It is announced that an XTBG research program named “Epiphytic plants in mountain cloud forest: their response mechanisms to climate change” will be financed by the Joint Fund of Natural Science (NSFC-Yunnan Joint Fund for short).

　Epiphytic plants are a group of plants that live on host plants without absorbing nutrients and water from the hosts. Because of their specific morphological and structural features and ecological habits, epiphytic plants are very sensitive and vulnerable to environmental changes. To study the response mechanism of epiphytic plants to climate change has important guiding significance and application value. 　 

According to the research proposal, the researchers will study how the epiphytes in the cloud forest of Ailao mountains response to climate change. Combining field control experiment and simulation study, the researchers will study the epiphytic plant species diversity, physiological and biochemical characteristics, biomass, phenology, and properties of canopy humusin different climate patterns, revealing the response mechanisms of epiphytic plants to climate change and nitrogen deposition.

The principal investigator of the research program is Prof. Dr. Liu Wenyao.

NSFC-Yunnan Joint Fund

NSFC and the Yunnan Provincial Government jointly set up the Joint Fund of Natural Science (NSFC-Yunnan Joint Fund for short) in order to implement the Outline of the National Medium- and Long-term Program for Scientific and Technological Development (2006-2020), to practice “Science and Technology Plan for the Innovative Yunnan”, to attract more talented professionals, and to carry out basic research on important and key scientific and technical issues of the economy, society, science and technology in Yunnan and surrounding regions, to boost the development of science and technology and the construction of talent teams, to facilitate the independent innovation and international competition, and to promote the sustainable development of regional economy and society.

In 2011, the Joint Fund plans a total funding of 48 million yuan, mainly for applications for Key Program in 4 areas (Protection of biodiversity, Population and health, Resources and environment, Utilization of mineral resources and new materials), with the average funding of 2 million yuan per project (for 4 years).