Katherine L. Gross - US grants

This research will examine how the morphology and demography of the fine root system of plants enables the acquisition of two limiting soil resources: water and nitrogen. The ability of plants to alter fine root morphology (length, width, branching pattern, production of root hairs) and demography (birth, death, and elongation rate) is thought to affect the rate at which then encounter and exploit soil resources. The overall hypothesis is that species differences in fine root morphology and demography regulate their ability to acquire below.ground resources and therefore compete for these resources. The ability to encounterand exploit resource patches that vary in space and time must be linked to root morphology and dynamics. Several specific hypotheses will be tested in a series of greenhouse experiments. Fine root dynamics will be measured using in situ video imaging of minirhizotrons and summarized using life-tables and projection matrices. By varying the availability and spatial distribution of water and nitrogen, and by using 15C as a tracer, we will be able to measure the relationship between fine and root morphology and dynamics and resource acquisition. This research is novel and innovative because it utilizes new technology to understand how resource availability drives fine root demography. Until now, virtually all ecological investigations have either ignored fine roots (a major carbon sink), or quantified them in one or aseries of static observations. This project will make significant progress toward the development of a more mechanistic understanding of competition for soil resources in terrestrial plants.

In 1987 a Long-Term Ecological Research Project in Agricultural Ecology was initiated to examine basic ecological relationships in row crop ecosystems typical of the U.S. Midwest. The project's original goal was to test the basic, long-term hypothesis that agronomic management based on knowledge of ecological interactions in cropping systems can effectively replace management based on chemical subsidies. The same overall goal guides the project today. In order to test this hypothesis an experimental site was established in which different cropping systems, corresponding to different levels of agronomic/ecological disturbance, are used to test a series of working hypotheses. Working hypotheses are built around the general topic areas of nutrient availability/ retention, plant competition, and consumer (insect, pathogen) dynamics. Over the initial award period substantial progress has been made towards meeting the short-term goals of establishing a secure agricultural research site with long-term potential, of putting in place an integrated sampling program to address important long-term questions in both ecology and agronomy, and most importantly, of testing and refining the initial hypotheses. In this new project period the aim is to extend plot-based research to the regional landscape and to address seven basic ecological hypotheses that are critical for understanding the ecological underpinnings of modern agriculture and for providing the knowledge needed to sustain future agricultural production.

9810220
Robertson

Agricultural activities worldwide are carried out through a combination of biological and chemical management practices. The Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) Long-Term Ecological Research program has been conducting research since 1987 focusing on testing the hypothesis that agronomic management practices based on knowledge of ecological interactions can effectively replace management based on chemical subsidies. Work to test this general hypothesis is focused on field-crop ecosystems that are used extensively throughout the US Midwest. KBS research employs a series of sites where 11 different cropping systems and successional communities have been established to represent different levels and types of ecological disturbance. Within this series of sites, working hypotheses are being tested in general areas of soil microbial communities, the dynamics of insect consumers, nutrient availability, and plant community dynamics.
Recent work has led to development of biologically based agricultural systems that produce acceptable crop yields. The KBS site has documented changes in abundance of various taxa that appear to be important in row-crop function and in ecosystem-level attributes of agricultural systems. General ecological understanding has been advanced in key relationships in field-crop ecosystems. In addition to continuing these efforts, proposed work will evaluate the effects of agricultural practices at scales larger than individual fields on the dynamics of biogeochemical processes in entire watersheds. Efforts will also be developed to incorporate a social component to evaluate the degree to which human decision making plays critical roles in the ecological processes occurring in agricultural ecosystems. Finally, the results of efforts at the KBS site will be regionalized to develop a general understanding of the interactions between climate and productivity across the entire North Central Region.

Gross

DEB-9903904


Understanding the relationships between species diversity and productivity is fundamental to the management and preservation of biodiversity. Despite years of study and intense theoretical interest however, the overall relationship remains poorly understood. This project will examine this relationship experimentally in a field project that will manipulate soil resource heterogeneity and examine the effect on species diversity. Diversity will also be manipulated by a seed addition treatment. These experiments will examine how resource heterogeneity can influence changes in species diversity that parallel similar patterns in overall productivity. It will provide a test of one of the basic hypotheses explaining productivity-diversity relationships.

Non Technical Summary (200 words)
"Collaborative Research: Testing the Role of Resource Heterogeneity and Clonal Integration on Plant Diversity in Grasslands"
PIs: KL Gross, GG Mittelbach, HL Reynolds (NSF proposal #0235699)

What determines the number of coexisting species in a local area is a long-standing question for ecologists. This is particularly challenging for plant communities because plants require similar resources and so we would expect the number of coexisting species to be strongly limited by competition. One important, but rarely tested, hypothesis to explain the high diversity of plant communities is that variation in resource levels across different patches (i.e., spatial resource heterogeneity) may regulate species diversity. We are currently testing this hypothesis in a large-scale field experiment in Michigan grassland by experimentally increasing soil resource levels through fertilization in either a homogeneous or heterogeneous fashion. This manipulation is combined with a species (seed) addition treatment to test if the ability of species to invade these grassland communities changes under different nutrient regimes. In this renewal, we will continue to follow changes in plant species diversity in response to our treatments of nutrient patchiness and potential species invasion. We also will establish a new experiment in which we will determine whether the presence of clonal plants - species that grow by producing vegetative shoots - influences the ability of non-clonal species to respond to heterogeneity in soil resources.

Explaining why species diversity varies among plant communities remains difficult because diversity is affected by many environmental factors that interact at different scales. Although several studies have shown that larger pools of potentially colonizing species increase local diversity, we recently found that this rate of increase depends on the productivity of a particular site. We propose to test if colonization by new species is controlled by site productivity or by the resident species, and if traits of potential colonists can be used to predict successful colonization under varying environmental conditions. These results will contribute to generalizations that can be applied to conservation and restoration of diversity in plant communities, and to understanding what influences invasion of exotic species.

The Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) LTER project was initiated in 1987 and since then has provided experimental and observational research designed to understand the basic internal ecological relationships that control productivity of field crop ecosystems in North America, independent of external inputs such as pesticides and fertilizers. The project has combined comparative and experimental studies of various cropping systems and unmanaged successional communities to provide ecological knowledge that can direct efficient agronomic management. This project will continue that long-term line of research and will expand it to address understanding and valuation of ecosystem services. This LTER renewal project develops an enlarged conceptual framework that integrates regional watershed and social context into the causes-consequences of changing agricultural ecology and economy.

This project contributes to understanding of the structure, function, and dynamics of agricultural ecosystems, advancing understanding of the ecological interactions that underpin productive, sustainable, low-impact agriculture. It assembles and integrates valuable long-term data sets on climate, hydrology, biology, ecology, biogeochemical processes, and other elements of the local and regional ecosystems. The project has broad societal value through its contributions to improved management of agricultural ecosystems. Its broader values also include extensive research-based training, educational program development and K-12 teacher training, and strong and diverse outreach to the public and to policy-makers.

This award provides partial support for construction of a small (approximately 2500 sq.ft.) building at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) to be used for a number of field research and education-related activities. Principal among these is the sorting and preparation of field samples prior to analysis. Soil, plant, insect, vertebrate, and aquatic samples would be sorted, processed and consolidated prior to analysis in analytical laboratories located about 2 Km. away in the main KBS academic building. In addition to this, the new building would also provide sample archive space and flexible classroom space for presentations to students, visiting environmental professionals, journalists and the public prior to visits to field research sites located within walking distance of the building. The structure will also be used to house computer and communications equipment for existing and new sensors to be deployed at an adjacent field site. KBS, which is the largest off-campus unit of Michigan State University, is one of a number of major field research stations in the U.S. that have had a long-term impact on ecological research and training. The Station has a significant record of research, education, and outreach in ecology and evolutionary biology, and is known as a premier field site for work in the successional plant communities, freshwater habitats, and agricultural landscapes that are typical of the upper U.S. Midwest. Research activity by resident and visiting researchers at KBS has grown over the past 15 years to the point that space resources are very stretched. The new building will enhance the ability of KBS to provide the best possible research, training, and outreach in ecology and evolutionary biology for resident and visiting researchers and students, while also providing a unique classroom/laboratory teaching facility for field-based classes, short-courses, workshops, and a major K-12 secondary science teacher trainingproject at KBS.

The proposed research explores the interactions between plants and a specific type of soil fungi (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi). These fungi can dramatically improve plant nutrition, plant productivity, plant diversity, and ecosystem function, greatly contributing to crop production, the maintenance of diversity in native habitats, and soil health. However, fungi can be detrimental to plants, especially in environments where soils are fertile (e.g., through fertilization) or light limited (e.g., under a dense layer of vegetation). The research examines the specific conditions of resource availability (soil nutrients and light) under which fungi benefit plants, and asks whether some plants are better at controlling their interactions with fungi than others. Understanding what controls the interactions between plants and mycorrhizal fungi is essential for predicting and manipulating the abundance of these fungi as well as their effects on plant growth. The results of this research will inform advances in low-input agriculture, restoration and management of native ecosystems, and soil carbon storage. The co-PI will also continue her work in Lawton Community Schools in Lawton, MI, helping K-12 students to conduct inquiry-based science activities to learn about ecology. In collaboration with K-12 teachers in Lawton, she develops lessons about important topics such as carbon cycling, plant diversity, and how plants and soil organisms work together to provide important services for our environment. The co-PI will also continue to present the results of her research at national meetings and in peer-reviewed publications.

The W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) of Michigan State University (MSU) has been awarded a grant to enhance educational and research opportunities by renovating nine ponds at the Experimental Pond Facility, improving cyber-infrastructure connectivity to the pond site, and installing emergency backup power at the facility. KBS is the largest off-campus unit of MSU and is known worldwide as a premier field site for research, education, and outreach in ecology and evolutionary biology. KBS provides access to diverse natural and managed habitats, many suitable for experimentation, together with modern laboratory facilities, to conduct terrestrial and aquatic ecology. Research activity at KBS has grown to the point that some of our facilities are stretched to the limit. The increasing numbers of resident and visiting researchers working at the Experimental Pond Site, along with a growing diversity and number of educational and outreach activities using this and other KBS facilities, are putting increasing demand on infrastructure and require that we upgrade and improve the facilities.

The nine ponds that will be renovated have undergone natural succession over the past 20+ years and have become unsuitable for many types of experimental studies due to low oxygen conditions and dense stands of submersed vegetation. Renovation of these ponds will allow KBS to continue to serve the needs of resident and visiting scientists, while ensuring flexibility for experimental design. Funds from this award also will be used to connect the Experimental Pond Facility to a 1Gb fiber optic backbone that now links KBS to MSU's main campus (fiber optic backbone installed in fall 2009 with MSU funds). This connection between the pond site and the KBS academic building will provide cyber-infrastructure support for data transfer between automated sensors at the pond site and other new instrumentation between the pond laboratory, the KBS main site, and MSU's campus. The backup electric generators to be installed at the Pond Laboratory with this award will ensure reliable temperature and air-supply to protect organisms (and experiments) during power outages.

Michigan State University (MSU) is awarded a grant to construct a new greenhouse at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) to complement existing facilities at the Terrestrial-Aquatic Ecology Field Facility. The new greenhouse will enhance both educational and research opportunities at KBS. KBS combines access to diverse natural and managed habitats with modern laboratory and greenhouse facilities to provide an ideal site for research and educational activities in terrestrial and aquatic ecology. The existing greenhouse on the KBS main site is heavily used and has reached full capacity. The new facility will provide needed space for the increasing numbers of resident and visiting researchers requiring greenhouse access, along with a growing diversity and number of educational and outreach activities using this and other KBS facilities.

The existing KBS greenhouse was built in the 1920's as part of the W.K. Kellogg summer estate and has been renovated and updated several times in the past 20 years with NSF and MSU funding to create 3600 square feet of research space. The existing greenhouse is currently located at the KBS main site, near the Academic-Stack research building, which allows for convenient access to laboratory facilities, but is distant from the heavily used field research areas at KBS, including the Terrestrial-Aquatic Ecology Field Facility where the new greenhouse will be constructed. This facility currently includes the Plant Ecology Field Lab, the Experimental Pond Facility, a fenced common garden area (to exclude deer) that has the capacity to establish water and shade treatments, and open fields that can be used for experimental gardens and research plots. The construction of a new greenhouse at the Terrestrial-Aquatic Ecology Field Facility will allow KBS to continue to serve the needs of resident and visiting scientists, while enabling new research connections between terrestrial and aquatic ecologists. In addition, because of its proximity to existing field sites, the new greenhouse will facilitate studies requiring both greenhouse and field components. Finally, the combination of existing aquatic research facilities and the new greenhouse will provide an excellent arena for outreach and educational activities. KBS hosts tours that serve over 4,000 people annually; constructing a greenhouse facility to complete the Terrestrial-Aquatic Ecology Field Facility will provide a centralized location for tour groups to observe ongoing research in both terrestrial and aquatic systems. For more information please visit the KBS website at http://www.kbs.msu.edu/.

Abstract: Using the STEM Dimensions of Bioenergy Sustainability
to Bring Leading-edge Graduate Research to K-12 Learning Settings.

The intellectual focus of this new GK-12 project at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) is on the ecological dimensions of bioenergy sustainability. Graduate students in Michigan State University?s Ecology, Evolutionary Biology & Behavior and Environmental Science & Public Policy programs who are engaged in STEM research at KBS will partner with teachers in the KBS K-12 Partnership for Science Literacy, the new Department of Energy Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), and the NSF Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) project on the Ecology of Agricultural Landscapes. Project activities include establishing schoolyard science research plots in K-12 Partner districts that mimic aspects of GLBRC research plots and serve as the foundation for a schoolyard research network. Fellows will work collaboratively with each other, their advisors, and project partners to incorporate their own research into K-12 research and inquiry activities that address Michigan and national science education standards.

Fellows will improve their ability to place their research in its broader societal and global contexts, to collaborate across disciplines, to integrate their research and teaching, and to communicate their research to professional, K-12 and public audiences. The opportunity to work collaboratively with fellows on authentic research related to pressing national needs will enhance the professional development of the K-12 partner teachers and enrich the education of K-12 students. This project will also enhance ongoing efforts at KBS to recruit a greater number and diversity of young people into STEM science disciplines.

This REU Site award to the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) of Michigan State University (MSU), Hickory Corners, MI, will support the training of 10 students over 11 weeks during the summers of 2015- 2017. The program focuses on the ecological and evolutionary processes that drive responses in plant, animal and microbial systems to global change. Students will work with resident KBS faculty that have affiliated positions in departments of Zoology (Integrative Biology), Plant Biology, Plant Soil and Microbial Sciences, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, and Animal Science at MSU. Students will collaborate with their mentor to design a project that takes advantage of the diverse habitats around KBS and long term experiments set up to test hypotheses about how climate change may impact agricultural systems. Students will participate in weekly professional development seminars that address scientific best practices, preparation for graduate training, preparation for scientific employment and training in data management and analysis. Recruitment will target students from under-represented groups or attending institutions with limited research opportunities. The on-line application process is designed to identify highly motivated students and relies on multiple factors, including writing skills and life experiences. Program coordinators will identify appropriate candidates and will forward these to mentors who will conduct interviews with applicants whose skills and experience best match their research. The program will be assessed by using the common assessment tool used by REU programs (URSSA SALG).

It is anticipated that a total of 30 students will be trained in the program. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. The students will live in residence at KBS, and will interact daily with resident faculty, graduate students and postdocs, who conduct research on a broad range of ecological and evolutionary topics.

A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (Directorate for Biological Sciences) will be used to determine effectiveness of the training program. Students are required to be tracked after the program and must respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information is available by contacting the PI (Dr. Katherine Gross at kgross@kbs.msu.edu) or from http://www.kbs.msu.edu/index.php/education/ugrad/reu

The W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS - http://www.kbs.msu.edu) of Michigan State University (MSU) has been awarded a grant to enhance educational and research projects that utilize molecular and genomics tools to address a broad range of questions in ecology, evolution, conservation biology and agriculture. KBS is the largest off-campus unit of MSU and is known worldwide as a premier field site for research, education, and outreach in ecology and evolutionary biology. KBS provides access to diverse natural and managed habitats, many suitable for experimentation, and also hosts a number of long-term studies that provide unique opportunities for research on ecological and evolutionary processes. Advanced molecular and genomic tools are increasingly used for gaining improved and sometimes transformative understanding of these processes. The growing research in this area by current KBS faculty, and interest of new MSU faculty and researchers from other institutions has taxed our current facilities and severely limited our ability to include training in molecular techniques and bioinformatic analyses for graduate and undergraduate students. These funds will be used to expand and support a new Molecular Ecology & Genomics (MEG) laboratory at KBS that will integrate research and teaching for resident and visiting researchers, provide next-generation-sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics training for graduate students, and allow us to expand summer course offerings and research experiences for undergraduates to include these methods.

The MEG lab at KBS will support a wide set of NGS technologies from high throughput DNA/RNA extraction through genomic library preparation and sample send-off. The equipment to be installed in the MEG lab will expand the types of research that can be carried out at KBS to include studies in transcriptomics and functional genomics (i.e., CRISPR/Cas9 gene knockouts) in addition to RNA and DNA genomic library preparation. The improvements will include a Kingfisher Flex for high-throughput DNA/RNA extraction, a multi-mode plate reader for fluorescent and absorbance assays for measurement of nucleic acid quality and quantity, and a mobile microinjection station for functional genomic and molecular development work in non-model organisms. Importantly, these improvements will provide opportunities for novel research that couple "-omics" studies with field based natural history. Expansion of the MEG lab also will support the undergraduate educational programs at KBS by allowing us to introduce students in summer courses to these techniques and technologies and train those here for research experiences in modern molecular genomic tools and bioinformatics. These tools are being used in a growing number of exciting and creative ways throughout ecology, evolutionary biology, agriculture, and conservation biology, the central research topics at KBS. Gaining expertise in molecular and bioinformatic methods will better prepare students for careers or graduate education in these fields. The KBS MEG Lab will also allow us to develop teaching modules and train K-12 teachers so that they can better understand, and where possible, include these approaches in their classrooms.