Grassland Community Coalescence and Diversity Across Gradients of Nitrogen Eutrophication: the Interplay of Species Pools, Niche Determinism and Neutral Processes

了解调节群落组成和多样性的因素是生态学的一个关键目标，但对于预测和调解环境变化对生态系统的影响也是必要的。将建立一个长期的田间试验，以研究种子可获得性、当地生态相互作用和机会因素在控制草地群落沿氮肥梯度变化中的作用。将种植实验群落，以建立与物种多样性、组成和丰度有关的各种初始条件。一旦建立，这些群落将被暴露在不同水平的氮肥中，以评估根据物种的功能特征和初始种群大小可以预测物种命运和群落变化的程度。该项目将有助于理解沿氮素可利用性梯度的群落形成，而且还将产生适用于草原管理和恢复的信息。该项目将有助于对堪萨斯大学和哈斯克尔印第安人民族大学的女研究生和本科生进行教育和培训。少数族裔学生将出席生态学会和奇卡诺人和美洲原住民促进会的会议。该项目将纳入KU外勤站现有的公共外联方案。

Understanding factors that regulate the composition and diversity of communities is a key aim in ecology, but is also necessary to anticipate and mediate impacts of environmental change on ecosystems. A long-term field experiment will be established to investigate the role of seed availability, local ecological interactions and chance factors in governing the dynamics of grassland communities along gradients of nitrogen fertilization. Experimental communities will be planted to establish a variety of initial conditions with respect to species diversity, composition and abundance. Once established, these communities will be exposed to varying levels of nitrogen fertilization to evaluate the extent to which fates of species and changes in the community are predictable based upon functional traits and initial population sizes of species. The project will contribute to understanding of community formation along gradients of nitrogen availability, but also yield information applicable to grassland management and restoration. This project will contribute to education and training of female graduate students and undergraduates from University of Kansas (KU) and Haskell Indian Nations University. Minority students will present at meetings of the Ecological Society and the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans. The project will be integrated into an existing public outreach program run by the KU Field Station.