Research Infrastructure: An Integrated Laboratory Facility to Improve Research Capacity at Archbold Biological Station

阿奇博尔德生物站成立于1941年，是位于佛罗里达州中南部的一个非营利性生物野外站，致力于长期的生态研究、教育和保护。阿奇博尔德拥有并管理着一个2102公顷的全球重要灌木保护区和相邻的1476公顷的修复地点，以及巴克岛牧场，一个4168公顷的陆地和淡水牧场生态系统。首席研究员将开发一个综合实验室设施，以提供新的实验室能力和设备，以便阿奇博尔德的科学家和访问研究人员更好地研究变化的外部和内部驱动因素与生物响应的四个关键领域之间的联系：生物多样性、人口生态学、生态系统功能和农业生态学。这些改进将促进与访问研究人员更广泛、更深入的合作，这些研究人员的工作需要增强实验室设施，增加科学网络的参与，以及为不同的利益相关者服务，扩大学生培训和加强教育计划。阿奇博尔德生物站（https://www.archbold-station.org/index.cfm）的实验室能力将增加：(1)现场样品处理，(2)分析能力，(3)分子研究。该设施的核心将是一个新的核心实验室（93平方米），在翻新的建筑空间中建造。拟议中的综合设施还将包括设备升级，以提高能力，有效利用现有实验室空间，并满足Archbold科学家和访问研究人员日益增长的研究需求。这些改进将促进跨学科的、以实验室为基础的工作，以补充我们的长期种群研究（例如，佛罗里达灌丛鸦（Aphelocoma coerulescens； 54岁）、地鼠龟（Gopherus polyphemus； 55岁）和17种植物物种（20-42岁）），通过增加和增强广泛的实验室功能（例如，土壤和水营养分析、DNA分析、免疫学测试）。最终，这些改进将加强生物多样性、种群生态学和遗传学、生态系统功能和农业生态学的基础研究和生态理论，并推进阿奇博尔德的22个具体研究重点。与设施相关的研究将通过阿奇博尔德广泛的传播渠道传播，并直接融入教育计划。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。

Archbold Biological Station, established in 1941, is a not-for-profit biological field station in south-central Florida dedicated to long-term ecological research, education, and conservation. Archbold owns and manages a 2,102-ha globally significant scrub preserve and adjacent 1,476-ha restoration site, as well as Buck Island Ranch, a 4,168 ha terrestrial and freshwater working cattle ranch ecosystem. The Principal Investigators will develop an integrated Laboratory Facility to provide new laboratory capacity and equipment to better allow Archbold’s scientists and visiting researchers to study the links between external and internal drivers of change and four key areas of biological responses: biodiversity, population ecology, ecosystem functioning, and agroecology. The improvements will facilitate broader, deeper collaborations with visiting researchers whose work requires enhanced laboratory facilities, increase scientific networks involvement, as well as serve diverse stakeholders, broaden student training and enhance education programs.Archbold Biological Station’s (https://www.archbold-station.org/index.cfm) laboratory capacity will be increased for: (1) field sample processing, (2) analytical capabilities, and (3) molecular research. The centerpiece of the Facility will be a new Core Laboratory (93 m2) constructed in renovated building space. The proposed integrated Facility will also include equipment upgrades to improve capabilities, efficiently utilize existing laboratory space, and serve the growing research needs of Archbold’s scientists and visiting researchers. These improvements will promote cross-disciplinary, laboratory-based work to complement our long-term population studies (e.g., Florida scrub jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens; 54 yr), gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus; 55 yr) and 17 plant species (20-42 yr)) via new capabilities to increase and enhance wide-ranging laboratory functions (e.g., soil and water nutrient analyses, DNA analyses, immunological tests). Ultimately, these improvements will enhance basic research and ecological theory in biodiversity, population ecology and genetics, ecosystem functioning, and agroecology, and advance 22 specific research foci at Archbold. Facility-related research will be disseminated via Archbold’s extensive communication outlets and directly integrated into Education programming.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.