Long-Term Ecological Research Program - Shortgrass Steppe

北美半干旱的大平原是一个广袤的地区，对自然资源的生产具有特别重要的意义。中原试验场(CPER)位于大平原中部，地理位置优越，代表了该地区大部分地区重要的长期生态问题。这项对短草草原长期研究的组织理念是，对生态系统结构和功能的主要控制因素是气候、地貌和土地利用管理。这些控制中的每一个都在一系列尺度上具有重要的空间和时间异质性，并在特定的级别组合上施加影响。这是假设的，CPER场地层面上最重要的控制因素是土壤质地和土地利用。土壤质地是影响土壤水分有效性的主要因素，从而影响植被结构、净初级生产力和分解。土地利用通过控制潜在生产力和土壤有机质储量来设定生态系统的平衡状态。该项目延续了现有的研究成果，并开展了新的研究，通过野外试验研究、模拟和区域分析，进一步研究了土壤质地和土地利用对短草生态系统结构和功能的影响。

The semiarid Great Plains of North America is an extensive area, and has particular importance for natural resource production. The Central Plains Experimental Range (CPER) has an excellent location in the central Great Plains to represent the important long-term ecological issues of consequence for much of the region. The organizing concept for this long-term study of the shortgrass steppe is that the major controls over ecosystem structure and function are climate, geomorphology, and landuse management. Each of these controls has important spatial and temporal heterogeneity across a range of scales, and exerts its influence at a particular combination of levels. It is hypothesized and that the most important controls at the site level of the CPER are soil texture and landuse. Soil texture is a major influence over soil water availability, and thus vegetation structure, net primary production, and decomposition. Landuse sets the equilibrium state of ecosystems by controlling potential production and soil organic matter reserves. This project continue current work and initiate new studies to further examine the influence of soil texture and landuse over shortgrass ecosystem structure and function using field experimental research, simulation, and regional analysis.