Collaborative Research: OPUS: Understanding the Complexity of Grazing Ecosystems Through Synthesis

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Much of the plant material on Earth is consumed by large animals. In North America, these animals include herbivores such as deer, elk, moose, and bison. These grazers have profound effects on grasslands and forests. Ecosystem processes such as plant production, nutrient cycling, and carbon storage can vary widely due to herbivores. Understanding the factors controlling that variation is critical for management of the ecosystems that support these animals. Unfortunately, the forces causing spatial and temporal variation on grazed grasslands are poorly understood. This project helps fill that knowledge gap by analyzing a large amount of data gathered over more than three decades in Yellowstone National Park (YNP). The project also provides valuable public access to a unique dataset, training opportunities for undergraduate students, and outreach to the public as well as to National Park Service scientists, managers, and interpretive staff.The effects of migratory herds of elk and bison on grassland soil and plant processes have been measured in YNP since 1988. Over that period, 11 different field experiments were conducted at 42 different grassland sites. Together those independent data sets include measurements of herbivore effects on key plant and soil processes. A wide range of plant community types, soil conditions and climate conditions are represented. There are three goals of the project: (1) to compile the data collected in YNP into a single data set and upload it to a platform for public access, (2) to determine the relative effects of climate, plant composition, soil properties, and herbivores on ecosystem processes, and (3) to use the DayCent model to study the effects of these processes on soil carbon storage in YNP grasslands. The synthesis of the data provides a rare opportunity to mechanistically understand how both spatial and temporal variability interact with large herbivores to determine grassland plant and soil processes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.