Disturbance stress in forest plants as a result of sub-lethal glyphosate-based herbicides

不列颠哥伦比亚省（BC）的森林拥有全加拿大最高的植物多样性。为了在变化导致物种丧失之前保护森林生态系统的生物多样性和恢复力，需要更好地了解BC植物群的特征，以及这些植物如何对人为干扰应激源作出反应。自20世纪80年代以来，加拿大人一直在森林环境中使用草甘膦除草剂（GBH）；在不列颠哥伦比亚省，平均每年砍伐16000公顷森林。最初的研究表明，草甘膦分解很快，因此对环境的风险很小。最近，我们发现北方森林植物中持续存在低浓度草甘膦，导致植物形态变形，长期暴露，对人类和生态系统具有风险。除草剂使用的这一方面很少受到公众或研究的关注。我的研究将填补关于活植物组织中持久性、亚致死浓度GBH的知识空白。我的研究小组将努力更好地了解在GBH造成的压力下生长的树木、灌木和草本植物的物理和化学组成。学生将使用最先进的方法和设备来分析植物组织，以报告在压力时期发生的重要变化。我们将描述和定义这些植物的应激症状，并确定其物理性质，以及随时间选择的物种对应激的反应速率。我们还将发现环境条件（如温度和光照水平）的变化如何影响应激反应。鉴于植物在生态系统食物网和服务中发挥的重要作用，更好地了解森林植物在压力条件下的健康状况至关重要。通过该研究项目提供的结果将为有关植物和生态系统健康预测的政策和土地管理实践提供信息，并具体说明植物物种将如何被亚致死持久性GBH改变。我们将为加拿大公众、工业界和政府提供有关植物健康的重要信息，这将有助于更好地了解资源开采过程中植物群落可持续管理的条件。了解森林植物对除草剂干扰的反应将有助于了解它们在未来干扰压力下所具有的特性，并有助于了解这种压力如何改变植物的抗病过程、授粉成功、食物质量和野生动物栖息地。GBH生产是一个价值数十亿美元的产业，改变与之相关的做法将对资源产业产生巨大影响，包括林业、农业以及与水电线路、管道走廊和道路相关的植被管理。由于GBH在加拿大和全世界（约130个国家）被广泛使用，因此进行这项研究是势在必行的。

British Columbian (BC) forests have some of the highest plant diversity across Canada. A better understanding of the characteristics of BC flora, and how these plants respond to human-induced disturbance stressors are required in order to preserve biodiversity and the resilience of forested ecosystems before changes lead to loss of species altogether. Canadians have been applying glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) to forested environments since the 1980s; and in BC, to an average of 16,000 hectares of forests annually. Original research suggested that glyphosate broke down quickly and was therefore of little risk to the environment. Recently, we have discovered that low concentrations of glyphosate persist in northern forest plants, leading to deformation in plant morphology, chronic exposure potential, with risk to humans and ecosystems. This aspect of herbicide use has received little public or research attention. My research will fill the gap that exists in knowledge about persistent, sub-lethal concentrations of GBH in living plant tissues. My research team will work to better understand the physical and chemical make-up of trees, shrubs and herbs growing under stress caused by GBH. Students will use state-of-the-art methods and equipment to analyze plant tissues to report on important changes that occur during times of stress. We will describe and define the stress symptoms of these plants and determine the physical nature of, and rate of response to stress over time in select species. We will also discover how changes in environmental conditions such as temperature and light levels impact the stress response. Given the vital role that plants play in ecosystem food webs and services, a better understanding of forest plant health in stressful conditions is critical. Results provided through this research program will inform policy and land management practices concerning prediction of plant and ecosystem health, and specifically speak to how plant species will be altered by sub-lethal GBH persistence. We will provide important information about plant health to the Canadian public, industry, and governments, which will contribute to better understanding of conditions for sustainable management of plant communities during resource extraction. Understanding the response of forest plants to herbicide disturbance will lend insight into the properties they will possess under future disturbance pressure and lend insight to how this stress may alter disease resistance processes in plants, pollination success, and quality of food and habitat for wildlife. GBH production is a billion dollar industry, and changes to practices associated with it would have enormous impacts for resource industries, including forestry, agriculture and the vegetation management associated with hydropower lines, pipeline corridors and roads. Since GBH are used so extensively in Canada and worldwide (>130 countries), it is imperative that this research is conducted.