Collaborative Research: Interactive Effects of Climate, Ecosystem Engineering, and Trophic Interactions on Grassland Community Dynamics

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Predicting the effects of climate change on ecological systems is complicated by the many separate and interacting ways in which climate can affect the different species and processes in the same place. This project will investigate the multiple effects of a decrease in annual precipitation in desert grassland in California where burrowing, seed-eating mammals strongly affect soil nutrients, soil moisture, and seed dispersal by plants, and where introduced plant species compete with native ones. Researchers will exclude mammals, intercept or add rainfall, and measure effects on populations of mammals, plants, and invertebrates and on nutrient levels over four years. This unusual opportunity to experimentally test multiple, complex effects of climate in a natural system will advance our basic understanding of the ecological consequences of climate change.The broader impacts of this project include development of the workforce for science likely including underrepresented groups, outreach to the public, and applications to the conservation of biodiversity and the management of natural areas. The project will train a postdoctoral researcher, a graduate student, and three research technicians. Work with two local organizations will promote public science education and volunteering. Findings will inform management of the Carrizo Plain, the last major remnant of a major type of grassland in California and a refuge for endangered species.