MRI: ACQUISITION OF A CHN ELEMENTAL ANALYZER FOR RESEARCH IN PLANT AND ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY BY FACULTY AND UNDERGRADUATES AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY

Chapman University, Orange CA

Investigators

Abstract

Funds from this Major Research Instrumentation award will be used to purchase a carbon-hydrogen-nitrogen (CHN) elemental analyzer for research in plant and ecosystem ecology by faculty and students at Chapman University, an undergraduate serving institution in Orange, California. Carbon and nitrogen are key elements in a number of important ecological processes ranging from plant responses to the environment to rates of microbial decomposition and soil formation in ecosystems. Through student-faculty collaborations, the CHN elemental analyzer will initially be utilized to explore carbon and nitrogen dynamics in three ecological research programs. (1) Carbon and nitrogen sequestration through sediment deposition in coastal marshes in Southern California. This work will explore sedimentation dynamics and sequestration of carbon and nitrogen in salt marsh soils in order to better understand the fate of these important ecosystems in the face of ongoing sea level rise. (2) The importance of leaf nitrogen allocation in litter decomposition. This project aims to elucidate the links between leaf nitrogen pools (e.g., nucleic acids, amino acids, soluble proteins) and rates of litter decomposition. (3) Integrating biochemical, physiological and morphological responses of plants to changes in water availability. This work will determine how plant species differentially respond to changes in the intensity and timing of precipitation events and how these responses relate to plant fitness. The acquisition of a CHN elemental analyzer will facilitate research, teaching and outreach at Chapman University by allowing students and local educators to gain hands-on experience with an instrument commonly used in ecological research. In particular, the instrument will increase faculty scholarship and create new opportunities for student-faculty mentorship with a diverse group of undergraduate collaborators. The CHN elemental analyzer will also increase access to modern research instrumentation for student and faculty as well as local high school and community college instructors. Through mentored student research and inclusion into new and existing curricula, this instrumentation will facilitate education in a research-intensive environment and prepare our students for future scientific careers.