NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2016

Cline Lauren, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

Postdoctoral Fellow: Lauren Cline Proposal Number: 1611856 This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2016, Research Using Biological Collections. The fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow to take transformative approaches to grand challenges in biology that employ biological collections in highly innovative ways. The title of the research plan for this fellowship to Lauren Cline is "Fungal responses to anthropogenic N deposition: a historical perspective." The host institution for this fellowship is the University of Minnesota, and the sponsoring scientists are Drs. Peter Kennedy and Jessica Gutknecht. The goal of this research is to measure the belowground responses of plants and fungi to historical increases in nitrogen pollution. The Fellow is accomplishing this goal by analyzing long-term trends in stable isotope signatures of plants and fungi from archived biological collections. Over the last century, human-caused nitrogen (N) deposition has doubled the amount of N entering the biosphere, mostly due to burning of fossil fuels. N is a nutrient that limits plant growth in temperate and boreal ecosystems, and experiments manipulating N supply have revealed dramatic, albeit relatively short-term, belowground responses to high rates of N deposition. As primary regulators of N and carbon cycling in soils, microbial responses to increased deposition will have important consequences for plant production and belowground carbon storage. However, we do not understand the mechanisms by which current rates of anthropogenic N deposition have altered biogeochemical cycling, or if experimental responses match long-term ecosystem consequences. Isotopic analyses of long-term fungal and plant collections present an innovative approach to track the changing role of fungi in supplying N to plants, and allows for direct comparison between historical anthropogenic N deposition and experimental N studies. The Fellow's research is revealing forest ecosystem responses at current N deposition rates and the plant and fungal traits that elicit ecosystem responses. To date, no study has used fungal herbaria specimens to investigate long-term soil responses to N deposition; thus the Fellow's research represents a transformative approach to advance our understanding of global ecological responses amidst rapid environmental change. The Fellow is being trained in stable isotope analysis and in utilizing biological collections to add a long-term perspective not possible with experimental approaches. The Fellow is actively engaged in educational outreach, including the training of undergraduate researchers from underrepresented groups, and developing biological content knowledge and inquiry-based classroom activities with local elementary school teachers. The Fellow is also undertaking outreach activities with the Bell Museum at the University of Minnesota. Finally, the Fellow's research has important implications for environmental stewardship, as it is revealing forest ecosystem responses to N pollution.