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КартаВръзкиТемиБългарияНощта (K-TRIO)Мария Склодовска-КюриЗа ученициЗа учителиМетодологияИзненадай ме
HEИндивидуална стипендия2023–2025

RE-NOURISH · Nutrient redistribution by mammals as a key mechanism for ecosystem restoration

„Хоризонт Европа“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период
2023-02-01 → 2025-01-31
Финансиране от ЕС
214 934 €
Участници
2
Схема
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Бозайниците пренасят хранителни вещества като въглерод и азот чрез храната и отпадъците си, например чрез разлагането на трупове. Разбирането на този процес помага за по-доброто управление на дивата природа и възстановяването на екосистемите.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Nutrient redistribution by mammals as a key mechanism for ecosystem restoration

It is increasingly acknowledged that animals can reshape the chemistry of their environments. Through the consumption, assimilation, transportation and excretion of different elements, animals redistribute elements - including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sodium - across Earth’s surface. By liberating nutrients and connecting ecosystems, diverse animal communities can help increase the overall fertility of their ecosystems. However, what is less understood is how different wildlife management actions may influence this vital ecosystem service provided by animals. For example, what effect does predator management have for overall chemical heterogeneity through the creation of animal carcasses and nutrient hotspots? How does the nutrient landscape change if hunting or wildlife reintroduction scenarios are enacted? Understanding how these different human activities alter animal-nutrient movement has broad implications. Most large animal populations are – to some degree – managed by people. Moreover, we are currently in the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, where there is a specific emphasis on restoring ecosystems globally. It is therefore vital to ensure that wildlife management actions act synergistically with ‘natural’ animal ecosystem functions towards biodiversity and restoration goals. While challenging, such efforts are an important step towards better ecosystem management.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

Declining soil fertility represents one of humanity’s major challenges in the 21st century. In the past, large vertebrate animals played a crucial role in transporting nutrients between ecosystems, supporting a more fertile planet. Today, however, species extinctions, diminished population abundances and constraints on animal movement have reduced animal-mediated nutrient transport by >90% compared to the late-Pleistocene. In contrast, anthropogenic use of certain nutrients (nitrogen [N], phosphorus [P] and potassium [K]) vastly exceeds planetary boundaries. Consequently, some areas of the world experience excessive nutrient pollution and others nutrient depletion. Agricultural abandonment trajectories provide opportunities for large-scale ecosystem restoration, including rewilding of large vertebrates. However, where humans have altered nutrient geographies, redistribution by wild animals may have unintended consequences for nearby ecosystems, including to plant productivity, carrying capacity, carbon storage and endemic competitive advantages. Consequently, changes to either anthropogenic nutrient loading or to animal dynamics during ecosystem restoration projects can have far-reaching implications.RE-NOURISH will develop an agent-based modelling framework that quantifies the redistribution of multiple nutrients across landscapes by different guilds of large mammals. Crucially, this model will include the direct and indirect influences of predators – an essential, but often overlooked aspect of nutrient redistribution in terrestrial landscapes. The RE-NOURISH framework will then be applied to two restoration case studies in (i) nutrient-deficient and (ii) nutrient-polluted environments. This transformative approach will directly help conservation practitioners achieve goals of ecological integrity and contribution to climate stability. Results will be disseminated via published papers, interactive workshops, conference presentations and popular articles.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

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Връзки

Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз