IRES Track 1: Ecological responses to rainfall across the Namib Desert climate gradient

旱地(干旱和半干旱生态系统)具有全球生态和社会经济重要性，因为它们覆盖了地球近一半的陆地表面，养活了地球上很大一部分人口和畜牧业生产，而且还在不断增长。尽管它们很重要，但相对于较潮湿的系统，人们对旱地的生态过程知之甚少。这种知识的缺乏限制了可用于知情旱地管理的信息。该项目旨在通过培训美国本科生和研究生在旱地生态系统中开展国际研究来解决这一知识差距。全球旱地中心-戈巴博研究机会将在三年内为18名美国学生提供强化培训。学生活动每年夏天将持续八周，在此期间，学生将在位于世界上最古老的沙漠-纳米比亚纳米布沙漠中心的戈巴贝研究和培训中心进行研究。美国学生将与纳米比亚实习生、纳米比亚导师和美国PI合作，设计和实施新颖的研究项目，利用独特的降水梯度来探索气候和土壤组成如何影响旱地的生态过程。学生将在出行前的学期通过在线研讨会为研究体验做准备，并将根据他们的研究经验在学期中参与后续的综合活动。这些研究项目将对一批美国学生进行研究技术方面的培训，为他们的职业生涯奠定基础，这将促进我们对旱地生态系统的理解。由美国学生、纳米比亚实习生和纳米比亚教师导师组成的研究团队的使用将在合作研究和沟通技能方面提供宝贵的培训。该计划将帮助培养新一代从事国际工作的旱地科学家，从而提高能力并为生态知识库做出贡献，这对旱地的可持续利用和管理至关重要。相对于湿润系统而言，对旱地系统生态过程的科学理解是有限的。这种知识差距既反映了历史研究的偏见，也反映了这些偏见传递给一代又一代学生科学家的情况。关于旱地的科学研究很少，因为全球大片旱地位于科学资源有限的发展中国家。加强我们在旱地的基础和应用知识的一步是为国际旱地研究的学生提供培训机会，并培养能够在国际舞台上有效合作的下一代科学领袖。美国科学家在国际旱地研究中的领导地位的提高将增进对我们自己的旱地的了解，并改善发展中国家的基础科学和土地管理。纳米比亚纳米布沙漠为量化旱地生物地球化学、生态和生理过程的机械控制提供了独特的自然实验，因为陡峭的降水梯度与不同的土壤表面重合。地理上距离雨量和土壤类型不同的地点很近，可以到达设备齐全的研究站，以及与纳米比亚科学家的现有关系，这使得这里成为研究培训计划的绝佳地点，这将有助于培养新一代参与国际事务的旱地科学家。全球旱地研究机会中心(GDC-GRO)将促进由美国学生(本科生和研究生)和纳米比亚实习生组成的团队开展的研究项目，他们将与纳米比亚导师和美国个人投资促进机构密切合作。共有18名美国学生参加(三年中每年有四名本科生和两名研究生)。IRES的密集活动每年将持续8周，通过在线研讨会提前在学期中进行准备活动，并在IRES经验之后的学期中进行后续综合活动。这项建议的主要参与者是纳米比亚导师(来自纳米比亚大学、纳米比亚科技大学和戈巴贝研究与培训中心)，他们渴望与学生团队和美国私人投资机构合作，开发跨越纳米布降水梯度的实质性研究项目。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Drylands (arid and semi-arid ecosystems) are of global ecological and socioeconomic importance as they cover nearly half of the earth's terrestrial surface and support a large and growing portion of the earth's human population and livestock production. Despite their importance, ecological processes in drylands are poorly understood relative to wetter systems. This lack of knowledge limits available information for informed dryland management. The project aims to address this knowledge gap by training US undergraduate and graduate students to carry out international research in dryland ecosystems. The Global Drylands Center-Gobabeb Research Opportunity will provide intensive training for eighteen US students over a three year period. The student activities will last for eight weeks each summer, during which students will conduct research at the Gobabeb Research and Training Centre, located in the heart of the oldest desert in the world, the Namib Desert of Namibia. US students will work collaboratively with Namibian interns, Namibian mentors, and US PIs to design and carry out novel research projects that will use a unique precipitation gradient to explore how climate and soil composition affect ecological processes in drylands. Students will prepare for the research experience through an online seminar in the semester before travel and will participate in follow-up synthesis activities in the semester following their research experience. These research projects will train a cohort of US students in research techniques, positioning them for careers that will advance our understanding of dryland ecosystems. The use of research teams composed of US students, Namibian interns, and Namibian faculty mentors will provide valuable training in collaborative research and communication skills. This program will help develop a new generation of internationally-engaged dryland scientists, thus enhancing capacities and contributing to the ecological knowledge base, paramount for sustainable use and management of drylands. Scientific understanding of ecological processes in dryland systems is limited relative to wetter systems. This knowledge gap reflects both historical research biases and the transmission of these biases to successive generations of student scientists. Little scientific study of drylands is amplified by the fact that vast areas of global drylands are located in developing nations with limited scientific resources. A step toward enhancing our basic and applied knowledge in drylands is providing training opportunities for students in international dryland research and developing a next generation of scientific leaders who can effectively collaborate in international arenas. Increased leadership by US scientists in international dryland research will enhance understanding of our own drylands and improve basic science and land management in developing nations. The Namib Desert of Namibia offers a unique natural experiment for quantifying mechanistic controls over biogeochemical, ecological, and physiological processes in drylands because of a steep precipitation gradient coincides with contrasting soil surfaces. The close geographic proximity of sites with contrasting rainfall and soil types, access to a well-equipped research station, and existing relationships with Namibian scientists make this an excellent site for a research training program that will help develop a new generation of internationally-engaged dryland scientists. The Global Drylands Center-Gobabeb Research Opportunity (GDC-GRO) will facilitate research projects which will be carried out by teams of US students (undergraduate and graduate) and Namibian interns who will work closely with Namibian mentors and US PIs. A total of eighteen US students will participate (four undergraduates and two graduate students in each of the three years). Intensive IRES activities will last eight weeks each year, with preparation activities in the semester beforehand through an online seminar and follow-up synthesis activities in the semester following the IRES experience. Key players in this proposal are Namibian mentors (from University of Namibia, Namibia University of Science and Technology and Gobabeb Research and Training Centre) who are eager to work with student teams and US PIs to develop substantive research projects across the Namib precipitation gradient.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.