Dissertation Research: The Role of Plant Species and Plant Species Interactions in Mediating Nitrogen and Carbon Dynamics

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9801487 Chapin/Eviner DDIG: The role of plant species and plant species interactions in mediating nitrogen and carbon dynamics The objective of this study is to determine how plant species that are growing together influence ecosystem dynamics. Vegetation composition is being drastically altered due to changes in land use, pollutants, climate, and invasion of exotic species. Plants not only respond to these changes, but they also play an active role in mediating their surrounding environment, and can affect nutrient and water availability, sustainability, production, etc.. However, we have no way of predicting which vegetation shifts will impact an ecosystem. Many recent studies have indicated that individual plant species can have different effects on ecosystem dynamics. However, most plant species exist in a mixed species community, and the effect of the overall community can't be predicted from the effects of the component species alone. Understanding the ways that plant species interact will help us understand the importance of a species addition or deletion on the ecosystem.