Konza Prairie LTER VI: Grassland Dynamics and Long-Term Trajectories of Change

自1980年成立以来，在堪萨斯州康扎草原进行的长期研究和实验一直与一个总体主题联系在一起，该主题将火灾、放牧和气候变化整合为高草草原的起源、演化、持续和功能的基本和相互作用因素。由于人类活动直接（通过管理放牧者和火灾）和间接（通过改变大气化学和气候）改变了全球草原生态过程的关键驱动因素，Konza研究越来越多地用于解决关键的全球变化问题。在本提案中，将扩展核心的Konza实验和数据集，同时启动新的实验、数据集和跨站点研究。扩大木本植物侵占草原的研究。多地点研究是Konza项目的一个非常重要的方面，包括在撒哈拉以南非洲的合作工作，以测试在Konza开发的草地功能模型。康扎项目利用大量资金用于教育和推广，取得了令人印象深刻的成果。相当多的研究生通过Konza研究获得了学位。康扎校园K-12项目通过每年管理的125个教育项目为数千名学生提供服务。少数族裔在校园和本科生研究项目中的参与度非常高。对退化草地生态系统恢复的新关注对保护和维持生物多样性具有重要意义。

Since its inception in 1980, long-term studies and experiments at Konza Prairie, Kansas, have been linked by an overarching theme that integrates fire, grazing and climate variability as essential and interactive factors responsible for the origin, evolution, persistence and functioning of tallgrass prairie. Because human activities are directly, by managing grazers and fire, and indirectly, by changing atmospheric chemistry and climate, altering the key drivers of ecological processes in grasslands worldwide, Konza research is increasingly used to address critical global change issues. In this proposal, core Konza experiments and datasets will be extended, while new experiments, datasets and cross-site studies are initiated. Studies of woody plant encroachment into grasslands will be expanded. Multi-site studies are a very strong aspect of the Konza program, and include collaborative work in sub-Saharan Africa to test models of grassland function developed at Konza. The Konza program leverages a large amount of funding for education and outreach, with impressive results. A remarkable number of graduate students have obtained their degree through Konza research. The Konza schoolyard K-12 program serves thousands of students through the 125 educational programs administered annually. Minority participation in the schoolyard and undergraduate research programs is stellar. The new focus on restoration of degraded grassland ecosystems has important implications for conservation and maintenance of biodiversity.