The Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research Program 2011-2016: Tipping Points in High-Elevation Ecosystems in Response to Changes in Climate and Atmospheric Deposition

尼沃特岭长期生态研究计划2011-2016：高海拔生态系统响应气候和大气沉降变化的临界点

• 批准号: 1027341
• 负责人: Katharine Suding
• 金额: $ 588万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Boulder
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-02-01 至 2018-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1027341&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Niwot; Ridge; Long; Term; Ecological

The Niwot (NWT) LTER project was initiated in 1980 and since then has provided experimental and observational research designed to understand the dynamics of high-elevation alpine ecosystems in North America. The project has a history of research that has illuminated the responses of organisms and ecosystems to climate and various atmospheric inputs over the range of habitats that typify mountainous regions. This project will continue that long-term line of research and will expand it to address: the quantity and quality of organic carbon deposition; the role of plant-soil feedbacks and environmental change in community dynamics that may include threshold effects or tipping points; the potential of biotic disturbances, such an species invasions and infectious diseases, to cause ecosystems to tip to new states and dynamics; and, development of methods and collaborations to anticipate such ecosystem shifts and to improve understanding of the social impacts of these and other perturbations to high-elevation ecosystems. The research integrates ecological, hydrologic, geomorphic, atmospheric, and social perspectives and research techniques to understand high-elevation ecosystems and provide knowledge to manage them effectively in changing environmental and social contexts. This project contributes to understanding of the structure, function, and dynamics of a high-elevation ecosystem and includes development of techniques for modeling, forecasting, and better understanding such ecosystems in general. It assembles and integrates valuable long-term data sets on climate, hydrology, biology, ecology, geomorphic processes, and other elements of high-elevation ecosystems and the larger environment in which they are embedded. The project has broad societal value through its contributions to improved understanding of alpine ecosystems and their management. Its broader values also include extensive research-based training, educational program development that includes a children's book series and K-12 teacher training, and public outreach.

NIWOT（NWT）LTER项目于1980年启动，此后提供了实验性和观察性研究，旨在了解北美高级高山高山生态系统的动态。 该项目的研究历史已经阐明了生物和生态系统对典型的山区栖息地范围内的生物和生态系统对气候和各种大气投入的反应。 该项目将继续进行长期研究，并将其扩展到解决：有机碳沉积的数量和质量；植物土壤反馈和环境变化在社区动态中的作用，可能包括阈值效应或倾倒点；生物障碍的潜力，这种物种入侵和传染病，使生态系统倾向于新状态和动态；以及开发方法和协作，以预测这种生态系统的转变，并提高对这些生态系统和其他扰动对高海拔生态系统的社会影响的理解。 该研究将生态，水文，地貌，大气和社会观点和研究技术整合在一起，以了解高海拔生态系统，并提供知识，以在不断变化的环境和社会环境中有效地管理它们。 该项目有助于理解高海拔生态系统的结构，功能和动态，并包括开发用于建模，预测和更好地理解此类生态系统的技术。它汇编并集成了有关气候，水文学，生物学，生态学，地貌过程以及高海拔生态系统及其嵌入更大环境的其他要素的有价值的长期数据集。该项目通过改善对高山生态系统及其管理的理解的贡献具有广泛的社会价值。它的广泛价值还包括广泛的基于研究的培训，教育计划的发展，其中包括儿童书籍系列和K-12教师培训以及公共宣传。