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：滥用肥料；土壤和水污染；土地利用变化。事实上，人们对这种复杂环境问题的批判性观点越来越感兴趣。我的研究小组和我通过使用新技术来量化农业生态系统动态来研究农业生产的替代系统，以响应这一研究需求。我的研究项目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上的重要空白。总的来说，我最重要的研究贡献是通过确定对这些系统有益的农业生态系统动态，进一步加深了我们对替代生产系统的理解。在这项NSERC发现资助计划下的新研究将推进战略，以实现安大略省和国际农业背景下的重要管理处方。具体来说，我在这项研究计划提案中的贡献将包括：i)绘制以前未报道的多物种系统中种间相互作用的图表；ii)开发新的研究工具以克服描述地下过程的局限性；iii)推进我们对农业中植物介导的营养供应的理解；iv)阐明跨学科环境研究。在食品安全、保护和可持续发展的交叉领域，迫切需要严谨的科学信息，因此提出的综合研究对加拿大来说是非常合适的。****在接下来的五年里，我将解决三个目标：***1)通过研究各种非生物胁迫下植物介导的营养获取和转移过程，阐明农业生态系统营养经济的关键维度。***2)评估局地尺度的环境效应，特别是土壤肥力对植物功能性状和关键性状综合征的影响。***3)开发新的研究工具，即探地雷达，用于探测农业生态系统中的地下过程。******基本原理、实验技术和应用相结合，使该研究项目非常适合吸引和培养本科生和研究生以及未来的博士后。我努力创造一个合作的研究环境，并将有效地指导我所有的HQP。我以前对学生的发表记录，我现在的学生成就以及我的学生在环境领域获得就业的高成功（从私营部门到大学教授）提供了激励证据，证明我有能力创造一个鼓舞人心的，适应性强的和成功的培训环境

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.***