Grassland Community Coalescence and Diversity Across Gradients of Nitrogen Eutrophication: the Interplay of Species Pools, Niche Determinism and Neutral Processes

了解调节群落组成和多样性的因素是生态学的关键目标，也是预测和调节环境变化对生态系统影响的必要条件。建立长期的田间试验，探讨种子有效性、局部生态相互作用和机会因子在控制氮肥梯度草地群落动态中的作用。将种植实验群落，以建立关于物种多样性、组成和丰度的各种初始条件。一旦建立，这些群落将暴露于不同水平的氮肥，以评估物种的命运和变化在多大程度上是可预测的，基于功能特征和物种的初始种群规模。该项目将有助于了解沿氮有效性梯度的群落形成，并提供适用于草地管理和恢复的信息。该项目将有助于堪萨斯大学（KU）和哈斯凯尔印第安民族大学的女研究生和本科生的教育和培训。少数族裔学生将出席生态协会和促进奇卡诺人和印第安人发展协会的会议。该项目将整合到KU野外站现有的公共推广计划中。

Understanding factors that regulate the composition and diversity of communities is a key aim in ecology, but is also necessary to anticipate and mediate impacts of environmental change on ecosystems. A long-term field experiment will be established to investigate the role of seed availability, local ecological interactions and chance factors in governing the dynamics of grassland communities along gradients of nitrogen fertilization. Experimental communities will be planted to establish a variety of initial conditions with respect to species diversity, composition and abundance. Once established, these communities will be exposed to varying levels of nitrogen fertilization to evaluate the extent to which fates of species and changes in the community are predictable based upon functional traits and initial population sizes of species. The project will contribute to understanding of community formation along gradients of nitrogen availability, but also yield information applicable to grassland management and restoration. This project will contribute to education and training of female graduate students and undergraduates from University of Kansas (KU) and Haskell Indian Nations University. Minority students will present at meetings of the Ecological Society and the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans. The project will be integrated into an existing public outreach program run by the KU Field Station.