Plant recruitment, coexistence and community assembly in developing prairie restorations

知识价值：了解物种共存仍然是生态学的一个基本目标，与生物多样性保护、资源管理和恢复等应用领域直接相关。对于草原恢复的实践者来说，了解不同的共存模式及其在发展草原中的相对重要性，对于指导有关场地准备、种植方法、入侵物种控制和干扰制度管理的恢复处方具有价值。本项目在美国堪萨斯州东部开展了一项长期的野外操作试验，旨在评估多种物种共存模式和植物群落发展，包括生态位分化、物种功能相似性、空间结构和初始群落状态对发展草原恢复过程中本地物种建立、多样性和物种更替的调节作用。更广泛的影响：该项目将有助于堪萨斯大学野外站（KUFS）的发展，并补充KUFS正在进行的草原生态学研究和教育计划。PI将继续通过参与堪萨斯大学少数民族学生项目来促进弱势群体的参与，并为两名新的博士生提供培训。本科生将以学生时薪现场助理、堪萨斯大学独立研究研究员和REU学生的身份参与。该项目也将被堪萨斯大学生态学课程的学生和劳伦斯高中的AP生物学学生使用。

Intellectual Merit: Understanding species coexistence continues to be a fundamental goal in ecology with direct relevance to applied fields such as biodiversity conservation, resource management and restoration. For the practitioner of prairie restoration, knowledge of the different modes of coexistence and their relative importance in developing prairies would be valuable for guiding restoration prescriptions pertaining to site preparation, planting methods, invasive species control and management of disturbance regimes. This project initiates a long-term manipulative field experiment in eastern Kansas designed to evaluate multiple modes of species coexistence and plant community development, including the contributions of niche differentiation, functional similarity of species, spatial structure and initial community states in regulating native species establishment, diversity and species turnover in developing prairie restorations.Broader Impacts: The project will contribute to the development of the University of Kansas Field Station (KUFS) and complement ongoing research and education initiatives at KUFS in grassland ecology. The PI will continue to facilitate involvement of underrepresented groups through participation in KU student minority programs and provide training for two new PhD students. Undergraduates will participate as student hourly field assistants, KU independent study researchers and REU students. The project will also be utilized by students enrolled in KU Ecology courses and by AP Biology students at Lawrence High School.