IRES: U.S.-Italy Student Research on Mediterranean Silvo-Arable-Pastoral Ecosystems

这个国际学生研究经验（IRES）项目将通过宾夕法尼亚州立大学和意大利撒丁岛的萨萨里大学之间的合作伙伴关系，为对生态学和农业生态学感兴趣的美国学生提供生态建模经验。在撒丁岛的设置与不同背景的导师，学生参与者将研究碳和氮在地中海森林耕地牧区生态系统的动态，在贝奇达长期观测站（LTO）。像贝奇达LTO这样的生态系统具有很高的生物多样性和文化价值，是世界各地使用的许多驯化谷物和饲料作物的来源。这些生态系统也是重要的碳和氮汇，由于气候和土地使用的变化，它们的完整性可能受到威胁。学生的集体经验将包括实地研究，实验室工作和计算机建模，并遵循结构化的专业发展计划。在为期三年的IRES的每一年中，五名本科生和研究生将接受培训，以整合测量和建模，研究受人类强烈影响的高时空和生态多样性的景观。 总体而言，学生的研究应该有助于我们的相关地中海生态系统的基本知识，这可能会扩展到其他生态系统在美国和国外，在全球和地方规模。15名美国学生，分为三个队列，将在撒丁岛的多样化的森林-耕地-牧区生态系统上工作，以了解撒丁岛东北部贝奇达长期观测站马赛克土地利用中的碳和氮通量。 他们的IRES体验将包括三个阶段：1）出发前的科学和文化准备，2）在Berchidda LTO进行为期五周的研究项目，以及3）抵达后的工作，包括准备海报，演讲或出版物，以及IRES评估。学生将由美国PI和来自萨萨里大学的三位同行科学家指导，他们在Berchidda LTO领导研究。此外，研究生将通过在撒丁岛的主办机构教授讲习班获得教育经验，本科生将参加宾夕法尼亚州立大学的研讨会。 作为一个国际研究团队，美国和意大利的合作伙伴希望加深对已确定的地中海系统以及人类活动在推动碳和氮储量变化方面所起作用的理解。 此外，对于更广泛的影响，因为IRES学生参与并获得及时的经验，他们应该受益于宝贵的早期职业接触到合作研究领域，一般生态学原理和建模技术可以应用于类似的地方和区域景观，更可持续的环境管理。

This International Research Experience for Students (IRES) project will provide experience in ecological modeling to U.S. students interested in ecology and agroecology through a partnership between The Pennsylvania State University and the University of Sassari in Sardinia, Italy. In the Sardinian setting with mentors of diverse background, student participants will examine the dynamics of carbon and nitrogen in a Mediterranean silvo-arable-pastoral ecosystem, at the Berchidda Long Term Observatory (LTO). Ecosystems such as the Berchidda LTO have high biodiversity and cultural value, being the source of many domesticated grain and forage crops in use throughout the world. Such ecosystems are also important carbon and nitrogen sinks, and their integrity can be considered at risk due to climate and land use changes. The students' collective experience will encompass field research, laboratory work and computer modeling and follow a structured professional development plan. During each year of the three-year IRES, cohorts of five undergraduate and graduate students will train to integrate measurements and modeling to study landscapes with high temporal, spatial, and ecological diversity that are strongly influenced by humans. Overall, the students' research should contribute to our basic knowledge of relevant Mediterranean ecosystems, which may be extended to other ecosystems in the U.S. and abroad, at global and local scales. Fifteen U.S. students, divided into three cohorts, will work on the diverse silvo-arable-pastoral ecosystem of Sardinia to understand carbon and nitrogen fluxes in the mosaic land-use of the Long Term Observatory of Berchidda, in northeastern Sardinia. Their IRES experience will consist of three phases: 1) scientific and cultural pre-departure preparation, 2) five-week research project at the Berchidda LTO, and 3) post-arrival work which will comprise preparation of posters, presentations or publications, and IRES evaluation. Students will be mentored by the U.S. PIs and three counterpart scientists from the University of Sassari who lead research at the Berchidda LTO. Additionally, graduate students will gain educational experience by teaching a workshop at the host institution in Sardinia and undergraduate students will contribute to a seminar at the Pennsylvania State University. As an international research team, the U.S. and Italian partners expect to deepen understating of the identified Mediterranean systems and the role human activity plays in driving the changes of carbon and nitrogen stocks. Furthermore, for broader impact, because the IRES students participate and gain this timely experience, they should benefit from the valuable early career exposure to collaborative research in a area where general ecological principles and modeling techniques may be applied to similar local and regional landscapes, for more sustainable environmental management.