Cary Institute Of Ecosystem Studies Inc

LTER: LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH AT THE HUBBARD BROOK EXPERIMENTAL FOREST

BALTIMORE ECOSYSTEM STUDY PHASE III: ADAPTIVE PROCESSES IN THE BALTIMORE SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FROM THE SANITARY TO THE SUSTAINABLE CITY

LTER: LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH AT THE HUBBARD BROOK EXPERIMENTAL FOREST -THE NEED FOR LONG-TERM RESEARCH ON FOREST ECOSYSTEMS HAS ACCELERATED MARKEDLY IN RECENT YEARS. TRADITIONAL INTERESTS IN PROVISION OF WOOD PRODUCTS AND CLEAN WATER HAVE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE CLIMATE MITIGATION, BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION, AND ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL RESILIENCE. FORESTS ARE COMPLEX ECOSYSTEMS, DOMINATED BY LONG-LIVED ORGANISMS, AND ARE HIGHLY CONNECTED TO ADJACENT ECOSYSTEMS AT MANY SCALES. LONG-TERM RESEARCH AT THE HUBBARD BROOK EXPERIMENTAL FOREST HAS FOCUSED ON THE ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT OF HARDWOOD FORESTS, WITH A FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF DISTURBANCE IN HOW FOREST ECOSYSTEMS WORK. THE RESEARCH HAS CONTINUALLY EVOLVED AS UNEXPECTED OBSERVATIONS EMERGE FROM LONG-TERM STUDIES, RAISING QUESTIONS THAT CAN ONLY BE ADDRESSED WITH CONTINUED LONG-TERM RESEARCH. RECENT SURPRISES THAT WILL BE EXPLORED IN THIS LATEST PHASE OF RESEARCH ARE: 1) UNEXPECTED CHANGES IN THE ELEVATIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF SOME TREE SPECIES THAT HAVE SURPRISINGLY MIGRATED DOWNWARD INSTEAD OF UP-SLOPE AS WOULD BE EXPECTED IN RESPONSE TO WARMING TEMPERATURES; (2) ABRUPT INCREASES IN WATER USE BY PLANTS OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, AND (3) SIGNIFICANT DECLINES SINCE THE 1970S IN SOME SPECIES OF BIRDS, SALAMANDERS, CATERPILLARS, AND BEETLES. THE LONG-TERM NATURE OF STUDIES AT HUBBARD BROOK HAS ALLOWED RESEARCHERS TO BUILD DEEP RELATIONSHIPS WITH STAKEHOLDERS. THESE RELATIONSHIPS ARE ALSO EVOLVING, AND RESEARCHERS WILL DIVERSIFY THEM TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION OF UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS. SPECIFICALLY, THEY WILL MAKE THE LENS OF RESEARCH MORE INCLUSIVE AND MORE HOLISTIC AND WILL RECRUIT NEW PARTICIPANTS TO MAKE THE SITE AND COMMUNITY MORE DIVERSE. THE OVERARCHING RESEARCH THEME OF THIS PROJECT IS THE LONG-TERM RESPONSE OF ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURE, COMPOSITION, AND FUNCTION TO DISTURBANCE. THE CONCEPTUAL MODEL UNDERPINNING THE PROJECT ENVISIONS THREE PRINCIPAL TYPES OF DISTURBANCE ACTING AS DRIVERS OF CHANGE IN THE ECOSYSTEM: CHANGING ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY, CHANGING CLIMATE, AND CHANGING BIOTA. THE EFFECTS OF THESE DRIVERS PLAY OUT ON A BIOGEOPHYSICAL TEMPLATE THAT INCLUDES VARIATION ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE IN TOPOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, SOILS, VEGETATION, AND HISTORY OF PAST DISTURBANCE. WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM, THE DISTURBANCES AFFECT THE INTERACTING PROCESSES OF HYDROLOGY, BIOGEOCHEMISTRY, VEGETATION, AND FOOD WEB DYNAMICS. THE CONCEPTUAL MODEL IS EVOLVING TO FOCUS ON ?CONTROL POINTS OF CHANGE? IN THE LANDSCAPE - SPECIFIC PLACES AND TIMES WHERE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WILL BEGIN OR ACCELERATE. THE RESEARCH IS INTEGRATED WITH BROADER IMPACTS ACTIVITIES DRIVEN BY FOUR GOALS: (1) ESTABLISH LONG-TERM, TRUSTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH DIVERSE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION-MAKERS ACROSS THE NORTHERN FOREST ECOREGION; (2) RECRUIT AND TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF ECOSYSTEM SCIENTISTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS; (3) SUPPORT DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ANTI-RACISM (DEI&A) WITHIN THE SITE AND BROADER SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES; AND (4) DRIVE INNOVATIONS IN RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND OUTREACH. TO ACHIEVE THESE GOALS, FIVE APPROACHES ARE PLANNED: PUBLIC AND POLICY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS, SCIENCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS, AN ART-SCIENCE PROGRAM, DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF INFRASTRUCTURE FOR DEI&A, AND USE OF A CRITICAL ECOLOGY APPROACH TO MAKE THE LENS OF THE SITE?S RESEARCH MORE INCLUSIVE AND HOLISTIC. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

ADVANCING EARTH SCIENCE INSTRUCTION ACROSS HIGH SCHOOL LIFE AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE -EARTHX IS A DESIGN-BASED RESEARCH PROJECT THAT SUPPORTS THE INTEGRATION OF EARTH SCIENCE INTO HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AND PHYSICS COURSES IN BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHILE ALSO SUPPORTING THE DISTRICT?S TRANSITION TO THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3D), AMBITIOUS AND EQUITABLE SCIENCE TEACHING ALIGNED WITH THE NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS (NGSS). AS THE DISTRICT DOES NOT HAVE A CURRENT STANDALONE EARTH SCIENCE COURSE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, THE PROJECT WILL SUPPORT THE INTEGRATION OF EARTH SCIENCES INTO OTHER DISCIPLINARY SCIENCE CLASSES TO MEET THE NGSS EXPECTATIONS FOR EARTH SCIENCE INSTRUCTION IN ALL GRADE LEVELS. ALL HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AND PHYSICS TEACHERS IN CITY SCHOOLS (139 TEACHERS) WILL USE EARTHX ASSESSMENTS AND PARTICIPATE IN EARTHX PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD). THE PROJECT WILL REACH THE ENTIRE, HIGHLY DIVERSE STUDENT POPULATION ATTENDING TRADITIONAL CITY SCHOOLS. EARTHX BUILDS ON THE SUCCESS OF THE INTEGRATING CHEMISTRY AND EARTH SCIENCE (ICE) DRK-12 PROJECT - WHICH DEVELOPED INNOVATIVE CHEMISTRY COURSE CURRICULUM MATERIALS AND PD STRATEGIES - TO SUPPORT EARTH SCIENCE INTEGRATION INTO BIOLOGY AND PHYSICS COURSE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND 3D TEACHING. EARTHX WILL DEVELOP, TEST, AND REFINE EMBEDDED AND UNIT ASSESSMENTS FOR ALL THREE COURSES, ALONG WITH PROVIDING AN ONLINE SYSTEM FOR ASSESSMENT ADMINISTRATION; REAL-TIME REPORTING TO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS; AND PROVISION OF DATA TO PD LEADERS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND RESEARCHERS FOR MULTIPLE PURPOSES. ASSESSMENTS WILL BE 3D, FEATURING CORE CONCEPTS FROM BOTH EARTH SCIENCE AND THE COURSE DISCIPLINE COMBINED WITH A SCIENCE OR ENGINEERING PRACTICE AND A CROSSCUTTING CONCEPT. ASSESSMENTS WILL SUPPORT TEACHING AND LEARNING OF PHENOMENA IN THE LOCAL-TO-GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT IN WAYS THAT ARE BOTH ENGAGING AND ACCESSIBLE TO BALTIMORE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AND PHYSICS TEACHERS REQUIRE THESE TYPES OF INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORTS, ALONG WITH ONGOING PD THAT IS COLLABORATIVE BOTH WITHIN SCHOOLS ACROSS DISCIPLINES AND ACROSS SCHOOLS WITHIN DISCIPLINES TO SUCCEED IN THE DUAL CHALLENGE OF ACHIEVING EARTH SCIENCE INTEGRATION AND 3D, AMBITIOUS AND EQUITABLE TEACHING. MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS AROUND THE NATION ARE FACING THIS SAME DUAL CHALLENGE AND WILL BENEFIT FROM EARTHX RESOURCES, STRATEGIES, INSIGHTS, AND RESEARCH FINDINGS, ALL OF WHICH WILL BE DISSEMINATED AND MADE WIDELY AVAILABLE. EARTHX WILL UTILIZE A DESIGN-BASED RESEARCH APPROACH TO: 1) BUILD AND NURTURE A STRONG RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP, EMPLOYING BEST PRACTICES OF PARTNER ENGAGEMENT AND EMPOWERMENT, COLLABORATION, EVIDENCE-BASED IMPROVEMENT, AND PRODUCTIVITY. 2) DEVELOP AND TEST DISCIPLINARY AND CROSS-DISCIPLINARY PD STRATEGIES FOR SUPPORTING EFFECTIVE EARTH SCIENCE TEACHING IN HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AND PHYSICS COURSES. 3) DEVELOP LEARNING PROGRESSION-ALIGNED, EMBEDDED, AND SUMMATIVE 3D ASSESSMENTS OF STUDENT PERFORMANCES THAT CAN SUPPORT AMBITIOUS AND EQUITABLE TEACHING ABOUT PHENOMENA IN THE LOCAL-TO-GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT AT THE INTERFACES BETWEEN EARTH SCIENCE AND BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AND PHYSICS. 4) BRING EARTHX STRATEGIES TO SCALE, RESULTING IN TRANSFORMATIVE, PHENOMENA-BASED 3D INSTRUCTION ACROSS THE DISTRICT. IN MEETING THESE GOALS, THE PROJECT WILL ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH QUESTIONS: HOW DO MULTI-YEAR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT SUPPORT EMPOWERMENT AND COLLABORATIVE, REFLECTIVE PRACTICE CONTRIBUTE TO TEACHERS? GROWING UNDERSTANDING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PHENOMENA-BASED, 3D INSTRUCTION? HOW DOES AVAILABILITY OF AND EXPERIENCE WITH USING STUDENT PERFORMANCE DATA (INCLUDING NEAR REAL-TIME AUTOMATED ANALYSES) CONTRIBUTE TO TEACHERS? GROWING CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT AMBITIOUS AND EQUITABLE 3D INSTRUCTION? HOW DO TEACHERS? GROWING CAPACITIES TO ENACT 3D, AMBITIOUS, AND EQUITABLE INSTRUCTION IMPACT STUDENT LEARNING GAINS (ASSESSED WITH CREDIBLE MEASURES OF 3D PERFORMANCES) OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR AND OVER THE THREE-YEAR COURSE SEQUENCE? METHODS FOR ADDRESSING THESE GOALS AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS START WITH A RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP WITH A DIVERSE TEAM OF DISTRICT LEADERS, SCIENTISTS, SCIENCE EDUCATION SPECIALISTS AND RESEARCHERS, TEACHER LEADERS, AND THE PROJECT EVALUATOR, WITH CRITICAL AND ONGOING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PROJECT ADVISORY BOARD. DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF ASSESSMENTS OF BOTH TEACHERS' PRACTICES AND STUDENTS? PERFORMANCES ARE A CENTRAL FEATURE OF EARTHX. TEACHER PD WILL EMPHASIZE REFLECTIVE PRACTICES THROUGH VIDEO- AND ARTIFACT-SUPPORTED TEACHER REFLECTION AMONG COHORTS OF TEACHERS THAT WILL INCLUDE BOTH WITHIN-SCHOOL AND ACROSS-SCHOOL COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE. LEARNING PROGRESSIONS WILL BE UTILIZED AND REVISED TO FRAME ANALYSES OF STUDENT PERFORMANCES TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS, AND TO ADDRESS THE STUDENT LEARNING RESEARCH QUESTION. EARTHX WILL PROVIDE INVALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO THE INTEGRATION, ADOPTION, ADAPTATION, AND SUPPORT OF EARTH SCIENCE AND 3D PEDAGOGY AT THE WHOLE DISTRICT SCALE. AS A RESULT OF THE EARTHX PROJECT, TESTED AND REFINED PD STRATEGIES, SUMMATIVE AND EMBEDDED 3D ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS, AND RESEARCH FINDINGS RELATED TO TEACHER AND STUDENT DEVELOPMENT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE SCIENCE EDUCATION COMMUNITY?S GROWING UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORT OF DISTRICT-LEVEL ADOPTION OF NGSS-ALIGNED TEACHING, LEARNING, AND REFORM. THE DISCOVERY RESEARCH PREK-12 PROGRAM (DRK-12) SEEKS TO SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCE THE LEARNING AND TEACHING OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) BY PREK-12 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS, THROUGH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE RESOURCES, MODELS AND TOOLS. PROJECTS IN THE DRK-12 PROGRAM BUILD ON FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH IN STEM EDUCATION AND PRIOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS THAT PROVIDE THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL JUSTIFICATION FOR PROPOSED PROJECTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

LTER: HUMAN SETTLEMENTS AS ECOSYSTEMS: METROPOLITAN BALTIMORE FROM 1797 - 2100: PHASE II

US-UK COLLAB: INTEGRATING METAVIROMICS WITH EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DYNAMICS: UNDERSTANDING VIRUS TRANSMISSION IN THE ANTHROPOCENE -THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP AND TEST NEW METHODS FOR TRACKING RNA VIRUSES IN WILD RODENT POPULATIONS, WHICH ARE IMPORTANT VIRAL RESERVOIRS WORLDWIDE BECAUSE MANY SPECIES LIVE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO HUMAN POPULATIONS AND ARE HIGHLY RESPONSIVE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE. MOST EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES AFFECTING HUMANS, INCLUDING AIDS, INFLUENZA, AND COVID-19, ARE CAUSED BY RNA VIRUSES ORIGINATING FROM NON-HUMAN ANIMALS. IN RECENT YEARS, THESE DISEASES HAVE BECOME MORE COMMON AND WIDESPREAD, A PATTERN FREQUENTLY ATTRIBUTED TO INCREASING ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, NOTABLY THE CONVERSION OF NATURAL LANDSCAPES INTO AGRICULTURAL AND URBAN ENVIRONMENTS. THESE CHANGES HAVE DRAMATICALLY ALTERED WILD ANIMAL COMMUNITIES, INFLUENCING HOW VIRUSES CIRCULATE WITHIN THESE COMMUNITIES AND SIMULTANEOUSLY INCREASING HUMAN EXPOSURE TO NEW ANIMAL VIRUSES. SEASONAL VARIATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE CAN ALSO ALTER PATHOGEN PREVALENCE IN WILD ANIMAL POPULATIONS AND INFLUENCE DISEASE RISK. A CRITICAL BARRIER TO CONTROLLING FUTURE VIRAL OUTBREAKS IS A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HOW ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE AFFECTS VIRUS TRANSMISSION WITHIN WILD ANIMAL POPULATIONS AND HOW, IN TURN, THAT AFFECTS HUMAN RISK. THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THESE GAPS USING ESTABLISHED FIELD STUDIES IN ENGLAND AND UGANDA THAT MONITOR WILD RODENT COMMUNITIES. ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROJECT WILL INVOLVE RESEARCHERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND UGANDA, AND PROVIDE TRAINING FOR UNDERGRADUATES, GRADUATE STUDENTS, AND POST-DOCTORAL SCHOLARS. TO TACKLE THE PRACTICAL CHALLENGES OF STUDYING VIRAL TRANSMISSION, RESEARCHERS WILL DEVELOP NEW TOOLS TO INFER EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DYNAMICS AND ZOONOTIC RISK FROM INCREASINGLY ACCESSIBLE AND LOW-COST HOST VIROME DATA. THIS FLEXIBLE APPROACH WILL ALLOW RAPID DISCOVERY AND MONITORING OF ZOONOTIC VIRUSES BY ENABLING EPIDEMIOLOGICAL INFERENCES FROM CROSS-SECTIONAL SAMPLES AND GUIDANCE FOR APPROPRIATE SAMPLING STRATEGIES TO INTERPRET METAVIROMIC DATA IN NEW HOST SYSTEMS. RESEARCHERS WILL USE A LONG-TERM CAPTURE-MARK-RECAPTURE WILD STUDY IN OXFORDSHIRE, UK, TO DETERMINE HOW SEASONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE INFLUENCES RODENT VIRAL COMMUNITIES. LASTLY, RESEARCHERS WILL USE FIELD SITES ALONG LAND COVER GRADIENT IN UGANDA TO UNDERSTAND HOW PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE INFLUENCES THE RISK OF ZOONOTICS IN RODENT COMMUNITIES. THIS FIELDWORK WILL IDENTIFY LOCAL AND LANDSCAPE DRIVERS OF ZOONOTIC HAZARDS AND HOW HUMANS CHANGE BEHAVIOUR TO AFFECT ZOONOTIC RISK ACROSS THIS GRADIENT. TOGETHER, THIS RESEARCH WILL SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF VIRAL PATHOGENS WITHIN KEY RESERVOIR HOSTS AND IDENTIFY IMPORTANT ENVIRONMENTAL DRIVERS THAT INCREASE ZOONOTIC RISK. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

LTER: DYNAMIC HETEROGENEITY: INVESTIGATING CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF ECOLOGICAL CHANGE IN THE BALTIMORE URBAN ECOSYSTEM

LTER: BALTIMORE ECOSYSTEM STUDY: SYNTHESIS OF LONG-TERM STUDIES OF HOW MULTIPLE HUMAN AND BIOPHYSICAL FACTORS INTERACT TO DRIVE ECOLOGICAL CHANGE OF AN URBAN ECOSYSTEM

GLOBAL PATTERNS, PREDICTORS, AND THEIR DYNAMICAL CONSEQUENCES IN ZOONOTIC DISEASES OF MAMMALS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: BUILDING ANALYTICAL, SYNTHESIS, AND HUMAN NETWORK SKILLS NEEDED FOR MACROSYSTEM SCIENCE: A NEXT GENERATION GRADUATE STUDENT T

LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH AT THE HUBBARD BROOK EXPERIMENTAL FOREST

CNH-L: SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS OF RECREATIONAL FISHERY LANDSCAPES

NSFDEB-NERC: GIGANTE: QUANTIFYING AND UPSCALING THE CAUSES AND DRIVERS OF DEATH FOR GIANT TROPICAL TREES -THIS PROJECT ? NAMED GIGANTE - AIMS TO UNDERSTAND WHEN, WHERE, AND WHY THE LARGEST TREES IN TROPICAL FORESTS DIE. THE RESEARCH IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE LARGEST 1% OF TREES CONTAIN ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF CARBON: ABOUT HALF OF ALL CARBON STORED IN PLANTS OF THESE FORESTS. HOWEVER, WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT KILLS THESE TREES AND THEREFORE CAN?T PREDICT HOW THEY MIGHT FARE IN THE FUTURE OR THEIR IMPACT ON CLIMATE. GIGANTE WILL USE DRONES TO GUIDE FIELD TEAMS TO LOCATE AND DESCRIBE THOUSANDS OF GIANT TREE DEATHS IN TROPICAL FORESTS AROUND THE WORLD. THESE DATA WILL THEN BE USED TO PREDICT WHEN AND WHERE OTHER GIANT TREES WILL LIKELY DIE IN THE FUTURE AND TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CARBON CYCLES ON OUR PLANET TODAY. GIGANTE?S OUTCOMES ARE CRUCIAL TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW VULNERABLE TROPICAL FORESTS ARE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE. THE PROJECT WILL TRAIN NEW AND ASPIRING SCIENTISTS ACROSS AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK IN THE USE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY FOR STUDYING GIANT TREES, GENERATE PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE DATA ON ALL GIANT TREE DEATHS TO HELP SATELLITE EXPERTS AND OTHERS MONITOR FORESTS, AND GENERATE NEW SOFTWARE AND TRAINING MATERIALS TO HELP SCIENTISTS AND LAND MANAGERS MONITOR THE HEALTH OF FORESTS WORLDWIDE. GIGANTE WILL LOCATE GIANT TREE MORTALITY EVENTS USING MULTI-PLATFORM, HIGH-FREQUENCY REMOTE SENSING OF 7,500 HECTARES OF TROPICAL FOREST ACROSS FIVE ?SUPER SITES.? THESE DATA WILL FACILITATE TARGETED FIELD SURVEYS USING DETAILED STATE-OF-THE ART PROTOCOLS TO ASSIGN PROXIMATE AGENTS OF MORTALITY TO RECENTLY DEAD TREES IN AN UNPRECEDENTEDLY LARGE FIELD STUDY. THE RESEARCHERS WILL INTEGRATE THESE DATA WITH INFORMATION ABOUT CLIMATE, TOPOGRAPHY, CANOPY STRUCTURE, AND TREE TRAITS TO VALIDATE MECHANISTIC MODELS OF TREE MORTALITY RISK. FINALLY, COMBINING THESE RISK MODELS WITH FOREST PLOTS AND SATELLITE LIDAR, THEY WILL EVALUATE HOW DRIVERS OF GIANT TREE DEATH PREDICT SPATIAL VARIATION IN FOREST DYNAMICS, STRUCTURE, AND CARBON STORAGE. IN THE COURSE OF THIS PROJECT, GIGANTE WILL PRODUCE SOFTWARE AND VIDEOS TO FACILITATE THE USE OF THESE METHODS ELSEWHERE, AND PROVIDE TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING TO SCIENTISTS ACROSS THIS COLLABORATIVE NETWORK. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

CNH: URBAN DISAMENITIES AND PESTS: COUPLED DYNAMICS OF URBAN MOSQUITO ECOLOGY AND HUMAN SYSTEMS ACROSS SOCIOECONOMICALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES

INTEGRATING CHEMISTRY AND EARTH SCIENCE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ECOLOGICAL HOMOGENIZATION OF URBAN AMERICA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: REGULATION OF LAKE PRODUCTIVITY BY TERRESTRIAL DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: USING THE VERTICAL DIMENSION OF FORESTS TO TEST TRADEOFFS AND PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY ECOLOGY -GLOBAL CHANGES ARE CAUSING SIGNIFICANT SHIFTS IN ECOSYSTEMS WORLDWIDE BY INCREASING ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS. SPECIES THAT CAN WITHSTAND THESE CHANGES ARE LIKELY TO THRIVE, WHILE THOSE LESS ADAPTABLE MAY DECLINE. HOWEVER, IT IS CHALLENGING TO LINK STRATEGIES OF INDIVIDUAL SPECIES TO COMMUNITY-LEVEL RESPONSES TO GLOBAL CHANGES. THIS PROJECT EXPLORES THE VERTICAL LAYERS OF FORESTS TO TEST THE ROLE OF COMPETITION AND TOLERANCE IN COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY. ABIOTIC STRESSORS INCLUDING TEMPERATURE (3-6?C HIGHER IN THE CANOPY), DRYNESS, AND MICROCLIMATE VARIABILITY INCREASE FROM THE FOREST FLOOR TO THE CANOPY, ALL WITHIN JUST 20-30 METERS OF HEIGHT. THIS PROJECT EVALUATES HOW DIFFERENCES IN LIFE HISTORY STRATEGIES, SUCH AS TOLERANCE TO STRESS, INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER SPECIES, AND THE CAPACITY TO COLONIZE NEW HABITATS, PLAY A ROLE IN COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY AND RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE. ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A CURRICULUM MODULE FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS THAT AIMS TO FOSTER STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN SCIENCE INCLUDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS ABOUT THE VALUE OF MICROBIAL DIVERSITY IN NATURE. THE PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A NOVEL MOLECULAR TOOL AND DATABASE FOR CHARACTERIZING MICROBIAL TAXA AND TRAITS ACROSS THE LIFE HISTORY STRATEGIES, WHICH WILL BE MADE WIDELY ACCESSIBLE TO SCIENTISTS AND PRACTITIONERS. FINALLY, THE PROJECT WILL SUPPORT EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS BY PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR A DOCTORAL STUDENT, A RESEARCH TECHNICIAN, AND THREE SEASONAL FIELD RESEARCH ASSISTANTS. THIS RESEARCH WILL DEVELOP A MODEL SYSTEM ? THE VERTICAL DIMENSION OF FORESTS ? TO SYSTEMATICALLY TEST COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY AND LIFE HISTORY TRADEOFFS OF MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE VERTICAL GRADIENT IN A PANAMANIAN TROPICAL RAINFOREST. THIS WILL INCLUDE (1) A MULTI-OMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE FUNCTIONAL AND TAXONOMIC DIVERSITY OF SOIL COMMUNITIES ALONG THE VERTICAL GRADIENT, (2) AN ASSESSMENT OF THE COMMUNITIES DISPERSING VIA AIR, WATER, AND DETRITUS ACROSS THE GRADIENT, (3) A RECIPROCAL TRANSPLANT EXPERIMENT TO TEST ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC CONTROLS OF COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY, AND (4) A LAB-BASED INCUBATION TO SPECIFICALLY EVALUATE THE ROLES OF HEAT AND WATER STRESS IN SHAPING COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY. FINALLY, THE PROJECT WILL (5) SYNTHESIZE THE RESULTS USING A CAUSAL INFERENCE MODELING APPROACH TO EXPLICITLY TEST THE ROLE OF THE COMPETITIVENESS-TO-TOLERANCE TRADEOFF IN SHAPING COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY IN RESPONSE TO ABIOTIC STRESS. THIS PROJECT WILL MAKE SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW ABIOTIC STRESS INFLUENCES COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THIS WORK WILL TEST WHETHER A TRADEOFF BETWEEN TOLERANCE AND COMPETITIVENESS DETERMINES THE OUTCOMES OF COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY ACROSS A GRADIENT OF ABIOTIC STRESS. BEYOND TOLERANCE AND COMPETITIVENESS, THE RESULTS FROM THIS WORK WILL PROVIDE THE FIRST DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT TRENDS IN DISPERSAL ALONG THE VERTICAL GRADIENT AND HOW THEY VARY AMONG DIFFERENT PATHWAYS OF DISPERSAL. THIS STUDY WILL CHARACTERIZE THE VERTICAL DIMENSION OF MICROBIAL DIVERSITY IN FOREST SOILS FOR THE FIRST TIME, PROVIDING INSIGHT INTO THIS MAJOR UNDERSTUDIED DIMENSION OF GLOBAL DIVERSITY AND ESTABLISHING A MODEL SYSTEM FOR TESTING PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

THIS PROPOSED STUDY AIMS TO CHARACTERIZE THE ECOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING LYME DISEASE (LD) RISK. EVIDENCE WILL BE EVALUATED FOR THREE SPECIFIC

RUI: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE ECOLOGY OF ANAPLASMA PHAGOCYTOPHILUM: RESERVOIRS, RISK, AND INCIDENCE

REU SITE: TRANSLATIONAL ECOLOGY FOR UNDERGRADUATES

LTREB: STREAMS TO SCREENS: BRINGING THE HUBBARD BROOK WATERSHED ECOSYSTEM RECORD (HB-WATER) INTO THE 21ST CENTURY

LTREB: BALTIMORE URBAN WATERSHED STUDIES

LTREB RENEWAL: STREAMS TO SCREENS: BRINGING THE HUBBARD BROOK WATERSHED ECOSYSTEM RECORD (HBWATER) INTO THE 21ST CENTURY -THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND HOW WATER AND CHEMICAL ELEMENTS MOVE THROUGH ECOSYSTEMS, AND HOW THESE PROCESSES RESPOND TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE. IT CONTINUES A GLOBALLY UNIQUE 60-YEAR RECORD OF PRECIPITATION AND STREAM CHEMISTRY FOR TEN STREAMS IN THE HUBBARD BROOK EXPERIMENTAL FOREST IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. THIS RECORD SHOWS THE IMPACTS OF AIR POLLUTION, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND PESTS ON FORESTS, SOILS, AND STREAMS. IT HAS BEEN ESSENTIAL FOR RECORDING THE EFFECTS OF POLLUTION CONTROL LAWS AND FOR DEVELOPING AND TESTING THEORIES ABOUT HOW FORESTED ECOSYSTEMS WORK. THE PROJECT WILL EXAMINE HOW THESE ECOSYSTEMS ARE RECOVERING FROM ACID DEPOSITION, AS WELL AS HOW THEY ARE RESPONDING TO NEW IMPACTS, SUCH AS A CHANGING CLIMATE. DATA FROM THE PROJECT ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE, AND ADDITIONAL BROADER IMPACTS INCLUDE THE TRAINING OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS THROUGH A SUMMER REU. THE PROJECT MEASURES THE CHEMISTRY OF WEEKLY PRECIPITATION AND STREAMWATER SAMPLES. SOME OF THESE WATERSHEDS HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO WHOLE-WATERSHED MANIPULATIONS SUCH AS EXPERIMENTAL TREE HARVEST, AND ALL OF THE WATERSHEDS ARE EXPERIENCING LONG-TERM CHANGES IN ACID DEPOSITION AND CLIMATE. CHEMICAL ANALYSES INCLUDE PH, CONDUCTIVITY, DISSOLVED ORGANIC AND INORGANIC CARBON, MAJOR ANIONS AND CATIONS, DISSOLVED SILICA, AND TRACE ELEMENTS, AMONG OTHER MEASUREMENTS. INPUT AND EXPORT FLUXES OF CHEMICAL ELEMENTS ARE CALCULATED FOR NINE OF THE WATERSHEDS USING PRECIPITATION AND STREAM DISCHARGE DATA. THE STUDY DESIGN USES LONG-TERM OBSERVATION OF CHEMICAL FLUXES THROUGH THESE ECOSYSTEMS TO TEST AND REFINE THEORY ABOUT ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES AND THEIR RESPONSES TO CHANGE. KEY QUESTIONS TO BE TESTED INCLUDE, AMONG OTHERS: 1) THE EFFECTS OF FOREST DISTURBANCE ON NUTRIENT LOSSES FROM SOILS, AND HOW THIS INTERACTS WITH RECOVERY FROM ACIDIFICATION; 2) HOW CLIMATE CHANGE AND LONG-TERM DECREASES IN STREAM SOLUTE CONCENTRATIONS WILL INTERACT TO CONTROL THE TIMING, MAGNITUDE, AND FORM OF WATERSHED EXPORTS; AND 3) THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF FOREST DISTURBANCE ON STREAM PH AND THE EXPORT OF DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON AND WEATHERING PRODUCTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH WSC-CATEGORY 2: REGIONAL CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND PATTERNS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT - IMPACTS ON THE URBAN WATER CYCLE AND NUTRIE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ISLANDS IN THE STREAM: THE CRITICAL ROLE OF BRYOSPHERES IN SMALL STREAMS AND RIVER NETWORKS -MANY HEADWATER STREAMS HAVE MOSSES PRESENT, YET THESE PLANTS ARE RARELY INCLUDED IN CURRENT CONCEPTUAL MODELS OF STREAM ECOLOGY. BRYOPHYTES, INCLUDING MOSSES, LIVERWORTS, AND HORNWORTS, ARE COMMON IN SMALL STREAMS WHERE THEY CAN PROVIDE CRITICAL HABITAT FOR OTHER AQUATIC ORGANISMS, AND STORE LARGE QUANTITIES OF CARBON, NITROGEN, AND PHOSPHORUS. THIS PROJECT WILL STUDY THE ROLE OF STREAM BRYOPHYTES AS HOTSPOTS OF FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY AND NUTRIENT CYCLING, WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON HOW BRYOPHYTE PRESENCE IN SMALL STREAMS MAY HAVE LARGE IMPACTS ON WATER QUALITY DOWNSTREAM. THE PROJECT SUPPORTS FIFTEEN OR MORE EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS ACROSS ALL CAREER STAGES AND MULTIPLE INSTITUTIONS. THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL DISSEMINATE FINDINGS TO BROADER AUDIENCES AT CONFERENCES, LOCAL HOMEOWNERS? MEETINGS, AND FIELD TRIPS, AND IS PARTNERING WITH THE HUBBARD BROOK RESEARCH FOUNDATION AND A LOCAL SCHOOL TO DEVELOP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE CURRICULA (5TH-12TH GRADES) THAT ENABLE YOUNG STUDENTS TO EXAMINE AND STUDY MOSSES IN NATURE. THE RESEARCH USES THREE COMPLEMENTARY APPROACHES TO EVALUATE HOW AND WHERE AQUATIC BRYOPHYTES CONTRIBUTE TO THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF HEADWATER STREAM ECOSYSTEMS. FIRST, RESEARCHERS WILL EXPERIMENTALLY REMOVE BRYOPHYTES FROM TWO STREAM SEGMENTS WITHIN THE HUBBARD BROOK EXPERIMENTAL FOREST (NEW HAMPSHIRE) TO DIRECTLY MEASURE THE IMPACT OF BRYOPHYTES ON NUTRIENT UPTAKE, ORGANIC MATTER STORAGE, AND IN-STREAM BIODIVERSITY. SECOND, THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL CONDUCT A REGIONAL SURVEY OF MOSS ABUNDANCE AND FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY ACROSS 50 HEADWATER STREAMS ACROSS THE WHITE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL FOREST THAT VARY WIDELY IN STREAM PH. RESULTS FROM BOTH EXPERIMENTAL AND SURVEY EFFORTS WILL BE USED TO PARAMETERIZE A STREAM NETWORK MODEL TO ESTIMATE THE EFFECTS OF BRYOPHYTES ON NUTRIENT DYNAMICS AT RIVER NETWORK SCALES AND TO PREDICT THE IMPACT OF BRYOPHYTE LOSS ON RIVER NUTRIENT CYCLING. THE PROJECT WILL INFORM OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW BRYOPHYTES SUPPORT FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY BY PROVIDING FLOW AND DROUGHT REFUGIA AND ENHANCE STREAM NUTRIENT CYCLING THROUGH THEIR HIGH SURFACE AREA AND CAPACITY TO TRAP AND SEQUESTER MATERIALS. BY INITIATING NEW, LONG-TERM RECORDS OF MOSS COVER AT HUBBARD BROOK, THIS EFFORT WILL INFORM OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW DROUGHTS, EXTREME FLOODS, AND RIVER ICE AFFECT MOSS COVER OVER TIME. IN ADDITION TO TRAINING OF POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, AND OUTREACH TO GRADE SCHOOL STUDENTS, THIS PROJECT WILL ENHANCE UNDERSTANDING OF PROCESSES THAT MAINTAIN CLEAN FRESHWATER STREAMS, AN ESSENTIAL AND LIMITED RESOURCE FOR U.S. CITIZENS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LIGHTNING-CAUSED DISTURBANCE AND PATTERNS OF RECOVERY IN TROPICAL FORESTS -TROPICAL FORESTS GARNER ATTENTION BECAUSE THEY ARE HOME TO EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH LEVELS OF BIODIVERISTY, AND ARE DOMINANT CONTRIBUTORS TO THE GLOBAL CARBON BUDGET. ONGOING CHANGES IN PATTERNS OF TREE DEATH IN THE TROPICS ARE ENDANGERING THIS BIODIVERSITY, AND DECREASING THE ABILITY OF FORESTS TO ACCUMULATE CARBON. THIS, IN TURN, WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE. RECENT WORK BY THIS TEAM HAS REVEALED THAT LIGHTNING COULD BE ONE OF THE MAJOR FACTORS DISRUPTING TROPICAL FORESTS. THIS NEW PHASE OF RESEARCH WILL ASK: HOW CONSISTENT ARE THE EFFECTS OF LIGHTNING STRIKES AMONG FORESTS, AND HOW DO THEY RECOVER FROM THE EFFECTS OF DAMAGE BY LIGHTNING? THIS PROJECT WILL QUANTIFY THE SHORT- AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF LIGHTNING AMONG TROPICAL FORESTS THROUGH ADVANCES IN ECOLOGY, ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS, AND ECOSYSTEM SCIENCE. RESULTS OF THIS STUDY WILL EXAMINE THE IMPORTANCE OF LIGHTNING TO TROPICAL FORESTS AND, MORE BROADLY, ITS EFFECTS ON CARBON CYCLING, AND THE IMPACT THAT HAS ON GLOBAL CLIMATE TRENDS. THE BROADER IMPACTS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL TRAIN A POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER AND OFFER INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIENCES TO UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO PRODUCE EXHIBITS AT THE SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, AND AT THE AIRPORT AND CENTRAL BUS TERMINAL IN PANAMA, TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC IN THE SCIENTIFIC PROCESS. ONLINE, VIRTUAL TOURS OF LIGHTNING STRIKES WILL BE DEVELOPED, AND VIRTUAL RESOURCES WILL MAKE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING AVAILABLE FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS TO PURSUE GRADUATE EDUCATION. TROPICAL RAINFORESTS ARE THE WORLD'S BEST CLASSROOM FOR STUDYING BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES, AND THIS PROJECT PROVIDES OUTSTANDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO GAIN VALUABLE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES IN-PERSON, VIA EXHIBITS, AND THROUGH ONLINE ACTIVITIES. THE PRINCIPAL GOAL OF THIS STUDY IS TO QUANTIFY THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF LIGHTNING STRIKES TO TROPICAL FOREST TURNOVER AND SUCCESSIONAL DYNAMICS. THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT LIGHTNING STRIKES REDUCE FOREST CARBON STORAGE VIA THEIR DIRECT CONTRIBUTIONS TO TREE MORTALITY AND INDIRECT EFFECTS ON POST-DISTURBANCE FOREST RECOVERY. WE WILL COMBINE EXPERTISE IN FOREST ECOLOGY, LIGHTNING PHYSICS, AND REMOTE SENSING TO ADDRESS THREE CORE QUESTIONS: (1) DOES LIGHTNING TRIGGER AN ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY OF FOREST REGENERATION RELATIVE TO WINDTHROW?; (2) HOW DO LIGHTNING DISTURBANCE CHARACTERISTICS VARY WITH FOREST AGE AND TREE SPECIES COMPOSITION?; AND (3) HOW DO LIGHTNING STRIKES REGULATE REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN FOREST STRUCTURE AND CARBON DYNAMICS? THIS PROJECT BUILDS ON RECENT RESULTS BY THIS TEAM OF RESEARCHERS, SHOWING THAT THE EFFECTS OF LIGHTNING ON TROPICAL FOREST TURNOVER HAVE BEEN GROSSLY UNDERESTIMATED. THOSE FINDINGS WERE MADE BY STUDYING A SINGLE LOWLAND FOREST. BROADLY UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF LIGHTNING IN TROPICAL FORESTS REQUIRES APPLYING THIS APPROACH TO A RANGE OF FOREST TYPES. AN ADVANCED LIGHTNING LOCATION SYSTEM WILL BE DEVELOPED TO SYSTEMATICALLY QUANTIFY THE EFFECTS OF CA. 40,000 ANNUAL LIGHTNING STRIKES ACROSS CA. 8,000 KM2 OF TROPICAL FOREST THAT ENCOMPASS VARIATION IN COMPOSITION, SIZE STRUCTURE, AND AGE. A CHRONOSEQUENCE APPROACH WILL BE USED TO DETERMINE HOW LIGHTNING INFLUENCES TREE COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY AND BIOMASS ACCUMULATION DURING POST-DISTURBANCE REGENERATION. QUANTIFYING THESE CROSS-SCALE EFFECTS WILL HELP IN THE MANAGEMENT TROPICAL FORESTS AND THE FUTURE OF OUR PLANET. THE OUTCOMES OF THIS WORK ARE EXPECTED TO SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVE SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF TROPICAL FOREST ECOSYSTEMS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

REU SITE: TRANSLATIONAL ECOLOGY FOR UNDERGRADUATES

LTREB: RESOURCE PULSES AND THE DYNAMICS OF RODENTS, TICKS, AND LYME-DISEASE RISK IN OAK FORESTS

BIORETS: ENGAGING TEACHERS IN ECOSYSTEM SCIENCE FOR A CHANGING WORLD -THIS BIORETS SITE AWARD TO THE CARY INSTITUTE OF ECOSYSTEM STUDIES, LOCATED IN MILLBROOK, NY, WILL SUPPORT THE TRAINING OF 9 TEACHERS FOR 6 WEEKS DURING THE SUMMER AND AN ADDITIONAL 2.3 WEEKS DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR. THREE COHORTS OF TEACHERS WILL BE RECRUITED OVER THE COURSE OF 3 YEARS FROM JANUARY 2024 ? 2027. THE CARY BIORETS PROGRAM AIMS TO ENGAGE DIVERSE COHORTS OF TEACHERS SERVING A VARIETY OF STUDENTS. PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS WILL SPAN ACROSS MID-SIZED URBAN DISTRICTS WITH SIGNIFICANT MINORITY POPULATIONS, TO RURAL DISTRICTS SERVING LOW-INCOME AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, TWO COMMUNITIES THAT OFTEN LACK ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES. THROUGH COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROJECTS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES THAT PROMOTE REFLECTION, TEAMWORK, AND TEACHER LEADERSHIP, THE CARY BIORETS PROGRAM AIMS TO ENHANCE TEACHER CAPACITY TO BUILD THE ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR STUDENTS AND INCREASE THEIR PROFICIENCY WITH SCIENCE PRACTICES. THIS PROGRAM WILL CULTIVATE AND SUPPORT TEACHER LEADERSHIP THAT EXTENDS ITS IMPACT BEYOND THE IMMEDIATE CONFINES OF PARTICIPATING TEACHERS' CLASSROOMS. EACH TEACHER WILL PRODUCE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS AND CONTRIBUTE TO AN EDUCATION PUBLICATION BASED ON THEIR RESEARCH AND EXPERIENCES. THEY WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND REGIONAL OR NATIONAL CONFERENCES AND BE SUPPORTED IN CONDUCTING WORKSHOPS WITHIN THEIR SCHOOLS TO SHARE THEIR INNOVATIVE CURRICULA AND OTHER KNOWLEDGE GENERATED FROM THEIR RET EXPERIENCE. ALTHOUGH THE FORMAL PROGRAM LASTS FOR ONE YEAR, THIS BIORETS PROGRAM WILL ESTABLISH A LASTING CONNECTION BETWEEN TEACHERS AND SCIENTISTS COMMITTED TO PROMOTING ECOLOGICAL LITERACY LOCALLY AND NATIONWIDE. THERE IS A PRESSING NEED FOR INCREASED ECOLOGICAL LITERACY IN OUR RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD. SECONDARY EDUCATION SERVES AS A CRUCIAL ARENA FOR ADVANCING ECOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL TEACHING, AS IT REPRESENTS THE LAST PLACE IN OUR NATION?S SYSTEM WHERE ALL STUDENTS ENGAGE IN SCIENCE LEARNING. TO ENSURE EXPOSURE TO KEY ECOLOGICAL PHENOMENA, THE PROGRAM FOCUSES ON TRAINING AND SUPPORTING TEACHERS IN RESEARCH EXPERIENCES THAT WILL AID IN THEIR ADOPTION OF GLOBAL CHANGE CURRICULUM TO IMPROVE ECOLOGICAL LITERACY. SPECIFICALLY, TEACHERS WILL ENGAGE IN PROJECTS WITH AN ARRAY OF CARY SCIENTISTS THAT ADDRESS (1) ECOSYSTEM CHANGE, TRANSFORMATION AND RESILIENCE, THE (2) ECOLOGY OF HUMAN WELL-BEING, AND/OR (3) FUNCTIONS OF BIODIVERSITY. PARTICIPATING INSTRUCTORS WILL CONDUCT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, CO-AUTHOR PUBLICATIONS, DEVELOP CURRICULUM AND WILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. ALL PARTICIPANTS (E.G., MENTORS AND TEACHERS) WILL BE TRAINED IN RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT FOR RESEARCH. COLLABORATION WITH A PROGRAM EVALUATOR WILL HELP REACH PROGRAMMATIC GOALS AND ENSURE SUCCESSFUL PARTICIPANT EXPERIENCES. FUNDING TO TEACHERS INCLUDE A STIPEND, CONFERENCE TRAVEL FOR TEACHERS TO PRESENT, AND CLASSROOM FUNDS TO IMPLEMENT THEIR NEWLY DESIGNED CURRICULUM. APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED THROUGH THE NSF ETAP SYSTEM. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE BY VISITING HTTP://WWW.CARYINSTITUTE.ORG/BIORETS, OR BY CONTACTING THE PI (DR. JANE LUCAS AT LUCASJ@CARYINSTITUTE.ORG) OR THE CO-PIS (DR. ALAN BERKOWITZ AT BERKOWITZA@CARYINSTITUTE.ORG OR REBECCA VAN TASSELL AT VANTASSELLR@CARYINSTITUTE.ORG). THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

EFFECTS OF CLIMATE-DRIVEN SPECIES CHANGE ON FOREST CARBON AND NITROGEN CYCLING

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LANDSCAPE AND REGIONAL SCALE STUDIES OF NITROGEN GAS FLUX

COLLABORATIVE PROPOSAL: MSB-ENSA: THE NEAR-TERM ECOLOGICAL FORECASTING INITIATIVE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: NSFDEB-NERC: SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL TRADEOFFS IN CO2 AND CH4 EMISSIONS IN TROPICAL WETLANDS -WETLANDS ARE A CRITICAL HABITAT FOR CARBON STORAGE, AS WELL AS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF GREENHOUSE GAS (CARBON DIOXIDE AND METHANE) EMISSIONS. LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW WETLANDS FUNCTION, ESPECIALLY IN THE TROPICS. WITH CHANGING CLIMATE, IT IS EXPECTED THAT TROPICAL WETLANDS, ESPECIALLY SEASONAL ONES, MAY SHIFT BETWEEN CARBON CONSUMPTION AND RELEASE OF CARBON. METHANE, WHICH IS A MORE POWERFUL GREENHOUSE GAS THAN CARBON DIOXIDE, IS TYPICALLY PRODUCED UNDER FLOODED CONDITIONS, ALTHOUGH SOME EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT SHIFTS BETWEEN WET AND DRY CONDITIONS ALSO LEAD TO ITS RELEASE. SAVANNAS (CERRADO) IN BRAZIL HAVE A RANGE OF GRASSLAND TYPES INCLUDING EVER-WET PEATLANDS, SEASONALLY WET GRASSLANDS, AND DRY GRASSLANDS THAT ARE NEVER FLOODED, WITH THE SEASONAL WETLANDS SHIFTING IN WATER LEVELS BETWEEN DRY AND WET SEASONS. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THESE ECOSYSTEMS WILL BECOME HOTTER AND DRIER IN THE FUTURE. BRAZILIAN SAVANNAS HAVE BEEN UNDERSTUDIED AND UNDER PROTECTED; THEY ARE ALSO AT RISK OF CONVERSION FOR EXAMPLE TO AGRIBUSINESS AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT. THEY ARE THE SOURCE OF THE HEADWATERS FOR RIVER SYSTEMS SUCH AS THE AMAZON, MEANING THEY ARE IMPORTANT FOR PROVIDING CLEAN WATER AND OTHER RESOURCES TO THE PEOPLE AND OTHER ORGANISMS DEPENDENT ON THEM. UNDERSTANDING BRAZILIAN SAVANNA CARBON DYNAMICS NOW AND UNDER FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS IS CRITICAL FOR THE REGION. THEY CAN ALSO BE USED AS MODELS TO UNDERSTAND TROPICAL SAVANNAS AROUND THE GLOBE. THIS PROPOSAL MAKES USE OF THE NATURAL GRADIENT, FROM EVER-WET PEATLANDS TO DRY GRASSLANDS, AND SEASONAL SHIFTS THROUGH TIME TO COLLECT DATA ON THE AMOUNT AND FREQUENCY OF GREENHOUSE GASES EMITTED TODAY AND THE CHANGING EXTENTS OF WETLANDS SEASONALLY. RESEARCHERS WILL USE THESE DATA TO PREDICT HOW SAVANNAS MAY STORE AND RELEASE CARBON UNDER FUTURE WARMING AND DRYING CLIMATES. AS PART OF THIS PROJECT, STUDENT BIOLOGISTS WILL BE TRAINED, INCLUDING IN CLASSES ON SAVANNA FIELD ECOLOGY AND WORKSHOPS ON USING FIELD DATA TO PREDICT CHANGES IN GREENHOUSE GAS RELEASE IN THE FUTURE. BIOLOGISTS AND INDIGENOUS ARTISTS WILL ALSO COLLABORATE ON ARTWORK TO DEMONSTRATE THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVANNA SYSTEMS FOR AND TO PUBLIC AUDIENCES. THIS PROPOSAL WILL ANSWER THREE QUESTIONS: Q1. WHAT ARE THE DRIVERS OF SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL HETEROGENEITY IN CARBON STORAGE AND FLUX ACROSS SATURATION GRADIENTS? Q2. HOW DO SATURATION EXTENTS (AREAS AND PERIMETERS) IN TROPICAL GRASSLANDS CHANGE OVER SEASONAL AND DECADAL SCALES? Q3. HOW WILL RATES AND FORMS OF CARBON EMISSIONS FROM TROPICAL GRASSLANDS CHANGE UNDER FUTURE CLIMATES? TO TEST Q1, SPATIALLY DISTRIBUTED MEASUREMENTS WILL BE COUPLED WITH HIGH-TEMPORAL RESOLUTION MEASUREMENTS TO UNDERSTAND GREENHOUSE GAS, SOIL, AND VEGETATION CARBON DYNAMICS ACROSS THE SATURATION GRADIENT. GREENHOUSE GAS VARIABILITY WILL BE MEASURED SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY WITH CHAMBERS. SITE CHANGES THROUGH TIME WILL BE DETERMINED BY INITIAL SOIL CHARACTERIZATION, COMBINED WITH SEASONAL MEASUREMENTS OF PLANT PHENOLOGY, STOMATAL CONDUCTANCE, POREWATER CHEMISTRY, ENVIRONMENTAL AND GROUNDWATER MEASURES. TO TEST Q2, HIGH RESOLUTION REMOTE SENSING AND FIELD REFERENCE DATA WILL BE COMBINED TO MAP WETLAND EXTENT SEASONALLY. CARBON AND LEAD ISOTOPE DATING WILL BE USED TO UNDERSTAND WETLANDS EXTENT CHANGES AT DECADAL SCALES. TO TEST Q3, DATA FROM Q1 AND Q2 WILL BE UTILIZED IN EARTH SYSTEM MODELS. ESTIMATES OF CARBON SEQUESTRATION PATTERNS AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS WILL BE SPATIALLY SIMULATED WITH PROJECTIONS OF CARBON BALANCE CHANGES AND GREENHOUSE GAS WITH EXPECTED SHIFTS IN REGIONAL CLIMATE AND HYDROLOGY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: WINTER CLIMATE CHANGE IN A NORTHERN HARDWOOD FOREST

COASTAL SEES COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EFFECTS OF RESTORATION AND REDEVELOPMENT ON NITROGEN DYNAMICS IN AN URBAN COASTAL WATERSHED

LTREB RENEWAL AT HUBBARD BROOK: HYDROLOGIC-NUTRIENT CYCLE INTERACTION IN SMALL, UNDISTURBED AND HUMAN-MANIPULATED ECOSYSTEMS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: NITROGEN RETENTION AND ECOSYSTEM SUCCESSION: THEORY MEETS DATA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: WILL CHANGES IN VEGETATION COMPOSITION SLOW CLIMATE-DRIVEN WILDFIRE GROWTH IN THE BOREAL FORESTS OF NORTHWESTERN NORTH AMERICA?

RCN:MSB:FRA: GRASSROOTS GLOBAL NETWORK SCIENCE: A MACROSYSTEMS MODEL

LTREB RENEWAL: RESOURCE PULSES AND THE DYNAMICS OF RODENTS, TICKS, AND LYME-DISEASE RISK IN OAK FORESTS -LYME DISEASE IS ONE OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY REPORTED INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN THE UNITED STATES, WITH ROUGHLY 500,000 NEW CASES EACH YEAR. RISK OF EXPOSURE TO LYME DISEASE AND ASSOCIATED TICK-BORNE DISEASES VARIES DRAMATICALLY FROM PLACE TO PLACE AND FROM YEAR TO YEAR. RESEARCH THAT DETERMINES WHAT CAUSES THIS VARIATION IS CRITICAL IN PREVENTING AND MANAGING THESE DISEASES. THE TICKS THAT TRANSMIT THESE DISEASES TO PEOPLE FEED ON MANY DIFFERENT ANIMAL SPECIES, BUT RODENTS LIKE WHITE-FOOTED MICE AND CHIPMUNKS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT IN BOOSTING TICK NUMBERS AND TICK INFECTION. NUMBERS OF THESE RODENTS, IN TURN, DEPEND ON THE SUPPLY OF ACORNS AND OTHER TREE SEEDS. WEATHER AND CLIMATE AFFECT THE TREES, THE RODENTS, AND THE TICKS DIRECTLY. THIS RESEARCH IS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE ABILITY TO PREDICT LYME DISEASE RISK, WHICH CAN HAVE MAJOR IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN HEALTH. IT ASKS HOW EACH STAGE IN THE COMPLEX LIFE CYCLE OF THE TICK RESPONDS TO RODENT NUMBERS AND TO CLIMATE, HOW THE RODENTS ARE AFFECTED BY THEIR PREDATORS, AND HOW LONG-TERM CHANGES IN THE FOREST, INCLUDING THE SPECIES AND AGES OF THE TREES, AFFECT THE FOOD SUPPLY FOR RODENTS AND DEER. THE RESEARCH WILL COLLECT NEW DATA ON NUMBERS AND SURVIVAL OF BOTH ON-HOST AND OFF-HOST TICKS IN THE LARVAL, NYMPHAL, AND ADULT STAGES AND INTEGRATE THESE INTO FULL MODELS OF TICK POPULATION CHANGES THROUGH TIME. IT WILL ASK HOW TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY ON THE FOREST FLOOR AFFECTS SURVIVAL OF THESE LIFE STAGES. IT WILL CONTINUE ADDING TO A 30-YEAR DATA SET ASKING HOW THE PRODUCTION OF SEEDS BY FOREST TREES CHANGES AS THE CLIMATE AND RELATIVE ABUNDANCES OF TREE SPECIES CHANGE OVER TIME. THE OCCURRENCE OF PREDATORS SUCH AS BOBCATS, FOXES, AND COYOTES WILL BE MONITORED USING CAMERA TRAPS TO INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE IMPACTS ON RODENTS, TICKS, PATHOGEN PREVALENCE, AND LYME DISEASE RISK. THE DATA WILL BE USED TO DEVELOP AND EVALUATE FORECASTS FOR LYME DISEASE RISK FROM THE COMPONENT PARTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

LTREB RENEWAL: LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF A SPECIES INVASION ON AN AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM

LTREB: LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF A SPECIES INVASION ON AN AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM

DATA EXPLORATIONS IN ECOLOGY PROJECT (DEEP)

LTREB: ACORN PULSES AND THE DYNAMICS OF RODENTS TICKS AND LYME-DISEASE RISK IN OAK FORESTS

LTREB RENEWAL: ACORN PULSES AND THE DYNAMICS OF RODENTS, TICKS, AND LYME-DISEASE RISK IN OAK FORESTS

REU SITE: ECOLOGY IN CONTEXT: RESEARCH STRATEGIES AND APPLICATIONS FOR THE UNDERGRADUATE

TIDAL MARSH EFFECTS ON WATER CHEMISTRY: DOES LOOKING AT THE SMALL SCALE PREDICT WHOLE-SYSTEM PERFORMANCE?

CONTINUATION LTREB AT HUBBARD BROOK: HYDROLOGIC-NUTRIENT CYCLE INTERACTION IN SMALL UNDISTURBED AND HUMAN-MANIPULATED ECOSYSTEMS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: HOT TODAY, COLD TOMORROW? VARIABLE PERSISTENCE OF GENERALIST PREDATOR HOT SPOTS AND THE DYNAMICS OF THEIR PREY AND PARASITES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: WILDLIFE SUBSIDIES INTERACT WITH DISCHARGE TO INFLUENCE ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION OF A LARGE AFRICAN RIVER

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE EFFECTS OF A ZOONOTIC PATHOGEN ON ITS RESERVOIR HOST

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE EFFECTS OF WATERSHED URBANIZATION ON IN-STREAM TRANSFORMATION OF ORGANIC NUTRIENTS WITHIN RUNNING WATERS

DISEQUILIBRIUM AND TRANSIENT DYNAMICS: DISENTANGLING RESPONSES TO CLIMATE CHANGE VERSUS BROADER ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACTS ON EASTERN FORESTS

NITROGEN GAS MEASUREMENT FACILITY AT THE CARY INSTITUTE OF ECOSYSTEM STUDIES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ECOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SUDDEN OAK DEATH AND LYME DISEASE IN CALIFORNIA

OPP-PRF: INVESTIGATING FIRE-BIOTIC DISTURBANCE INTERACTIONS AND THEIR SENSITIVITY TO CLIMATE IN THE NORTH AMERICAN BOREAL BIOME -BOREAL FORESTS ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY STORE LARGE AMOUNTS OF CARBON. ALMOST 30% OF ALL FOREST CARBON IS STORED IN THIS BIOME. THE FREQUENCY OF DISTURBANCES, SUCH AS FOREST FIRES, PESTS, HERBIVORES, AND DISEASES, ARE INCREASING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE. MORE FREQUENT FIRES COMBUST CARBON ON THE FOREST FLOOR OF BOREAL BLACK SPRUCE FORESTS, WHICH CAN PREVENT SPRUCE FROM GROWING BACK. WHEN BLACK SPRUCE TREES FAIL TO GROW BACK AFTER FIRE, DECIDUOUS SPECIES SUCH AS BIRCH, ASPEN OR WILLOW GROW INSTEAD. NEW INSECT OUTBREAKS AND DISEASES ARE SHOWING UP IN THE NORTH AMERICAN BOREAL FOREST, WHICH THREATEN TO KILL MANY OF THESE DECIDUOUS TREES. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF THESE NEW OUTBREAKS, AND HOW THEY MAY CONTINUE TO AFFECT CARBON STORAGE IN BOREAL FORESTS. THIS RESEARCH WILL USE COMPUTER SIMULATIONS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND (1) THE EXTENT, IMPACT AND POTENTIAL THREATS OF NEW PESTS, HERBIVORES, AND DISEASES IN ALASKAN BOREAL FORESTS; (2) HOW NEW OUTBREAKS OF PESTS, HERBIVORES, AND DISEASES MAY INTERACT WITH FIRE AND CLIMATE TO ALTER HOW BOREAL FORESTS STORE CARBON. THE BOREAL BIOME IS A GLOBALLY IMPORTANT TERRESTRIAL CARBON SINK: APPROXIMATELY 30% OF ALL TERRESTRIAL CARBON IS STORED WITHIN BOREAL FORESTS AND THE SOILS AND PERMAFROST (FROZEN SOIL) UNDERNEATH. HOWEVER, THE FUTURE FATE OF BOREAL CARBON DEPENDS ON THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON MULTIPLE DISTURBANCES AND THEIR INTERACTIONS. BOREAL FOREST FIRES ARE SENSITIVE TO CLIMATE AND ARE INCREASING IN FREQUENCY, SIZE, AND SEVERITY. INCREASING SHORT-INTERVAL FIRES COMBUST LEGACY CARBON IN SURFACE ORGANIC LAYERS OF BLACK SPRUCE STANDS AND DRIVE TRANSITIONS IN POST-FIRE SPECIES REGENERATION FROM SPRUCE TO BROADLEAF DOMINANCE. ALTERED FOREST REGENERATION FOLLOWING SHORT-INTERVAL FIRES CREATES A PULSE OF EMISSIONS, CAUSES SHIFTS IN CARBON STOCKS FROM BELOW TO ABOVEGROUND AND ALTERS THE VULNERABILITY OF SUBSEQUENT CARBON ACCUMULATION. NEW BIOTIC DISTURBANCES ARE CONCURRENTLY EMERGING IN THE NORTH AMERICAN BOREAL FOREST THAT COULD CAUSE WIDESPREAD BROADLEAF TREE MORTALITY AND THREATEN TO RELEASE THE CARBON ACCUMULATED IN BROADLEAF BIOMASS. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF THESE EMERGING BIOTIC DISTURBANCES, AND HOW THEY MAY FURTHER ALTER BOREAL CARBON STORAGE. THIS PROJECT WILL USE PROCESS-BASED FOREST MODELING (1) TO DEVELOP A SYSTEMS-BASED FRAMEWORK LEVERAGING AVAILABLE AND EMERGING DATA TO MODEL NEW IMPACTS OF BIOTIC DISTURBANCES AND THEIR INTERACTIONS, SYNTHESIZING CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF THESE EMERGING THREATS; AND (2) APPLY THAT FRAMEWORK TO A SUITE OF CLIMATIC AND BIOTIC AGENT SCENARIOS, TESTING THE IMPACT OF FIRE-CLIMATE-BIOTIC INTERACTIONS ON ECOSYSTEM CARBON AND SUCCESSIONAL TRAJECTORIES AT LANDSCAPE SCALES UNDER CURRENT AND FUTURE CONDITIONS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

THIS STUDY WILL DEVELOP PREDICTIVE MODELS OF LANDSCAPE-LEVEL VARIATION IN ECOLOGICAL RISK OF HUMAN EXPOSURE TO LYME DISEASE, HUMAN ANAPLASMOSIS AND H

QUANTIFYING SOURCES OF VARIATION IN DENITRIFICATION IN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES

IMPACTS OF TREE SPECIES AND HARVEST REGIMES ON N RETENTION IN NORTHEASTERN U.S. FORESTS

COLLABORATIVE RESARCH: TERRESTRIAL SUPPORT OF LAKE FOOD WEBS: A MULTI-ISOTOPE APPROACH

RCN: AN ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH COOPERATIVE FOR NORTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: NETWORK CLUSTER: URBAN CRITICAL ZONE PROCESSES ALONG THE PIEDMONT-COASTAL PLAIN TRANSITION

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: WHOLE ECOSYSTEM EXPERIMENTS ON EARLY WARNINGS FOR REGIME SHIFTS TO CYANOBACTERIA IN LAKES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CI-TEAM DEMONSTRATION: DEVELOPING A MODEL FOR ENGAGEMENT OF CITIZEN SCIENTISTS: LAKE ASSOCIATIONS

WORKSHOP AND PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR MEETING FOR COUPLED BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES: RECENT PROGRESS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

LTREB: LONG-TERM RESPONSE OF AN ECOSYSTEM TO AN INVASIVE SPECIES

LTREB: ACORN PULSES AND THE DYNAMICS OF RODENTS, TICKS, AND LYME-DISEASE IN OAK FORESTS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: OPENING PANDORA'S BOX WITH A BIOTIC KEY: CAN CYANOBACTERIAL BLOOMS IN NUTRIENT-POOR LAKES ACCELERATE EUTROPHICATION?

RAPID: EFFECTS OF SPONGY MOTH DEFOLIATION ON BLACKLEGGED TICKS -IN THE UNITED STATES, BLACKLEGGED TICKS ARE THE MAIN VECTORS OF LYME DISEASE AND SEVERAL OTHER DISEASES THAT AFFLICT ROUGHLY 500,000 PEOPLE EACH YEAR. THE ABUNDANCE OF THESE TICKS IS A MAJOR RISK FACTOR FOR HUMAN POPULATIONS. RESEARCH THAT IDENTIFIES THE FACTORS THAT REGULATE TICK ABUNDANCE IS CRITICAL FOR PREDICTING AND MANAGING HUMAN DISEASE RISK. TICKS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO HIGH TEMPERATURES AND LOW HUMIDITY AT GROUND LEVEL, WHERE THEY SPEND 95% OF THEIR LIVES. SPONGY MOTH OUTBREAKS OCCUR ROUGHLY EVERY TEN YEARS, CAN EXTEND OVER LARGE REGIONS, AND AT HIGH ABUNDANCE CAN STRIP MILLIONS OF (PARTICULARLY OAK) TREES OF THEIR LEAVES, AFFECTING CONDITIONS ON THE FOREST FLOOR BY REMOVING SHADE, INCREASING TEMPERATURES, AND DECREASING HUMIDITY. THIS PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO ASK WHETHER DEFOLIATION BY SPONGY MOTHS CAUSES CHANGES IN GROUND CONDITIONS THAT DECREASE SURVIVAL AND THEREFORE POPULATION SIZE OF BLACKLEGGED TICKS. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL EVALUATE THE INFLUENCE OF HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURE ON TICK SURVIVAL AND POPULATION GROWTH AT LOCATIONS EXPERIENCING A RANGE OF SPONGY MOTH DEFOLIATION. THE PROJECT WILL ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO PREDICT THE IMPACTS OF CURRENT AND FUTURE SPONGY MOTH OUTBREAKS ON RISK OF TICK-BORNE DISEASES IN NEARBY COMMUNITIES, FACILITATING INTERVENTIONS TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH. POST-BACCALAUREATE PROJECT ASSISTANTS WILL RECEIVE IMMERSIVE TRAINING EXPERIENCES THAT PROVIDE EXCELLENT PREPARATION FOR RESEARCH CAREERS. THE RESEARCH INVOLVES THE EXPERIMENTAL DEPLOYMENT OF ALL SIX STAGES IN THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE BLACKLEGGED TICK (I.E. ENGORGED AND UNFED LARVAE, NYMPHS, AND ADULTS), IN HEAVILY DEFOLIATED, LIGHTLY DEFOLIATED, AND EXPERIMENTALLY SHADED LOCATIONS ON EACH OF SIX FOREST PLOTS ON THE GROUNDS OF THE CARY INSTITUTE OF ECOSYSTEM STUDIES. KNOWN NUMBERS OF TICKS WILL BE PLACED IN SMALL SOIL-CORE ENCLOSURES AND THEN ENCLOSURES WILL BE REMOVED AT REGULAR INTERVALS TO QUANTIFY MORTALITY. DEPLOYING ALL STAGES TOGETHER WITH TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY DATA LOGGERS INSIDE SOIL-CORE ENCLOSURES, WILL ALLOW THE INVESTIGATORS TO MODEL THE HAZARD OF TICK MORTALITY AS A FUNCTION OF ABIOTIC CONDITIONS. HAZARD OF MORTALITY FOR EACH LIFE STAGE WILL THEN BE INTEGRATED ACROSS LIFE STAGES AND ABIOTIC CONDITIONS TO INFORM A TICK POPULATION MATRIX MODEL AND FORECAST TICK-BORNE DISEASE RISK. BECAUSE OTHER FOREST PESTS, DISTURBANCES, AND CLIMATE CHANGE CAN HAVE SIMILAR EFFECTS ON CONDITIONS ON THE FOREST FLOOR, THE RESEARCH WILL LEAD TO A GENERAL UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT CONTROLS TICK POPULATIONS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ECOSYSTEMS AND EVIDENCE PROJECT

OPUS: THE ECOLOGY OF LYME DISEASE: LONG-TERM DATA, SURPRISES, AND A SYNTHESIS -LYME DISEASE IS ONE OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY REPORTED INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN THE UNITED STATES. THE BACTERIA THAT CAUSE LYME DISEASE ARE TRANSMITTED BY TICKS TO PEOPLE, CAUSING SERIOUS ILLNESS. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO SYNTHESIZE 35 YEARS OF RESEARCH TO ADDRESS BOTH SCIENTIFIC THEORY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND TO IMPROVE PREDICTION AND MANAGEMENT OF THIS DISEASE. LYME DISEASE HAS BECOME A MODEL FOR UNDERSTANDING EMERGING DISEASES IN THE USA AND WORLDWIDE. HOWEVER, LYME DISEASE IS A COMPLEX ILLNESS THAT INVOLVES INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TICKS, BACTERIA, WILDLIFE, FORESTS, WEATHER, SUBURBIA, AND PEOPLE. PREVENTING THIS AND RELATED DISEASES REQUIRES IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE AND WHEN PEOPLE ARE AT GREATEST RISK. MANY TICKS ARE INFECTED WITH SEVERAL PATHOGENS, INCREASING HUMAN EXPOSURE TO OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASES. THIS PROJECT ADVANCES NSF?S PRIORITIES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY BY PROVIDING A FRAMEWORK FOR DECISION MAKING ON MODELING, PREVENTION, AND MANAGEMENT OF A COMPLEX AND CRITICAL DISEASE IMPACTING HUMAN HEALTH AND WILDLIFE. A 35-YEAR STUDY OF LYME DISEASE ECOLOGY HAS REVEALED SURPRISING RESULTS INCONSISTENT EITHER WITH POPULATION THEORY AND WITH EXPECTATIONS FROM SHORTER-TERM STUDIES. FOR EXAMPLE, (1) DESPITE DEER BEING CONSIDERED THE MAIN REPRODUCTIVE HOST FOR BLACKLEGGED TICKS, LONG-TERM DATA SHOW NO EFFECT OF DEER ON DENSITIES OF TICKS, WHEREAS THE EFFECT OF RODENTS IS CONSIDERABLY STRONGER. (2) ALTHOUGH WHITE-FOOTED MICE ARE THE MOST EFFICIENT HOST IN TRANSMITTING ZOONOTIC INFECTIONS TO TICKS, THE EFFECT OF MOUSE DENSITY ON INFECTION PREVALENCE FOR ANY PATHOGEN IS NOT DETECTABLE. (3) LIFE HISTORY THEORY PREDICTS DEMOGRAPHIC FORCING BETWEEN CONSECUTIVE LIFE STAGES. YET, CONTRARY TO EXPECTATIONS, THE ABUNDANCE OF LARVAL TICKS IN ONE YEAR DOES NOT PREDICT THE NUMBER OF NYMPHS THE FOLLOWING YEAR. (4) THE BODY BURDEN OF LARVAL AND NYMPHAL TICKS ON RODENTS DECLINES AS THE POPULATION DENSITY OF THOSE HOSTS INCREASES. (5) WEAK EFFECTS OF SUMMER OR WINTER TEMPERATURE EXTREMES ON TICK ABUNDANCE CONTRADICT THE PREDICTION THAT COLD OR HOT EXTREMES CAUSE EXCESS MORTALITY AND REGULATE TICK POPULATIONS IN NATURE. (6) THE OBSERVED STABILITY IN TICK INFECTION PREVALENCE IS INCONSISTENT WITH THEORY SUGGESTING THAT THIS SYSTEM SHOULD SHOW A POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOP BETWEEN INFECTION OF TICKS AND INFECTION OF HOSTS. A REVIEW OF LONG-TERM STUDIES WILL EXPLORE EACH OF THE SURPRISES IN LIGHT OF PARADIGMS THAT AROSE IN THE 20TH CENTURY. REPLACEMENT OF THESE PARADIGMS IS CENTRAL TO PREDICTION AND MANAGEMENT OF LYME DISEASE RISK. THE REVIEW WILL FACILITATE FURTHER RESEARCH INTO THE ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THAT SUPPORT GROWING INCIDENCE OF ZOONOTIC DISEASES. IMPROVED POWER TO PREDICT ECOLOGICAL CAUSES OF VARIABLE HUMAN DISEASE RISK EXPANDS BOTH THE REALIZED AND PERCEIVED UTILITY OF ECOLOGY FOR HUMAN HEALTH. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RCN-SEES FOR URBAN SUSTAINABILITY: RESEARCH COORDINATION AND SYNTHESIS FOR A TRANSFORMATIVE FUTURE

INTERGOVERNMETNAL MOBILITY ASSIGNMENT

OPUS: DEVELOPING A SYNTHETIC UNDERSTANDING OF SUSPENSION-FEEDERS, MASTER SWITCHES IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS

OVERWINTERING MORTALITY OF NYMPHAL IXODES SCAPULARIS, LYME DISEASE VECTOR, IN A C

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: USING EMPIRICAL AND MODELING APPROACHES TO QUANTIFY THE IMPORTANCE OF NUTRIENT SPIRALING IN RIVERS

WORKSHOP: FRONTIERS IN ECOSYSTEM SCIENCE: ENERGIZING THE RESEARCH AGENDA

SPOKES: SMALL: NORTHEAST: COLLABORATIVE: BUILDING THE COMMUNITY TO ADDRESS DATA INTEGRATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL LONG TAIL

NY 19 PPA FOREST PESTS REDUCTION - CIES

SRS-RN: THE CONTINUUM OF URBANITY AS AN ORGANIZING CONCEPT TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY IN THE MID-HUDSON REGION

TROPHIC REGULATION AND SUPPORT OF MOSQUITOES: AN ECOSYSTEM APPROACH TO PEST EMERGENCE ALONG AN URBAN GRADIENT

OPUS: LYME DISEASE ECOLOGY IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICA: QUESTIONING DOGMA, EMBRACING COMPLEXITY

TO SUPPORT THE SCIENCE FORMULATION ACTIVITIES OF THE SURFACE BIOLOGY AND GEOLOGY (SBG) PROJECT OFFICE THE LAKE EXPEDITION 2022 WILL DEVELOP AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM SCIENCE OFFERED THROUGH THE GLOBAL LAKE ECOLOGICAL OBSERVATORY NETWORK (GLEON GLEON.ORG) FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (GFP).

SOIL ORGANIC CARBON RESPONSE TO LONG-TERM GRADUAL CARBON DIOXIDE ENRICHMENT

OPUS: TERRESTRIAL CARBON IN AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS: A SNYTHESIS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: OPUS: ADVANCING THEORY AND CONCEPT OF ECOSYSTEM HETEROGENEITY: A FIVE-DECADE SYNTHESIS -THE SCIENCE OF ECOLOGY IS DEEPLY CONCERNED WITH HOW ?PATCHINESS? ? THE SPATIAL PATTERNS OF PLANTS, ANIMALS, MICROBES, AND LARGER ECOSYSTEMS ? CONTROLS THE COMPOSITION, FUNCTIONING, AND SUSTAINABILITY OF MANY ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS ON WHICH SOCIETY DEPENDS. INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PROJECTS OFTEN USE THE CONCEPT OF SPATIAL PATCHINESS AS A JUMPING OFF POINT FOR DATA COLLECTION AND MODELING. HOWEVER, IT IS IMPORTANT TO DISCOVER HOW THE IDEAS AND DATA ABOUT SPATIAL PATCHINESS DEVELOP TO HELP GUIDE FUTURE RESEARCH, SHAPE THE GROWTH OF ECOLOGICAL SCIENCE, AND FACILITATE THE PRACTICAL USE OF THE RESULTING ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION. THIS PROJECT INTEGRATES ECOLOGICAL THEORIES AND CONCEPTS INTO A BROAD SYNTHESIS. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT PROVIDES AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SYNTHESIS HAS HELPED TRANSLATE ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD. ADDITIONAL BROADER IMPACTS OF THE PRODUCTS FOCUS ON: 1) THE RELEVANCE OF APPLYING SCIENCE TO URBAN DESIGN, URBAN PLANNING, AND CONSERVATION; 2) AN IMPROVED ABILITY TO ASSESS DISTURBANCE IN SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL-TECHNOLOGICAL SYSTEMS GIVEN CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS AND CHANGING HUMAN VULNERABILITY; AND 3) SUPPORT OF ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND MENTORING EFFORTS AND PROGRAMS. PRODUCTS WILL BE BROADLY USEFUL FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION, AND WILL INCLUDE A MULTI-MEDIA COLLECTION OF RESOURCES THAT WILL MAKE THE RESULTS OF THE SYNTHESIS AS WIDELY ACCESSIBLE AS POSSIBLE. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO STUDY HOW SUCH A FUNDAMENTAL ECOLOGICAL CONCEPT AS PATCHINESS HAS PROGRESSED BY SYNTHESIZING INSIGHTS FROM AN EXEMPLARY SCIENTIFIC CAREER. THE RESEARCH WILL FOCUS ON HOW KEY CONCEPTS FROM COMMUNITY ECOLOGY, ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY, AND URBAN ECOLOGY CAN BE INTEGRATED USING THE THEORY OF PATCHINESS, OR HETEROGENEITY, INTO A CROSS-DISCIPLINARY SCIENCE OF SOCIETAL IMPORTANCE. THE APPROACH IS JOURNALISTIC AND INTERVIEW-BASED, WHERE THE LEAD PI WILL BE INTERVIEWED BY THE CO-PI. THE SYNTHESIS IS ORGANIZED AROUND FIVE THEMATIC MODULES EXTRACTED FROM THE PI?S PUBLISHED RECORD, WITH EACH MODULE BUILDING ON THE PREVIOUS ONES WHILE HIGHLIGHTING HOW NEW INSIGHTS AND UNDERSTANDING HAVE EMERGED. THIS MULTI-DECADAL AND MULTI-THEMATIC EXPLORATION OF THE CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE LEAD PI WILL REVEAL CROSS-CUTTING APPROACHES AND STRATEGIES THAT ARE NOT APPARENT IN THE COLLECTION OF INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTS. IN SHORT, THIS PROJECT WILL DEMONSTRATE THE DEEP INTELLECTUAL VALUE OF EMERGENT SYNTHESIS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

OPUS: A SYNTHESIS OF FIVE DECADES OF BIOGEOCHEMICAL RESEARCH IN A NORTHERN HARDWOOD FOREST ECOSYSTEM

WORKSHOP-NEON: SYNERGIES BETWEEN NEON AND LTER; ESTES PARK, CO; AUGUST 31 -SEPT. 2, 2015; AND MILLBROOK, NY -REMAINDER OF 2015 AND EARLY - 2016

WORKSHOP: CLIMATE CHANGE AND SPECIES INTERACTIONS: WAYS FORWARD

ANTIBIOTIC COMPOUNDS ARE FREQUENTLY USED TO PROMOTE THE HEALTH AND GROWTH OF LIVESTOCK. AS WITH MANY MEDICINES, THE UN-METABOLIZED, ACTIVE COMPOUNDS ARE ELIMINATED THROUGH ANIMAL WASTE PRODUCTS AND INTRODUCED TO THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT. HOW THESE COMPOUNDS AFFECT SOIL FOOD WEBS IS POORLY RESOLVED. THIS PROPOSED PROJECT AIMS TO UNDERSTAND HOW A COMMONLY ADMINISTERED LIVESTOCK ANTIBIOTIC INTERACTS WITH MANURE TO SHAPE SOIL COMMUNITIES, ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION AND ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE. USING ANTIBIOTIC-LADEN MANURE FROM DAIRY CATTLE, I WILL CONDUCT A FIELD EXPERIMENT TO ASSESS HOW ANTIBIOTIC COMPOUNDS AFFECT SOIL ECOSYSTEMS AND THEIR FUNCTION. I HYPOTHESIZE THAT ANTIBIOTICS CHANGE THE MICROBIAL COMMUNITY IN MANURE AND AGRICULTURAL SOILS, SLOWING DECOMPOSITION RATES. FURTHERMORE, I HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE ADDITION OF ANTIBIOTICS CREATES A METABOLICALLY STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENT FOR MICROBIOTA, INCREASING THEIR PRODUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GASES AND THE PREVALENCE OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT GENES. FINALLY, I HYPOTHESIZE THAT ANTIBIOTIC-LADEN MANURE DECREASES INVERTEBRATE DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE BY LOWERING MICROBIAL BIOMASS AND VIA DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON INVERTEBRATE MICROBIOME. THROUGH FIELD EXPERIMENTS, INVERTEBRATE COLLECTIONS, AND MICROBIAL ANALYSIS, I WILL ASSESS HOW THE INTRODUCTION OF ANTIBIOTIC-LADEN MANURE DISRUPTS THE SOIL FOOD WEB COMMUNITY AND THE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IT PROVIDES. THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY WILL HELP SHAPE FUTURE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES, WHILE PROVIDING INSIGHT INTO WHAT GOVERNS THE HEALTH OF ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL PASTURELANDS. THE PROPOSED PROJECT ADDRESSES THE AFRI PRIORITY AREAS OF BIOENERGY, NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT; ANIMAL HEALTH AND PRODUCTION AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS; AND AGRICULTURE SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY. THIS PROJECT WILL HELP DEVELOP THE RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND MENTORSHIP CREDENTIALS OF THE PROJECT DIRECTOR.

WORKSHOP: VALUE AND DEVELOPMENT OF GRASSROOTS NETWORKS FOR DOING TEAM SCIENCE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: INVASION OF NORTH TEMPERATE FOREST SOILS BY EXOTIC EARTHWORMS

THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS AGREEMENT IS TO SUPPORT RESEARCHTO ASSESS HOW LOCAL AND LANDSCAPE CONDITIONS CAN LEAD TO DIFFERENT SPATIOTEMPORAL PATTERNS OF DETECTION AND SPREAD OF ASIAN LONGHORNED BEET

IMPROVING DETECTION AND DISPERSAL MODELS FOR ASIAN LONGHORNE BEETLE TO ENHANCE PREDICTION OF INFESTATION DYNAMICS.

CONFERENCE PROPOSAL: CARY CONFERENCE ON EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION OF SCIENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROVERSIES, MAY 2009

THE BOREAL BIOME IS RAPIDLY WARMING, CAUSING INCREASED FOREST FIRE ACTIVITY. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE30% OF ALL TERRESTRIAL CARBON STOCKS ARE STORED IN BOREAL FORESTS, MOST OF IT IN DEEP SURFACE ORGANIC SOILS.FIRES THREATEN TO EMIT VAST AMOUNTS OF THIS CARBON TO THE ATMOSPHERE, WHICH WOULD SET BACK GLOBALCLIMATE-MITIGATION EFFORTS. UNLIKE IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES, WHERE THE FOCUS IS ON RESTORING HEALTHYFIRE REGIMES AFTER A CENTURY OF SUPPRESSION, MOMENTUM IS RAPIDLY GROWING TO PROTECT BOREAL CARBON BYSTRATEGICALLY SUPPRESSING FIRES. HOWEVER, IT REMAINS POORLY RESOLVED WHETHER AND WHERE THIS STRATEGY WILLREDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS RELATIVE TO OTHER APPROACHES. WE WILL ADDRESS THIS KNOWLEDGE GAP IN INTERIORALASKA BY SYNTHESIZING GEOSPATIAL DATASETS WITH MACHINE LEARNING AND BY USING A PROCESS-BASED FORESTLANDSCAPE MODEL TO TEST MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ACROSS SPATIALLY HETEROGENEOUS LANDSCAPES.2. OBJECTIVESTHE OBJECTIVE IS TO EQUIP OUR AGENCY PARTNERS AT THE UNITED STATES (US) FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, BROADERSTAKEHOLDERS, SUCH AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND (EDF), AND INDIGENOUS RIGHTS HOLDERS WITH INSIGHTSTO UNDERPIN MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES THAT MAXIMIZE CARBON STORAGE. WE WILL ASK: 1) HOW IS FOREST CARBONDISTRIBUTED ACROSS INTERIOR ALASKA, WHERE AND WHY IS FOREST CARBON MOST AT RISK OF BURNING TODAY, AND HOWWILL THAT RISK CHANGE IN THE NEAR FUTURE? 2.) HOW MIGHT CARBON STOCKS RECOVER AFTER FIRE OVER THE NEXTCENTURY AND WHAT FACTORS WILL SHAPE TRAJECTORIES WITHIN AND ACROSS LANDSCAPES? AND 3) HOW DO MULTIPLEMANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOLLOWING THE RESIST, ACCEPT, DIRECT FRAMEWORK COMPARE IN THEIR ABILITY TO PROTECTCARBON UNDER CURRENT AND FUTURE CLIMATE? MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES WILL BE CO-DEVELOPED WITH STAKEHOLDERSAND INCLUDE FIRE SUPPRESSION (RESIST), NO MANAGEMENT (ACCEPT), AND ASSISTED TRANSITION (DIRECT). WE WILLPRODUCE CARBON-LOSS RISK MAPS AND 21ST-CENTURY LANDSCAPE PROJECTIONS UNDER THE MANAGEMENT SCENARIOS.WE WILL PRESENT RESULTS ONLINE AND IN PERSON AT EVENTS HOSTED BY THE ALASKA FIRE SCIENCE CONSORTIUM,EDF, AND CARY INSTITUTE OF ECOSYSTEM STUDIES TO REACH LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL STAKEHOLDERS. WEWILL ALSO PRESENT AT PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES AND PUBLISH IN PEER REVIEWED JOURNALS.

SYSTEMS-LEVEL PERSPECTIVES ON FISH HABITAT: CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOPS WITH LAKE ASSOCIATIONS

US-MEXICO COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: AFFORESTATION EFFECTS ON NITROGEN CYCLING IN MEXICO'S EASTERN HIGHLANDS

QUANTIFYING SOURCES OF VARIATION IN DENITRIFICATION IN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES

BIOINFORMATICS STARTER GRANT: HIERARCHICAL BAYESIAN MODELING TO INVESTIGATE CLIMATE AND LAND-USE DRIVERS IN THE MULTI-SPECIES ECOLOGY OF WEST NILE

CREATING FAIR DATA IN LAKE OBSERVATORIES OF THE FUTURE

A WORKSHOP ON LINKING ECOLOGY AND ETHICS FOR A CHANGING WORLD: VALUES PHILOSOPHY AND ACTION - MAY 2011 MILLBROOK NY

ROOT-ZONE SOIL MOISTURE USING P-BAND OBSERVATIONS - REMOTE SENSING IS CAPABLE OF ESTIMATING SURFACE SOIL MOISTURE FOR LANDSCAPES WITH LOW VEGETATION COVERAGE, BUT IT IS NECESSARY TO TRY AND EXPAND THIS CAPABILITY TO MORE HIGHLY VEGETATED LANDSCAPES, INCLUDING REGIONS WITH A MIXTURE OF CROPLAND AND WOODLANDS. THEREFORE, THIS STUDY WILL HELP TO ESTABLISH A BASELINE IN SITU SOIL MOISTURE AND VEGETATION DATASET FOR COMPARISON TO MICROWAVE REMOTE SENSING PRODUCTS FOR MORE HIGHLY VEGETATED LANDSCAPES.

ROOT-ZONE SOIL MOISTURE USING P-BAND OBSERVATIONS - TO ESTABLISH A BASELINE IN SITU SOIL MOISTURE AND VEGETATION DATASET FOR COMPARISON TO MICROWAVE REMOTE SENSING PRODUCTS.

THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO ASSESS HOW LOCALND LANDSCAPE CONDITIONS CAN LEAD TO DIFFERENT SPATIOTEMPORAL PATTERNS OF DETECTION AND SPREAD OF ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE (ANOPLOPHORA GLABR

CARY CONFERENCE

CARY CONFERENCE - LINKING ECOLOGY AND ETHICS FOR A CHANGING WORLD

DEVELOPING A COLLABORATIVE AND STRATEGIC VISION FOR MOHONK PRESERVE'S DANIEL SMILEY RESEARCH CENTER

PEST DETECTION INITIATIVE: THIS AGREEMENT IS TO DEVELOP STOCASTIC MODELS THAT WILL ESTIMATE THE IMPACT OF MANAGEMENT ACTIONS ON THE SPREAD AND ERADICATION OF ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLES (ALB).

CONFERENCE: FRONTIERS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING FOR ECOLOGY: 17-20 OCTOBER 2022 -ECOLOGICAL AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE THEORIES ARE BOTH ABOUT UNDERSTANDING HOW COMPLEX SYSTEMS WORK AND DEFINING SYSTEM PREDICTABILITY. THIS AWARD WILL SUPPORT A WORKSHOP CONVENING EXPERTS AT THE NEXUS OF DATA SCIENCE, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, COMPUTER SCIENCE, AND ECOLOGY. THE AIM IS TO IDENTIFY ALIGNED RESEARCH FRONTIERS, REFINE A COMMON VOCABULARY, AND SUPPORT CROSS-FERTILIZATION SUPPORTING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND MACHINE LEARNING (ML) DEVELOPMENT TO TARGET WICKED CHALLENGES IN LEVERAGING ECOLOGICAL THEORY AND DATA ASSIMILATION TO GENERATE PREDICTIVE UNDERSTANDING OF COMPLEX SYSTEM PROPERTIES SUCH AS ECOSYSTEM RESILIENCE AND PATHOGEN EMERGENCE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING HAVE BEEN HERALDED AS REVOLUTIONARY APPROACHES FOR HARNESSING BIG DATA AND GENERATING HYPOTHESES AND PREDICTIONS FOR COMPLEX SYSTEMS. TRADITIONAL THEORY AND PROCESS-BASED APPROACHES IN ECOLOGY CAN BE POWERFUL TOOLS FOR LEARNING BUT ARE OFTEN LIMITED TO LOW-DIMENSIONAL ANALYSES. YET ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS ARE COMPLEX AND MULTI-DIMENSIONAL IN SPACE, IN TIME, AND IN NETWORKS OF INTERACTIONS - AND CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN ML AND AI DEVELOPMENT ARE EXPLORING APPROACHES TO UNDERSTAND PREDICTABILITY IN SUCH COMPLEX SYSTEMS. DESPITE BURGEONING USE OF MACHINE LEARNING APPROACHES TO DESCRIBE PATTERN, PROCESS, AND PREDICTIONS IN ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS, THERE ARE A PAUCITY OF RESOURCES FOR CRITICALLY EVALUATING HOW THESE APPROACHES CAN ALIGN WITH ECOLOGICAL THEORY DEVELOPMENT AND PROCESS UNDERSTANDING. LIKEWISE, THERE ARE LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECOLOGISTS TO INTERACT WITH THE COMPUTER AND DATA SCIENTISTS DEVELOPING AI AND ML, AND THESE INTERACTIONS ARE A CRITICAL OPPORTUNITY FOR CROSS-FERTILIZATION TO EXPLORE BEYOND CURRENT PRACTICES AND REFINE SHARED TARGETS. THIS WORKSHOP WILL PRODUCE TWO PUBLISHED DELIVERABLES IN WIDELY KNOWN FORMS FOR BOTH COMMUNITIES THAT WILL HIGHLIGHT CONVERGENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR AI AND ML DEVELOPMENT FOR ECOLOGICAL, ECOSYSTEMS, COMPUTER, AND DATA SCIENCE AUDIENCES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

DISSERTATION RESEARCH: THE SPATIAL DYNAMICS OF LEAD LEVELS IN URBAN SOIL AND CORRELATIONS WITH LAND COVER

CONFERENCE PROPOSAL: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION OF SCIENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROVERSIES

CONFERENCE PROPOSAL: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION OF SCIENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROVERSIES

LINKING WHOLE SYSTEM CARBON CYCLING TO QUANTITATIVE FOOD WEBS IN THE COLORADO RIVER DATED 05/20/2010