Grassland Research Facilities at Cedar Point Biological Station

雪松点生物站是一个重要的自然保护区，为草原生态系统的高质量研究提供了支持。与雪松点相关的一个关键资源是Arapaho Prairie，这是一个独特的内布拉斯加州沙丘生态系统中的受控访问、受监管的研究地点。Arapaho Prairie由自然保护协会所有，并通过Cedar Point生物站的长期租赁协议进行管理，为操纵研究提供后勤支持。将用本项目提供的资金建造两个关键设施。这将极大地便利准确和有效的场地管理和数据库开发/维护，并支持和鼓励高生产力的研究企业研究草原进程的动态。将建设的设施包括：(1)一座小型预备建筑，提供受保护的现场工作空间，以支持实地工作。有了这样的设施，许多研究所需的复杂的电子和生理设备可以更有效地使用。(2)Arapaho Prairie将用永久参考点和绘制的关键生物和非生物特征进行网格划分。然后，这些特征将在地理信息系统(地理信息系统)中综合，地理信息系统为存储和参考这些关键属性之间的空间关系提供了一种计算机化的方法。届时将有可能对已知模式进行检索，以及对该部位的各种中心生物相关特征的目前未识别的模式进行检测。这一地理信息系统的建设将立即证明对保存、管理、提供访问和促进在这个国家重要研究遗址的研究具有价值。

Cedar Point Biological Station is a significant protected natural area which supports high quality research on grassland ecosystems. A key resource associated with Cedar Point is Arapaho Prairie, a controlled access, regulated research site in the unique Nebraska Sandhills ecosystem. Arapaho Prairie is owned by the Nature Conservancy and managed through a long-term lease agreement by Cedar Point Biological Station to provide logistical support for manipulative research. Two key facilities will be constructed with funds received from the present project. These will greatly facilitate accurate and effective site management and database development/maintenance as well as support and encourage highly productive research enterprises into the dynamics of grassland processes. Facilities to be constructed include: (1) a small preparatory building to provide protected, on-site workspace to support fieldwork. Sophisticated electronic and physiological equipment required by many studies can be more effectively employed with the availability of such a facility. (2) Arapaho Prairie will be gridded with permanent reference points and key biotic and abiotic features mapped. These features will then be synthesized in a Geographic Information System (GIS) which provides a computerized method for storing and referencing spatial relationships among these key attributes. Future retrieval of known patterns as well as detection of presently unrecognized patterns for a variety of central, biologically relevant features of the site will then be possible. The construction of this GIS will prove immediately valuable for preserving, mananging, providing access to, and fostering research at this nationally important research site.