Planning Grant: Workshops to Build Capacity for Biological Field Research in Southern California Ecosystems

规划拨款：南加州生态系统生物实地研究能力建设研讨会

• 批准号: 2147764
• 负责人: Steven Allison
• 金额: $ 2.5万
• 依托单位: University of California-Irvine
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-02-01 至 2023-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2147764&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Planning; Grant; Workshops; Build; Capacity

Climate change and associated extreme events, like droughts and wildfires, threaten communities and natural landscapes worldwide. In 2006, researchers established the Loma Ridge global change experiment in Irvine, California, to study drought, pollution, and fire impacts on local grasslands and shrublands. These unique ecosystems provide critical habitat and recreational benefits while serving as a living laboratory for environmental research. Still, as a relatively new field research facility, Loma Ridge has not yet realized its full potential. Therefore, the goal of this project is to transform Loma Ridge into a globally recognized hub for transdisciplinary research on climate adaptation with benefits for society and the environment. A series of workshops will engage a broad community of scholars, students, and community organizations in planning discussions about Loma Ridge. Together, this community will develop collaborations aimed at applying scientific research to improve land management, climate resilience, and conservation practices. Specific goals for the workshops include: develop a strategic plan, establish an executive committee, grow the research and stakeholder community, provide professional development training to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, and design a communications strategy and website. Achieving these goals will engage the private sector, residents, and the scientific community in tackling environmental problems in Southern California and beyond.In the last 15 years at Loma Ridge, researchers have developed an interdisciplinary understanding of the ecological processes and environmental variables that govern plant and microbial communities in Southern California. Studies have quantified the response of Mediterranean grassland and shrubland ecosystems to environmental change with a replicated whole-ecosystem manipulation that includes factorial combinations of ambient conditions, nitrogen addition, added precipitation, and reduced precipitation. Thus far, the experiment has supported over 50 scientific publications on plant communities, microbial communities, and ecohydrology along with dozens of student projects and multiple outreach programs. These activities have been conducted in partnership with the Irvine Ranch Conservancy that manages the Orange County-owned land on which the experiment is located. Through a series of proposed workshops, the investigators will bring together researchers and land management experts to establish a long-term vision and strategic plan for Loma Ridge. Experts will be drawn from a range of fields, including the social sciences, to assemble a transdisciplinary planning team. The team will identify long-term goals in three main research areas: climate response of communities and ecosystems, recovery of previously restored habitats, and mitigation of ecosystem disturbance. In addition, the planning team will develop policies and best practices to manage data and ensure effective communication. The plan to expand Loma Ridge’s scope and capacity will facilitate new research infrastructure, training opportunities, and outreach programs. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows will bring diverse intellectual perspectives while gaining scientific and professional skills required for their career success. Together, these activities will position Loma Ridge as a hub for research and educational programs that focus on mitigating the impacts of human-caused environmental change. For more information about Loma Ridge, see https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/mgoulden/the-loma-ridge-climate-change-experiment/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.

气候变化和相关的极端事件，如干旱和野火，威胁着世界各地的社区和自然景观。2006年，研究人员在加利福尼亚州欧文市建立了洛马岭全球变化实验，以研究干旱、污染和火灾对当地草原和灌木丛的影响。这些独特的生态系统提供了重要的栖息地和娱乐效益，同时也是环境研究的活实验室。尽管如此，作为一个相对较新的实地研究设施，洛马岭尚未充分发挥其潜力。因此，该项目的目标是将洛马岭转变为全球公认的气候适应跨学科研究中心，为社会和环境带来好处。一系列研讨会将吸引广泛的学者、学生和社区组织参与策划关于洛马岭的讨论。这个社区将共同开展合作，旨在应用科学研究来改善土地管理、气候适应能力和保护做法。讲习班的具体目标包括：制定战略计划，成立执行委员会，扩大研究和利益攸关方社区，为研究生和博士后学者提供专业发展培训，以及设计沟通战略和网站。实现这些目标将使私营部门、居民和科学界参与解决南加州和其他地区的环境问题。在洛马岭大学的过去15年里，研究人员对控制南加州植物和微生物群落的生态过程和环境变量有了跨学科的理解。研究通过重复的全生态系统操作量化了地中海草原和灌丛生态系统对环境变化的反应，其中包括环境条件、氮素添加、增加的降水量和减少的降水量的因素组合。到目前为止，该实验已经支持了50多份关于植物群落、微生物群落和生态水文学的科学出版物，以及数十个学生项目和多个推广计划。这些活动是与欧文牧场保护协会合作进行的，欧文牧场保护协会管理实验所在的奥兰治县拥有的土地。通过一系列拟议的研讨会，调查人员将把研究人员和土地管理专家聚集在一起，为洛马岭制定长期愿景和战略计划。将从包括社会科学在内的一系列领域吸引专家，以组建一个跨学科的规划团队。该小组将确定三个主要研究领域的长期目标：社区和生态系统的气候反应、恢复以前恢复的栖息地以及缓解生态系统干扰。此外，规划小组将制定政策和最佳做法，以管理数据和确保有效沟通。扩大洛马岭的范围和能力的计划将促进新的研究基础设施、培训机会和外展计划。研究生和博士后研究员将带来不同的智力观点，同时获得职业成功所需的科学和专业技能。总之，这些活动将把洛马岭定位为专注于减轻人类造成的环境变化影响的研究和教育项目的中心。有关洛马岭的更多信息，请参阅https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/mgoulden/the-loma-ridge-climate-change-experiment/This奖项，该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并已通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。