Regional Analysis of Ecosystem Structure and Function in the Central Grasslands Regions of the United States

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One of the most significant impediments to the ability of ecologists to contribute to understanding and solving issues associated with global change is the inability to characterize ecosystem structure and dynamics at scales that are relevant to those issues. To date, ecologists have not taken full advantage of the approaches used and advances made by the remainder of the earth science community. As a step in the process of increasing, the ability of ecologists to exchange results with other earth scientists, this project will conduct a regional analysis of the central grasslands of the United States. The objectives of the analysis are to understand the current state of ecosystems in the region and to evaluate their potential responses to climate and management change. The approach will involve constructing a regional database, statistically evaluating relationships among biotic and abiotic variables in the database, and using simulation models to assess the current state of the region and to understand the potential regional consequences of climate change.