Project summary: Dissolved organic matter (DOM) provides a significant source of energy and nutrients to ecosystems and its biogeochemical cycling is inextricably linked to dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN). In stream ecosystems in particular, there is considerable spatial and temporal variation in the relationships between the different fractions of DOM (dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen) and DIN…. Read more »
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A synthesis to identify how metacommunity dynamics mediate community responses to disturbance across the ecosystems represented in the LTER network
Metacommunity ecology considers both the local- and regional-scale factors that influence community assembly. Previous work has identified dispersal, niche differentiation, and habitat heterogeneity as crucial parameters that determine metacommunity dynamics and stability in response to disturbance. However, it remains unclear whether the parameter combinations that are predicted to confer stability do so over long time… Read more »
Integrating plant community and ecosystem responses to chronic global change drivers
Project Summary: Many global change drivers (GCDs) lead to chronic alterations in resource availability. As communities change through time in response to these GCDs, the magnitude and direction of ecosystem responses is also predicted to change in a non-linear fashion. We propose to examine whether plant community dynamics are predictive of shifts in ecosystem function… Read more »
A global synthesis of multi-year drought effects on terrestrial ecosystems
Drought impacts on terrestrial ecosystems have increased globally over the last century with models forecasting that droughts will become more frequent, extreme, and spatially extensive. The goals for this project are to synthesize results from a unique global network of drought manipulations, focusing on how ecosystem productivity responds to drought over time and key mechanisms… Read more »
From poles to tropics: A multi-biome synthesis investigating the controls on river Si exports
Riverine exports of silicon (Si) directly influence global carbon (C) cycling through the growth of diatoms, ubiquitous autotrophs in marine and freshwater systems, which account for ~25% of global primary production. Rivers play essential roles in processing and supplying the Si necessary for diatom growth, but we have limited knowledge of the controls on river… Read more »
Ecological Metagenome-derived Reference Genomes and Traits (EMERGENT)
Our climate crisis, resulting from changes in interacting climate variables (temperature, rainfall, atmospheric chemistry) over the last century, has impacted all ecosystems on the surface of the Earth. With modern DNA sequencing techniques it is now possible to simultaneously sample thousands of different species, providing a window into the diverse soil organismal community and their… Read more »
Identifying environmental drivers of plant reproduction across LTER sites
Reproduction is a key component of plant life cycles and is crucial for dispersal, however it has a surprisingly poorly understood relationship to environmental drivers. This is particularly true for plant species with highly variable reproduction over time, known as ‘mast seeding’. While mast-seeding patterns have been linked to weather (temperature, precipitation), describing past patterns… Read more »
Soil Biogeochemistry: Synthesis of Past Data and Development of Protocols for a New Long-Term, Network-Wide Data Stream
Summary We request funds for a working group to synthesize existing data within the LTER network on nitrogen mineralization and nitrification, soil respiration and soil moisture and to develop protocols for a new tightly coordinated, network-wide effort to develop a long-term data stream on these variables. The primary activity would be a workshop to be… Read more »
Identifying Alternative Indicators for the Detection of Abrupt Transitions in Ecosystems: a Consideration of Time Scale and Community Parameters
Background: The potential for abrupt transitions in ecosystem processes may increase as climate change continues to accelerate1,2. While this trend is of great concern, our understanding of how to identify when and why abrupt transitions occur has been informed almost exclusively by theory. In order to enhance the prediction and management of these changes for… Read more »
Training working group: Climate and streamflow seasonal trend analysis at LTER sites
Goals There is almost universal attention to understanding climate trends and variability as a basis for ecological research in the LTER network, and climate records are long enough (>3 decades) at almost all LTER sites to undertake meaningful quantitative analysis for site-level assessment of ecological responses and cross-site comparisons of responses to climate change. Yet… Read more »
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Renewed funding for the LNO prioritizes synthesis, broadening participation, and mentorship
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