Planning Grant: Workshops to Build Capacity for Biological Field Research in Southern California Ecosystems

气候变化和相关的极端事件，如干旱和野火，威胁着世界各地的社区和自然景观。2006年，研究人员在加州尔湾建立了洛马岭全球变化实验，研究干旱、污染和火灾对当地草原和灌木地的影响。这些独特的生态系统提供了重要的栖息地和娱乐效益，同时作为环境研究的活实验室。尽管如此，作为一个相对较新的实地研究设施，洛马岭还没有充分发挥其潜力。因此，该项目的目标是将洛马岭转变为全球公认的气候适应跨学科研究中心，为社会和环境带来效益。一系列的研讨会将吸引广泛的学者、学生和社区组织参与规划有关洛马岭的讨论。这个社区将共同开展合作，旨在将科学研究应用于改善土地管理、气候适应能力和保护措施。研讨会的具体目标包括：制定战略计划，建立执行委员会，发展研究和利益相关者社区，为研究生和博士后学者提供专业发展培训，并设计沟通策略和网站。实现这些目标需要私营部门、居民和科学界参与解决南加州及其他地区的环境问题。在过去的15年里，在洛马岭，研究人员对南加州植物和微生物群落的生态过程和环境变量进行了跨学科的理解。研究量化了地中海草原和灌丛生态系统对环境变化的响应，包括环境条件、氮添加、降水增加和降水减少的因子组合。到目前为止，该实验已经支持了50多篇关于植物群落、微生物群落和生态水文学的科学出版物，以及数十个学生项目和多个推广计划。这些活动是与欧文牧场保护协会合作进行的，该协会管理着奥兰治县拥有的土地，该土地是实验所在地。通过一系列提议的研讨会，调查人员将把研究人员和土地管理专家聚集在一起，为洛马岭建立一个长期愿景和战略计划。将从包括社会科学在内的各个领域抽取专家，组成一个跨学科的规划小组。该团队将在三个主要研究领域确定长期目标：社区和生态系统的气候响应、恢复先前恢复的栖息地和减轻生态系统干扰。此外，规划小组将制定政策和最佳做法，以管理数据并确保有效沟通。扩大洛马岭的范围和能力的计划将促进新的研究基础设施、培训机会和推广项目。研究生和博士后将带来不同的知识视角，同时获得他们职业成功所需的科学和专业技能。总之，这些活动将使洛马岭成为研究和教育项目的中心，重点是减轻人为造成的环境变化的影响。有关洛马岭的更多信息，请参阅https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/mgoulden/the-loma-ridge-climate-change-experiment/This该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Climate change and associated extreme events, like droughts and wildfires, threaten communities and natural landscapes worldwide. In 2006, researchers established the Loma Ridge global change experiment in Irvine, California, to study drought, pollution, and fire impacts on local grasslands and shrublands. These unique ecosystems provide critical habitat and recreational benefits while serving as a living laboratory for environmental research. Still, as a relatively new field research facility, Loma Ridge has not yet realized its full potential. Therefore, the goal of this project is to transform Loma Ridge into a globally recognized hub for transdisciplinary research on climate adaptation with benefits for society and the environment. A series of workshops will engage a broad community of scholars, students, and community organizations in planning discussions about Loma Ridge. Together, this community will develop collaborations aimed at applying scientific research to improve land management, climate resilience, and conservation practices. Specific goals for the workshops include: develop a strategic plan, establish an executive committee, grow the research and stakeholder community, provide professional development training to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, and design a communications strategy and website. Achieving these goals will engage the private sector, residents, and the scientific community in tackling environmental problems in Southern California and beyond.In the last 15 years at Loma Ridge, researchers have developed an interdisciplinary understanding of the ecological processes and environmental variables that govern plant and microbial communities in Southern California. Studies have quantified the response of Mediterranean grassland and shrubland ecosystems to environmental change with a replicated whole-ecosystem manipulation that includes factorial combinations of ambient conditions, nitrogen addition, added precipitation, and reduced precipitation. Thus far, the experiment has supported over 50 scientific publications on plant communities, microbial communities, and ecohydrology along with dozens of student projects and multiple outreach programs. These activities have been conducted in partnership with the Irvine Ranch Conservancy that manages the Orange County-owned land on which the experiment is located. Through a series of proposed workshops, the investigators will bring together researchers and land management experts to establish a long-term vision and strategic plan for Loma Ridge. Experts will be drawn from a range of fields, including the social sciences, to assemble a transdisciplinary planning team. The team will identify long-term goals in three main research areas: climate response of communities and ecosystems, recovery of previously restored habitats, and mitigation of ecosystem disturbance. In addition, the planning team will develop policies and best practices to manage data and ensure effective communication. The plan to expand Loma Ridge’s scope and capacity will facilitate new research infrastructure, training opportunities, and outreach programs. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows will bring diverse intellectual perspectives while gaining scientific and professional skills required for their career success. Together, these activities will position Loma Ridge as a hub for research and educational programs that focus on mitigating the impacts of human-caused environmental change. For more information about Loma Ridge, see https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/mgoulden/the-loma-ridge-climate-change-experiment/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.