Jornada Basin LTER V: Landscape Linkages in Arid and Semiarid Ecosystems

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Chihuahuan Desert landscapes exemplify the ecological conditions, vulnerability, and management issues found in arid and semi-arid regions around the world. The goal of the Jornada Basin Long-Term Ecological Research program (JRN) , established in 1982, is to understand and quantify the causes and consequences of desertification in these systems. In collaboration with its research partner, the Jornada Experimental Range (USDA ARS), results of studies begun in 1915 have been incorporated into the program. In the past 6 years, JRN expanded its plant-interspace resource redistribution framework to include multiple spatial and temporal scales in its landscape linkages framework. In LTER V, JRN will elaborate on this framework by: (1) testing specific elements using existing long-term studies, (2) conducting a suite of new integrated, cross-scale experiments, both at the Jornada and in a nearby suburban interface, (3) continuing cross-site and regional studies designed to test its generality, and (4) forecasting alternative future landscapes under a changing environment that includes socioeconomic processes and explicit interactions with the ecological system. The overall hypothesis is that spatial and temporal variation in ecosystem dynamics is the result of patch structure interacting with transport vectors (wind, water, animals) and environmental drivers (e.g., precipitation, temperature, human activities) to influence cross-scale resource redistribution. These interactions feed back to patch structure and dynamics to cause cascading events with effects on ecosystem goods and services. Historic legacies and geomorphic templates are important modifiers of this relationship. JRN proposes to organize research around three major geomorphic units that characterize the Chihuahuan Desert and contain existing long-term studies and a sensor network. Long-term studies will be combined with new mechanistic and process-level experiments designed to identify dominant processes and drivers, with a focus on patch structure. Simulation modeling will be used to synthesize and integrate data in order to understand current patterns and predict future dynamics. New socio-economic studies and scenarios based on the Ecosystem Millennium Assessment will place JRN research into a broader socio-economic-ecologic context. JRN research provides opportunities for a large number of graduate and undergraduate students, primarily from New Mexico State University, an Hispanic-serving institution. International scientific collaborations include cooperative agreements with research and academic institutions on four continents (North and South America, Asia, Europe). JRN research supports a highly successful K-12 and teacher training program: over 50,000 students, teachers, and other adults were involved in educational outreach programs during LTER IV. These continuing programs include field trips, schoolyard activities, teacher workshops, and public education events. The proposed research includes targeted interactions with resource management practitioners through workshops, seminars, and service by LTER scientists on various boards of directors. A semi-annual newsletter is available online and is distributed to over 300 people.