Collaborative Research: OPUS: Beavers as Boreal Ecosystem Engineers

生态学家和土地管理者迫切需要了解海狸景观改造的潜在规模，持久性和生态系统服务。这项OPUS提案将整合之前四项与海狸生态系统改变有关的NSF奖项的结果，将研究结果整合到一起，分析Voyageurs国家公园海狸改变景观的动态。从航空摄影和实地工作中记录的海狸景观占领和改变的86年记录提供了一个独特的视角，海狸活动的生态系统影响和可持续性。目的是综合与海狸蓄水池有关的植被、水、土壤和土壤地球化学变化。其目的是根据研究人员从之前NSF资助的研究中发表的37篇文章编写一本书，以及一本关于景观中海狸池塘/草地过渡的专著，该专著将记录海狸池塘创建和变化的数据集与最近更新的海狸池塘和人口委托国家公园服务。该项目还将把以前收集的数据集从其目前的内部数据管理系统转移到一个公开的开放格式储存库。该项目的结果将告知其他科学家和管理人员关于海狸活动的可持续性和长期生态系统影响，海狸活动仍在北美大部分地区扩大。本科研究人员将从新成立的南达科他州州立大学SEEDS -生态教育、多样性和可持续发展战略分会招募。 该项目将有助于培训一名研究生，他正在研究海狸池塘的可持续性，并得到单独的资助。该项目将加强教学，因为研究人员将在生态系统生态学课程中使用OPUS合成的元素。国家公园管理局将宣传和帮助传播由此产生的出版物，并将确保将科学发现纳入解释性计划，网络和印刷媒体，路边展览和游客中心，以达到广泛和多样化的观众。最后，该项目将通过直接在Voyageurs国家公园和间接在整个大陆海狸种群不断扩大的地方促进土地管理来造福社会。

There is a critical need for ecologists and land managers to understand the potential magnitude, persistence, and ecosystem services of beaver landscape transformation. This OPUS proposal will integrate the results of four previous NSF awards relating to beaver ecosystem alteration, bringing the findings together into works that will analyze the dynamics of a beaver-altered landscape at Voyageurs National Park. The 86-year record of beaver landscape occupation and alteration documented from aerial photography and field work provides a unique perspective of the ecosystem effects and sustainability of beaver activity. The objective is to synthesize the vegetative, water, soil, and biogeochemical alterations associated with beaver impoundments. The aims are to produce a book based on the 37 articles that the researchers have published from prior NSF-funded research, and a monograph about beaver pond/meadow transitions in the landscape that combines datasets documenting beaver pond creation and changes with recent updates about beaver ponds and populations commissioned by the National Park Service. This project will also transfer the previously collected datasets from their current in-house data management system to a public open-format repository. The results of this project will inform other scientists and managers about the sustainability and long-term ecosystem effects of beaver activity that is still expanding in much of North America. Undergraduate researchers will be recruited from the newly-formed South Dakota State University chapter of SEEDS - Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability. This project will contribute to the training of a graduate student who is researching beaver pond sustainability under separate funding. The project will strengthen pedagogy as the researchers will use elements from this OPUS synthesis in an Ecosystem Ecology class. The National Park Service will publicize and help disseminate the resulting publications, and will also ensure that scientific findings are incorporated into interpretive programs, web and print media, wayside exhibits, and visitor centers to reach a wide and diverse audience. Finally, the project will benefit society by contributing to land management, both directly at Voyageurs National Park and indirectly at locations throughout the continent where beaver populations are expanding.