Workshop: Abrupt grass-woodland transitions: Determinants and consequences for ecosystem services - December 15-17, 2012 in Maldonado, Uruguay

研讨会：草地-林地突变：生态系统服务的决定因素和后果 - 2012 年 12 月 15 日至 17 日，乌拉圭马尔多纳多

• 批准号: 1242747
• 负责人: Osvaldo Sala
• 金额: $ 4.98万
• 依托单位: Arizona State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-07-01 至 2013-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1242747&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Workshop; Abrupt; grass; woodland; transitions

Our understanding of abrupt transitions in ecological systems has grown dramatically in recent years as a result of the discovery of new mathematical tools and characteristics of ecosystems that yield early warning signals. While new statistical tools may help predict tipping points, identifying best actions to avoid or to take in the face of them requires more detailed understanding of the systems themselves. Water limited ecosystems include a variety of grasslands, shrublands, and open and closed-canopy forests with a range of woody vegetation. Many grasslands and savannas worldwide are undergoing rapid shifts in dominance from herbaceous to woody plants driven by social and economic, as well as environmental and ecological factors. The objective of this workshop, cofunded by NSF's Biological Sciences Directorate and Office of International Science and Engineering, is to synthesize current understanding of the transition from grasslands to woodlands, its coupled social and ecological determinants, and the consequences for the provisioning of ecosystem services. The meeting is sponsored by the South American Institute for Resilience and Sustainability Studies, an international research institute in Uruguay. Though mainly foucsed on the state of the science, the last day of the workshop will be open to the general public, focusing ing on policy makers, conservation organizations and industry representatives from the private and public sectors in Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil. Products will include a synthesis paper co-authored by all participants, multiple scientific papers, and the public session. All of the presentations and results from the workshop will all be archived and made freely available on the Institute's web page.Grasslands, shrublands and savannas cover about half of the land on Earth and while characterized by low precipitation, represent about a third of the productivity on land and contain a third of the human population. Dry land systems produce a range of ecosystem services that are expected to change as the systems shift. The one day conference with decision makers has already attracted substantial local and regional interest. And this project will also support a graduate student from Arizona State University as an active participant and workshop organizer.

近年来，由于新的数学工具的发现和产生预警信号的生态系统的特征，我们对生态系统突变的理解有了显著的增长。虽然新的统计工具可能有助于预测临界点，但找出应避免或面对临界点采取的最佳行动，需要对系统本身有更详细的了解。水分有限的生态系统包括各种草原、灌丛和开阔和封闭的林冠森林，以及一系列木本植物。在社会和经济以及环境和生态因素的推动下，世界各地的许多草原和稀树草原正在经历从草本植物到木本植物的快速转变。这次研讨会由NSF生物科学委员会和国际科学与工程办公室共同资助，目的是综合目前对草地向林地转变的理解、其耦合的社会和生态决定因素，以及提供生态系统服务的后果。此次会议由乌拉圭的国际研究机构南美复原力与可持续发展研究所主办。尽管研讨会主要关注科学状况，但研讨会的最后一天将向公众开放，重点是乌拉圭、阿根廷和巴西私营和公共部门的政策制定者、保护组织和行业代表。产品将包括一篇由所有参与者共同撰写的合成论文，多篇科学论文，以及公开会议。讲习班的所有专题介绍和成果都将存档并在研究所的网页上免费提供。草地、灌木和稀树草原覆盖了地球上约一半的土地，虽然降雨量少，但占陆地生产力的约三分之一，人口的三分之一。旱地系统产生一系列生态系统服务，预计这些服务将随着系统的转变而改变。与决策者举行的为期一天的会议已经引起了当地和地区的极大兴趣。该项目还将支持亚利桑那州立大学的一名研究生作为积极参与者和研讨会组织者。