Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The purpose of this research program is to improve our understanding of the movement of chemical elements such as carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) through ecosystems. We do this by studying the lives of animals, plants, and microorganisms, which move C and N around when they eat and when they release wastes. Animals, such as moose or earthworms, also change C and N movement indirectly by altering the growth of plants. Our vision is that a more detailed accounting of the interactions between animals, plants, and microorganisms will improve our predictions of C and N cycling. My students and I understand the complex relationships between animals, plants, microorganisms, C, and N by building computer models supported by data that we collect from field and laboratory experiments. We use these models to predict how ecosystems will change over time. In the field, we run experiments to measure what happens when we gain or lose certain animals or plants. We also survey sites across landscapes to collect data on where animals live to understand how they change the amount of C present in the soil. These new data help us to confirm that our models of C flowing from plants to soil and animals can predict the effects of natural disturbances, changes in our management, or global change. One of the most difficult parts of building models that predict C and N movement is gathering enough data to check if the equations in our models accurately approximate the real world. We help solve this problem by finding new ways to measure C and N movement. My students and I will develop a method for animals that live in the soil that uses their gene expression to tell us whether they are getting enough of each important nutrient in their diet. These new methods give us extra information about how much C and N each animal is eating and help us check to see if this amount matches what our model predicts. Our research is important because we know that animals change C and N cycling via their relationships with plants and microorganisms even if we do not have the data to know by how much. Our proposed solution is to add animals into larger models by relating the size of their effects to properties of the ecosystem that we can measure, building a better understanding of what their complex effects actually are with new field experiments and by developing new measurement techniques that tell us if our models are making the right predictions. Our research will provide benefits to Canada by helping to include the effects non-native earthworms into our national accounting of forest soil C through a collaboration with the Canadian Forest Service. It will provide benefits to ecological research in Canada by producing new data on how the effects of multiple animals combine to change ecosystems and by developing new methods to independently validate our hypotheses about how animals affect soil C.