The Cedar Creek Long-Term Ecological Research project would use long-term experimentation, observation and theory to examine (1) the impacts of human-driven changes, especially loss of biodiversity, climatic variation, N deposition, land cover and use change, changes in fire frequency, elevated CO2, and exotic species, on community dynamics and ecosystem structure and function; (2) how the traits and evolutionary heritages of species influence community assembly, ecosystem dynamics, biogeochemistry and the invasiveness of exotic species; (3) how predators, pathogens and diseases influence species and ecosystem dynamics; (4) the causes of multi-species coexistence; and (5) how the quantity and economic value of services produced by ecosystems depends on ecosystem species composition, diversity and management. These questions would be pursued in a coordinated series of large-scale, long-term field experiments, related long-term observational studies, and theoretical analyses.
The overriding goal of this research is to provide deeper understanding of the processes
and principles that govern the dynamics and functioning of communities and ecosystems. This research centers on the interplay among experimental results, observational data, and the predictions of theory. Each constrains, modifies and inspires the other, providing deeper understanding of the dynamics and functioning of the grassland, savanna, and forested ecosystems of the region. The research combines studies of numerous species in several trophic levels with studies of ecosystem processes and of the feedbacks between species and the ecosystem processes. It combines and synthesizes the often disparate approaches of ecophysiology, population, community and ecosystem ecology. The new and continuing work proposed would build on the rich knowledge base that has accumulated at the site.
This project achieves broader impacts because results of the proposed studies would
improve understanding of the long-term societal implications of human impacts on ecosystems. For instance, the research would help elucidate both the factors that control biodiversity and the effects of the loss of biodiversity on ecosystem services such as the removal by ecosystems of atmospheric carbon dioxide and the long-term sequestration of this carbon in soil. In addition, results would be communicated to the media and government organizations; K-12 teachers, K-12 students, journalists and the general public would be taught about scientific research and recent results; undergraduates would gain research experiences; and graduate students and post-doctoral researchers would receive advanced research training.
