NSF Minority Postdoctoral Fellowship for FY 2009

这项行动为2009财年的NSF少数民族博士后研究奖学金提供资金，并根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）提供资金。该研究金支持研究员在东道实验室的研究和培训计划，研究员还提出了扩大生物学参与的计划。本奖学金的研究和培训计划的标题是由何塞·C。Colon-Gaud是“热带与温带源头河流的食物网和能量流：消费者在生态系统功能中的作用。“这项研究的主办机构是由Alonso Ramirez博士赞助的波多黎各-Rio Piedras大学。我们对热带溪流的了解大多是基于一些短期研究，这些研究通常侧重于消费者多样性或丰度估计，而将消费者与生态系统过程联系起来的全面调查通常缺乏。消费者在生态系统的运作中发挥着重要作用，可以影响营养循环，分解和能量流动等过程。在生物多样性下降的背景下，了解消费者在生态系统中的作用已成为生态学研究的中心主题。这项研究正在开发定量食物网的源头流在卢基略长期生态研究网站在东北部波多黎各通过量化能源流动的主要途径资源和消费者。本研究的培训目标包括：1）学习分析化学、生态化学计量学和食物网生态学领域的新实验技术，以评估消费者在生态系统过程中的作用; 2）获得大规模实验的开发和协调经验; 3）通过参加波多黎各大学的实习计划来指导年轻科学家。更广泛的影响包括增加代表性不足的群体参与生态学领域的研究经验，以及增加我们对研究不足的系统的了解。

This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2009 and is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Jose C. Colon-Gaud is "Food webs and energy flow in tropical vs. temperate headwater streams: roles of consumers in ecosystem function." The host institution for this research is the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras under the sponsorship of Dr. Alonso Ramirez. Much of our knowledge of tropical streams has been based on a few short-term studies that generally focus on consumer diversity or abundance estimates, and comprehensive investigations linking consumers to ecosystem processes are generally lacking. Consumers play an important role in the functioning of ecosystems and can influence processes such as nutrient cycling, decomposition, and energy flow. In light of declining biodiversity, understanding the roles of consumers in ecosystems has become a central theme in ecological research. This study is developing quantitative food webs for headwater streams in the Luquillo Long Term Ecological Research site in northeastern Puerto Rico by quantifying major pathways of energy flow among resources and consumers. This is access the overall importance of different food resources as drivers of community structure.The training objectives for this research include: 1) learning new experimental techniques in the areas of analytical chemistry, ecological stoichiometry, and food web ecology to assess the roles of consumer in ecosystem processes; 2) gain experience in the development and coordination of large-scale experiments; 3) mentoring young scientists through participation in internship programs at the University of Puerto Rico. Broader impacts include increasing the participation of under-represented groups in research experiences in the field of ecology, as well increasing our knowledge of understudied systems.