange (the breathing of the planet), and ecosystem feedbacks to the atmosphere and climate. The central theme is "optical diversity" - variation in vegetation optical patterns in time and space - because optical variation reveals useful information about underlying species richness, functional diversity, and ecosystem processes. This works because the display of plant leaves and canopies reflects underlying resource and environmental restrictions, allowing us to detect these constraints with optical sampling methods, several of which have been developed in my research group. This research will improve our understanding of basic physical and biological processes, including controls on the carbon cycle through photosynthetic downregulation under periods of stress, and the feedback effects of ecosystems on atmosphere and climate. This approach can also be used to develop the concept of "optical types," a new kind of vegetation classification based on foptical behavior, including features invisible to our eyes. These methods can monitor ecosystem function and health, improve our understanding of biological carbon exchange, and provide new ways to look at biodiversity according to basic ecosystem processes. These applications have practical benefits for resource managers, policymakers and the public at large. For example, our studies of carbon exchange are being developed to improve estimates of biospheric carbon sequestration in Alberta's rangelands. Our studies of ecosystem-atmospheric feedbacks can help predict future conditions in rapidly changing Arctic environments. Our studies of optical diversity are leading to new methods to detect biodiversity from remote sensing, which could help resource managers in land management and conservation. ******In developing new technologies for optical sampling, we collaborate with industry and international partners. We also develop data systems for analyzing and sharing the large volumes of data emerging from our research. Student training is a key focus of the research, with many students proceeding to further graduate study, industry or agency employment. **