Long-term Interactions Among Bodiversity, CO2, and N in a Perennial Grassland Ecosystem

在未来50年中，人类造成的大气二氧化碳（CO2）水平的迅速增加几乎肯定会导致全球变暖，影响全球植被的生长和表现。植物及其生态系统每年吸收化石燃料燃烧排放的大约三分之一的二氧化碳，随着二氧化碳水平的持续上升，了解植物是否能继续发挥这一重要功能至关重要。 世界上只有不到5个真实的实地实验测试植被是否会继续吸收额外的C，以及这种C捕获是否会受到贫瘠土壤或多样性丧失的限制。BioCON（生物多样性，CO2和氮）实验是其中之一，是唯一的测试大气CO2，土壤氮供应，植物物种丰富度和组成之间的相互作用，所有这些都已同时操作自1998年以来，在明尼苏达州的温带多年生草原。 该项目将使植物暴露于预计在21世纪后期出现的CO2水平; LTREB的资金将帮助维持2007-2011年的这一实验，并支持与生态系统科学和大气变化有关的大量植物和土壤措施。 这项研究将解决人类活动对地方到全球范围的环境进程的潜在影响方面对社会具有重大意义的问题。它将确定土壤氮的缺乏是否会限制生态系统捕获和固碳的长期能力。此外，BioCON广泛加强研究和教育，作为一个独特的设施开放，并鼓励感兴趣的科学家和学生的新举措，并促进教学，培训和学生，教师，记者和其他人的学习。

Rapid human-caused increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels during the next 50 years are almost certain to lead to global warming, influencing the growth and performance of vegetation worldwide. Plants and their ecosystems absorb roughly one-third of the CO2 emitted from fossil fuel combustion each year, and it is critical to understand whether plants can continue this important function as CO2 levels continue to rise. Realistic field experiments that test whether vegetation will continue to absorb extra C, and whether such C capture may be constrained by infertile soils or loss of diversity, number fewer than five in the world. The BioCON (Biodiversity, CO2, and Nitrogen) experiment is one of these, and is unique in testing interactions among atmospheric CO2, soil N supply, and plant species richness and composition, all of which have been simultaneously manipulated since 1998 in a temperate perennial grassland in Minnesota. This project will expose plants to CO2 levels expected to occur late in the 21st century; LTREB funds will help to maintain this experiment from 2007-2011 and to support a large number of measures of plants and soils relevant to both ecosystem science and atmospheric change. This research will address issues of major importance to society regarding the potential impacts of human activities on environmental processes at local to global scales. It will determine whether lack of soil nitrogen constrains the long-term ability of ecosystems to capture and sequester carbon. Additionally, BioCON broadly enhances research and education, as a unique facility open to and encouraging new initiatives from interested scientists and students, and promoting teaching, training, and learning for students, teachers, journalists and others.