Equipment to Improve the Capabilities of the Center for Ecological Research & Education (CERE) Environmental Analytical Laboratory (EAL) & Controlled Environment Facility (

我们要求获得支持，以获得加强我们的环境研究计划所需的设备，该计划强调生物和生态系统功能的相互作用。该设备将大大升级和扩大六个独立和协作研究中的六个私人投资机构使用的两个互动设施：一个环境分析化学实验室(CERE EAL)和一个受控环境设施(CERE CEF)。这两个设施的能力是紧密相连的；我们大多数实地研究的实验室组成部分需要受控的环境室，而实地和实验室方面都需要测定各种营养物质和离子。我们的团队包括在水生和陆地生态系统方面拥有专业知识的植物、动物和微生物生态学家，他们的工作范围从生物行为和生理水平到群落和生态系统动力学。我们的团队高度合作，我们的个人和合作研究与西部山区保护和管理的许多重要问题相关。我们为本科生、研究生和博士后提供重要的研究培训机会。总的来说，我们是44名研究生、5名博士后研究助理和众多本科生研究助理或独立学习学生的主要顾问。我们将更换陈旧的设备，并增加新的最先进的设备，这些设备的性能比我们现有的设备更好。我们需要两台主要设备，以大大提高我们分析实验室的样品处理能力和数据质量，一台Alpkem FLOWSolution自动分析仪(型号3590型，基本系统A001280型)和一台卡洛·埃尔巴NA1500 CHNS燃烧分析仪。这些模型对于增加我们可以处理的样本数量是必要的，也是重要的，提高我们准确测定低浓度营养物质和离子，特别是硝酸盐、氨氮和总氮的能力。我们还要求两个步入式、四个伸缩式和四个小型台式环境室，以更换陈旧的设备并增加额外的受控环境空间。这些小室将配备爱达荷州立大学将建造的受控环境设施，作为新温室综合体的一部分，施工计划于1995年1月完成。尽管我们明白，建设不能与这项提议相匹配，但这个温室综合体的建设成本超过30万美元，主要是为了支持我们团队的研究和研究培训。为直接支持这项提议，在建筑计划中增加了受控环境房间，估计额外楼面费用为19 200美元。如果这项提议得到资助，我们将能够更有效地进行我们的研究，进行更多的协作研究和更复杂的研究，在更短的时间内收集更高质量的数据，并扩大我们的研究计划。这将为博士后助理、研究生和本科生提供更多和更高质量的研究培训机会。

We request support to acquire equipment needed to enhance our program of environmental research, which emphasizes interactions of organisms and ecosystem function. The equipment will significantly upgrade and expand two interactive facilities used by the six PIs in our separate and collaborative research: an environmental analytical chemistry laboratory (the CERE EAL) and a controlled environment facility (the CERE CEF). The capabilities of these two facilities are intimately linked; the laboratory components of most of our field-based studies require controlled environment chambers, and both the field and laboratory aspects require determinations of various nutrients and ions. Our group includes plant, animal, and microbial ecologists with expertise in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, whose work ranges from the level of organismal behavior and physiology to community and ecosystem dynamics. Our group is highly collaborative, and our individual and collaborative research is relevant to many issues of conservation and management importance in the Intermountain West. We provide significant research training opportunities at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels. Collectively, we are the major advisors for 44 graduate students, 5 postdoctoral research associates, and numerous undergraduate research assistants or independent study students. We will replace obsolete equipment and add new pieces of state-of-the-art equipment with improved capabilities over those we currently have. We request two major pieces of equipment that will greatly improve the sample processing capacity and data quality obtainable from our analytical laboratory, an Alpkem FLOWSolution autoanalyzer (model 3590, base system A001280) and a Carlo Erba NA1500 CHNS combustion analyzer. These models are necessary to increase the sample number we can process and, also importantly, to improve our abilities to accurately determine low concentrations of nutrients and ions, especial ly nitrate, ammonium, and total nitrogen. We also request two walk-in, four reach-in, and four small benchtop environmental chambers to replace obsolete equipment and add additional controlled environment space. These chambers will equip a controlled environment facility that Idaho State University will build as part of a new greenhouse complex, with construction scheduled to be completed in January 1995. Although we understand that building cannot contribute to the match for this proposal, this greenhouse complex has a building cost of greater than $300,000 and is being built largely to support the research and research training of our group. The controlled environment room was added to the building plans in direct support of this proposal, at an estimated additional floor-space cost of $19,200. If this proposal is funded, we will be able to conduct our research more effectively, to undertake more collaborative research and more sophisticated research, to collect better quality data in a shorter time, and to expand our research programs. This will provide increased number and quality of research training opportunities to postdoctoral associates, graduate students and undergraduate students.