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转变的潜在规模、持久性和生态系统服务。OPUS的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，将这些发现整合到一起，将分析旅行者国家公园海狸改变景观的动态。从航空摄影和野外工作中记录的86年海狸景观占用和变化记录为海狸活动的生态系统影响和可持续性提供了独特的视角。目的是综合植被，水，土壤和生物地球化学变化与海狸水库有关。其目的是根据研究人员从先前的美国国家科学基金会资助的研究中发表的37篇文章出版一本书，以及一本关于景观中海狸池塘/草地转变的专著，该专著结合了记录海狸池塘形成和变化的数据集以及国家公园管理局委托的关于海狸池塘和种群的最新更新。该项目还将把以前收集的数据集从目前的内部数据管理系统转移到公共开放格式存储库。这个项目的结果将告诉其他科学家和管理者关于海狸活动的可持续性和长期生态系统影响，海狸活动在北美大部分地区仍在扩大。本科研究人员将从新成立的南达科他州立大学SEEDS分会招募——生态教育、多样性和可持续性战略。这个项目将有助于培养一名研究生，他正在研究海狸池的可持续性，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结果出版物，并将确保科学发现纳入解释程序、网络和印刷媒体、路边展览和游客中心，以吸引广泛和多样化的观众。最后，该项目将通过促进土地管理来造福社会，既可以直接造福旅行者国家公园，也可以间接造福整个大陆海狸数量不断增加的地区。

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.