Lunch Talk Series by Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS) Thrust, HKUST (GZ) - Underrepresented Drivers of Plant Growth Dynamics Beyond Climate植被物候及生长的驱动因素

Nature-based Climate Solutions (NbCS) have gained significant attention in recent years, holding great promise for mitigating the adverse impacts of global climate change on societal development. However, a key element for the effective implementation of NbCS is the understanding of the patterns and mechanisms underlying plant growth and ecosystem functional changes in the context of climate change, an area that remains to be explored.

The speaker has focused on investigating the driving mechanisms affecting plant phenology and growth rhythms. By integrating field observations, ecosystem-scale experiments, and remote sensing techniques, the research has elucidated the influence of non-meteorological and biological factors on plant phenology. Furthermore, the speaker has significantly enhanced the predictive capacity of vegetation models by incorporating relevant physiological mechanisms that influence plant growth rhythms into next-generation models.

These studies establish a foundation for accurately simulating changes in vegetation growth and ecosystem functions at both regional and global scales under future climate change scenarios. Such improvements enable better assessments of the impacts of climate change on natural environments and human societies, thereby facilitating the development of more effective climate solutions.

基于自然的气候解决方案（Nature based Climate Solutions, NbCS）近年来获得了极大的关注，其有望极大缓解全球气候变化对社会发展的负面影响。然而，有效实施 NbCS 的关键要素是理解在气候变化背景下，植物生长以及生态系统功能变化的规律和机理。而这方面的研究仍亟待深入探索。报告人长期关注于探究影响植物物候和生长节律的驱动机制。通过结合野外观测，生态系统尺度实验，及遥感等研究手段，揭示了非气象因素和生物因素对植物物候的影响机制。此外，报告人通过将影响植物生长节律的有关生理机制耦合到新一代植被模型中，显著提高了植被模型对生态系统初级生产力的模拟和机理解译。这为准确模拟未来气候变化背景下植被生长和生态系统功能在区域和全球尺度上的变化奠定了基础，从而能更好地评估气候变化对自然环境和人类社会的影响，并由此提出更加合理的气候解决方案。