Understanding the feedbacks between canopy structure and hydrologic flow paths

植被冠层直接影响到达森林地面的水量和水质。过去在森林中的研究已经清楚地证明了树冠结构和水到土壤表面的流动路径之间的联系。然而，较少的工作集中在不同植被冠层(乔木、灌木和草)、附生植物和水文学之间的反馈。不同的植物种类改变了水分的数量和质量，从而改变了冠层和土壤中水分和养分的空间分布。不断变化的水文将影响附生植物和土壤微生物的分布。这可能导致反馈改变树冠和地下物种的空间分布，从而改变树冠水文。未来5年将为研究植被树冠结构和水文学之间的相互作用奠定基础，重点关注以下目标：1.评估水分通过植物树冠和土壤的运动如何随着植被的变化而变化；2.量化植被树冠对穿透雨生物地球化学的影响，以及树冠和地下生物空间分布与水文之间的反馈；3.量化不同植被类型下积雪的分布和融化的变化。多年来，植被冠层和土壤中的水文流动路径一直被视为一个黑匣子。我的研究将提供一些关于树冠结构如何影响水文径流路径的新见解，从而为黑匣子提供一些线索。此外，我的研究将有助于更深入地了解树冠/土壤中的生物与树冠结构之间的反馈关系。这将有助于更好地理解改变树冠结构和生物的管理活动将如何影响系统的水文。我的长期目标是提高我们对植被如何改变水通过大气-植物-土壤连续体的路径的理解。未来的研究将集中在土地管理对冠层水文的影响以及随后进出土壤的水文径流路径的变化。通过更好地了解树冠结构和水文学之间的联系，我们可以更好地预测变化的植被类型对小尺度(小区)和大尺度(流域)的生态系统水文学的影响。反过来，这将有助于我们理解植被群落的空间分布与水文径流路径之间的联系。我在汤普森河流大学(TRU)的研究将培养研究生和本科生。我坚信，导师的角色是教育学生在道德和健全的科学、数据分析/写作方面的教育，并指导学生在他们选择的职业生涯中取得成功。在接下来的5年里，我将重点培养5-6名本科生、2名硕士和3名博士生。

Vegetation canopies directly influence the quantity and quality of water reaching the forest floor. Past research in forests have clearly demonstrated a link between tree canopy structure and the flow paths of water to the soil surface. However, less work has focused on the feedbacks between different vegetation canopies (trees, shrubs and grasses), epiphytes and hydrology. Different plant species alter both the quantity and quality of water, thereby altering the spatial distribution of water and nutrients in the canopy and soil. The changing hydrology will then impact the distribution of epiphytes and soil microorganisms. This may result in a feedback that alters the spatial distribution of species in the canopy and belowground, which subsequently alters the canopy hydrology.The next 5 years will lay the groundwork for investigating the interaction between vegetation canopy structure and hydrology, by focusing on the following objectives: 1. Assess how water movement through the plant canopy and soil changes with changing vegetation;2. Quantify the impact of the vegetation canopy on the biogeochemistry of throughfall and the feedback between the spatial distribution of organisms in the canopy and belowground and hydrology; and3. Quantify how snow pack distribution and melt vary under different vegetation types.For many years the hydrologic flow paths in vegetation canopies and soil has been treated as a black box. My research will shed some light into the black box by providing new insights into how canopy structure affects hydrologic flow paths. In addition, my research will allow for a deeper understanding of the feedbacks between organisms in the canopy/soil and canopy structure. This will allow for improved understanding of how management activities that alter canopy structure and biology will affect the hydrology of the system.My long-term goal is to improve our understanding of how vegetation alters, and is altered by, the path of water through the atmosphere-plant-soil continuum. Future research will focus on the impact of land management on canopy hydrology and the subsequent shift in hydrologic flow paths to and from the soil. By better understanding the link between canopy structure and hydrology, we can better predict the impact of changing vegetation types on the hydrology of an ecosystem at both small (plot) and large scales (watershed). In turn, this will help enlighten our understanding of the link between the spatial distribution of vegetation communities and hydrologic flow paths.My research at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) will train both graduate and undergraduate students. I strongly believe the role of the supervisor is to educate students in ethical and sound science, data analysis/writing, and to mentor the students towards success in their chosen careers. Over the next 5 years, I will focus on training 5-6 undergraduate, 2 MSc and 3 PhD students.