Environmental change in Polar regions is dramatic and rapid. This emphasizes a need for both science and society to understand the relationships between climate and the structure and functioning (or sustainability) of Polar ecosystems. The goal of this project is to develop predictive understanding of these relationships in the arctic tundra of Alaska, arguably the location on earth where climate change is most rapid. The project is a field study in Alaska that focuses on a unique and important aspect of arctic plants: how the constant daylight conditions of the short arctic summer inhibit the respiration of plant leaves, the main potential loss of precious carbon gained via the process of photosynthesis.
Physiological studies of plants from ecosystems further south have revealed that respiration is partially inhibited in the light. However, what is not known is how constant daylight, unique in the arctic summer, influences plant respiration, and then how this affects the carbon balance of whole plants and ecosystems. Three specific questions are posed: (1) How much does constant light inhibit leaf respiration under Arctic field conditions, (2) How might predicted scenarios of future climate change influence such inhibition, and (3) How is the carbon balance of whole ecosystems affected by light inhibition of plant respiration? The study will take advantage of existing experiments at a tundra field research station where both temperature and nutrition have been manipulated.
The results from this study will add a new dimension to ongoing long-term ecological research and environmental observing capabilities in the Arctic. The international team of researchers will also provide lectures in a public forum in native Alaskan communities, involve students of all levels in the research, and provide a training ground for developing scientific journalists.
