Biocomplexity: Physical, Biological, and Human Interactions Shaping the Ecosystems of Freshwater Bays and Lagoons

这个NSF生物复杂性项目认识到，对生态系统结构和功能的全面了解必须结合外部环境。组织这项研究工作的主要主题是开放生态系统中的生物复杂性。主要假设是，水在水生系统中移动的平均时间是决定生态系统自我程度的关键变量。受外界影响组织或支配的项目团队将研究不同的和封闭的淡水海湾和湖泊。沿安大略湖纽约海岸的水平泻湖（海湾），包括相关的流域、湿地和人类住区。安大略湖的河口是湿地的代表。主要分布在五大湖附近的沿海栖息地，它们在该地区非常重要。河口为大多数五大湖水生物种提供了栖息地，改变了进入湖泊的水质，影响了开放水域的营养输入，支持了高度多样化和高产的湿地植被，并为水提供了非常理想的位置。面向人类住区。研究人员已经确定了八个研究生态系统，它们结合了决定水停留时间的三个关键因素的极端情况：海湾体积、流域大小和与安大略湖的连通性。所有的数据和模式模拟将被数学整合，以确定允许生态系统自组织或由外部因素强迫的生态系统属性的条件。虽然这项研究旨在回答有关生态系统控制的基本问题，但这项研究将对解决有关五大湖水位调节的技术问题具有重要的实用价值。为此，已组织了一个管理和政策咨询小组，由主要国际、联邦、纽约州、政府间和学术组织的代表组成。小组参与研究将使这些组织能够了解NSF资助研究的细节，并将为他们提供早期采用研究结果的机会。该项目的教育目标是完成一组七名博士生，他们在我们的跨学科环境中进行研究，同时专攻其中一个组成领域。项目研究者将通过合作的方式向学生推广NSF生物复杂性项目的主题。现场咨询，克罗斯？学科研究参与，和一个团队指导毕业生？生物复杂性理论、原理和研究方法高级课程

This NSF Biocomplexity Program recognizes that thorough knowledge of ecosystem structure and function must incorporate the external environmental surroundings. The principal theme organizing this research effort is biocomplexity in open ecosystems. The main hypothesis is that the average time water takes to move through an aquatic system is a key variable defining the extent that ecosystems are self?organized or dominated by outside influences. The project team will study distinct and enclosed freshwater bays and lake?level lagoons (embayments) along the New York coast of Lake Ontario including the associated watersheds, wetlands, and human settlements. Lake Ontario embayments are representative of wetland?dominated coastal habitats around much of the Great Lakes and they are of great importance in the region. The embayments provide habitat for most Great Lakes aquatic species, change the quality of water entering the lakes, effect nutrient inputs to the open waters, support highly diverse and productive wetland vegetation, and provide very desirable locations for water?oriented human settlements. The investigators have identified eight study ecosystems that combine extremes of three key factors that will determine water residence time: bay volume, watershed size, and connectedness to Lake Ontario. All data and model simulations will be integrated mathematically to determine the conditions that allow ecosystem self organization or ecosystem property forcing by external factors.While the study is designed to answer fundamental questions about ecosystem control, the research will have major practical value for resolving technical questions about Great Lakes water level regulation. For this reason, a management and policy advisory panel has been organized with representatives of key international, federal, New York State, intergovernmental, and academic organizations. Panel involvement in the research will allow these organizations to understand the details of NSF sponsored research, and it will provide opportunities for them to be early adopters of the results. The education goal for the project is to complete a set of seven doctoral students that conducted their research within our interdisciplinary surroundings while specializing on one of the component fields. Project investigators will promote the themes of the NSF Biocomplexity Program to students through cooperative inter?field advising, cross?disciplinary research involvement, and a team directed graduate?level course in Biocomplexity Theory, Principles, and Research Methods