LTREB Renewal: Long-term Interactions among Biodiversity, CO2, and N in a Perennial Grassland Ecosystem

在未来50年中，人为造成的大气二氧化碳浓度迅速增加将导致全球变暖，并可能改变降水模式和/或数量，影响全球植被的生长和表现。植物及其生态系统每年吸收约四分之一的化石燃料燃烧排放的二氧化碳，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。只有不到五个现实的长期实地实验来测试植被是否会继续吸收额外的碳，以及这种碳捕获是否会受到贫瘠土壤，土壤水分缺乏，气候变暖或多样性丧失的限制。BioCON实验就是其中之一，植物暴露在预计将在21世纪末出现的二氧化碳水平下。 自1998年以来，BioCON研究了明尼苏达州温带多年生草原生物多样性，大气CO2和土壤氮供应之间的相互作用。BioCON包括降水控制（2007年开始）和变暖处理（2012年开始）。该项目将在2012-2017年期间支持这项实验，包括与生态系统科学和大气变化有关的植物和土壤测量。这项研究将探讨对社会具有重大意义的问题，特别是人类活动在地方乃至全球范围内对环境进程的潜在影响。多样性丧失、气候变暖、土壤氮和土壤湿度在多大程度上限制了生态系统捕获和封存碳的长期能力，也将受到审查。此外，由于它是一个独特的设施开放，并鼓励新的举措，生物CON将加强研究和教育，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) concentrations during the next 50 years will contribute to global warming and will likely shift precipitation patterns and/or amounts, influencing the growth and performance of vegetation worldwide. Plants and their ecosystems absorb roughly one-fourth 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. There are fewer than five realistic long-term field experiments that test whether vegetation will continue to absorb extra carbon, and whether such carbon capture may be constrained by infertile soils, lack of soil moisture, climate warming, or loss of diversity. The BioCON experiment is one of these, where plants are exposed to CO2 levels expected to occur late in the 21st century. Since 1998 BioCON has examined interactions among biodiversity, atmospheric CO2, and soil N supply in a temperate perennial grassland in Minnesota. BioCON includes precipitation manipulation (begun in 2007) and warming treatments (begun in 2012). This project will support this experiment from 2012-2017, including measures of plants and soils relevant to both ecosystem science and atmospheric change. This research will address issues of major importance to society, in particular the potential impacts of human activities on environmental processes at local to global scales. The degrees to which loss of diversity, climate warming, soil nitrogen, and soil moisture constrain the long-term ability of ecosystems to capture and sequester carbon will also be examined. In addition, because it is a unique facility open to and encouraging new initiatives, BioCON will enhance research and education and promote teaching, training, and learning for students, teachers, journalists and others.