Planning for a Great Basin Ecological Observatory: from NevCAN to the Spring Valley Field Station

大盆地生态观测站规划：从 NevCAN 到 Spring Valley 野外观测站

• 批准号: 1624832
• 负责人: Franco Biondi
• 金额: $ 2.5万
• 依托单位: Board of Regents, NSHE, obo University of Nevada, Reno
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-07-01 至 2017-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1624832&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Planning; Great; Basin; Ecological; Observatory

This project will support strategic planning for the Spring Valley Field Station, located in the Great Basin of North America. Long-term changes in forest ecosystems are difficult to predict and detect, and field stations allow for multi-year investigations that are otherwise very difficult to perform. While this project will utilize existing long-term infrastructure associated with the Nevada Climate-eco-hydrological Assessment Network (NevCAN), it will support new biological research and education on Great Basin species, from sagebrush to the iconic bristlecone pine. The station will therefore contribute to ecological studies in a semi-arid region that is considered at risk of widespread mortality linked to warmer droughts. The main objective of this project is to develop a long-term vision for the station, together with a realistic management strategy during its first five years.Three NevCAN sites, from the sagebrush steppe on the valley floor to the bristlecone pine stands at the subalpine tree-line, will be part of the Spring Valley Field Station to capture ecological patterns and processes over a 2000-m elevation gradient. The station will fill a growing demand for long-term information on Great Basin population dynamics, ecosystem processes, threats to biodiversity from invasive species, and overall resilience to future climatic changes, especially in connection with forward-looking resource management, conservation, and restoration. A one-week workshop to be held at the end of August near the proposed station will bring together university faculty and stakeholders from inside and outside of Nevada to draft the master planning document, including a facility needs, details of data management, and fee structure. The Great Basin is characterized by both an upper and a lower tree-line, hence the Spring Valley Field Station will be ideally suited to investigate the linkages between climate and ecosystem dynamics in space and time, including the expansion, retreat, or persistence of trailing and leading ecotonal edges.

该项目将支持位于北美大盆地的春谷野外站的战略规划。 森林生态系统的长期变化很难预测和检测，而实地站可以进行多年调查，否则很难进行。虽然该项目将利用与内华达州气候生态水文评估网络 (NevCAN) 相关的现有长期基础设施，但它将支持对大盆地物种（从山艾树到标志性狐尾松）的新生物研究和教育。因此，该站将为半干旱地区的生态研究做出贡献，该地区被认为面临与变暖干旱有关的广泛死亡的风险。该项目的主要目标是为该站制定长期愿景，并在其前五年制定切合实际的管理策略。三个 NevCAN 站点，从谷底的艾蒿草原到亚高山林线的狐尾松林，将成为 Spring Valley 野外站的一部分，以捕捉 2000 米海拔梯度上的生态模式和过程。该站将满足人们对大盆地人口动态、生态系统过程、入侵物种对生物多样性的威胁以及对未来气候变化的整体适应力等长期信息日益增长的需求，特别是与前瞻性资源管理、保护和恢复有关的信息。八月底，拟建车站附近将举行为期一周的研讨会，届时内华达州内外的大学教师和利益相关者将齐聚一堂，起草总体规划文件，包括设施需求、数据管理细节和费用结构。大盆地的特点是有上林线和下林线，因此春谷野外站非常适合研究气候和生态系统动态在空间和时间上的联系，包括后缘和前缘生态带边缘的扩张、后退或持续。