LTREB: Experimental monitoring and manipulation of a Chihuahuan Desert rodent community

多样化的生态系统正在响应气候和物种组成的变化而发生变化;了解社区、种群和物种将如何应对这些变化是生态学的一个重大挑战。进展是复杂的，因为有些气候变化是定向的，而另一些则是周期性的。此外，对气候的反应可能受到物种相互作用和物种对气候变化反应的时滞的影响。该项目将对亚利桑那州波特尔附近的小型哺乳动物进行长期研究，以了解沙漠群落最近的变化是由定向人为全球变化还是由自然的十年尺度气候周期太平洋十年振荡造成的。长期的实验操作去除一组关键物种，袋鼠，将被用来评估物种组成是否以及如何影响生态对气候的反应。该项目将进一步科学地了解气候变化对沙漠生态系统的影响，以及沙漠的变化是由于人为的全球变化还是自然的十年尺度气候振荡。研究结果还将表明物种组成是否可以指导生态系统对气候变化的反应。该项目将通过培训本科生和研究生以及通过博客等网络论坛广泛传播研究成果，将研究与教育结合起来。

Diverse ecosystems are changing in response to shifts in climate and species composition; and understanding how communities, populations, and species will respond to these changes is a major challenge in ecology. Progress has been complicated because some climate changes are directional while others are cyclic in nature. Furthermore, responses to climate can be affected by species interactions and by time lags in how species respond to changes in climate. This project will use a long-term study of small mammals near Portal, Arizona, to understand whether recent changes in desert communities result from directional anthropogenic global change or from a natural, decadal-scale climate cycle, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Long-term experimental manipulations removing a keystone group of species, kangaroo rats, will be used to assess whether and how species composition influences ecological responses to climate. This project will further scientific understanding of climate change impacts on desert ecosystems, and whether shifts in deserts are due to anthropogenic global change or natural decadal scale climate oscillations. Results will also indicate whether species composition can direct ecosystem-level responses to climate change. This project will integrate research and education by training undergraduate and graduate students and by disseminating research results broadly through web-based fora such as blogs.