Reversing long-term experiments to understand regime shifts

逆转长期实验以了解政权转变

• 批准号: 1353139
• 负责人: Morgan Ernest
• 金额: $ 74万
• 依托单位: Utah State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-03-15 至 2016-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1353139&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Reversing; long; term; experiments; understand

Changes in one component of an ecological system can sometimes cause major, relatively rapid, and seemingly permanent changes in the system as a whole. This project offers a rare opportunity to study the reversibility of such dramatic ecological changes in a rigorous way. The project will use a long-term experiment in the Chihuahuan Desert in which selective exclusions of rodents that are major seed eaters has produced sharp changes in the abundances of plant and animal species and in levels of soil nutrients. These exclusions will be reversed, and the effects on plants, animals, and soils measured over five years. The broader impacts of this project include the training of two graduate students and broad outreach to the public through construction of a website for the communication of scientific research. In addition, better understanding of how specific factors can cause major shifts in ecological systems will help land managers and policy makers avoid unintended consequences of natural resource management.

一个生态系统的一个组成部分的变化有时会导致整个系统发生重大的、相对迅速的、似乎是永久性的变化。 这个项目提供了一个难得的机会，以严格的方式研究这种戏剧性的生态变化的可逆性。 该项目将在奇瓦瓦沙漠进行一项长期试验，有选择地排除主要食种子的啮齿动物，使动植物物种的丰度和土壤养分水平发生急剧变化。这些排除将被逆转，对植物，动物和土壤的影响将在五年内进行测量。这一项目的更广泛影响包括培训两名研究生，并通过建立一个交流科学研究的网站，向公众进行广泛宣传。 此外，更好地了解具体因素如何导致生态系统的重大变化，将有助于土地管理者和决策者避免自然资源管理的意外后果。