Margaret A. Palmer - US grants

Communities which persist in the face of severe disturbances may do so because the impact of the disturbance is mitigated by patch configuration coupled with dispersal. This proposal examines this issue for lotic invertebrates which are known to rapidly recover from floods but for which the recovery mechanisms are not known. The PI will test the general hypothesis that mitigating patches, namely debris dams, lessen the detrimental effect of floods on stream meiofauna by reducing faunal displacement during floods and by facilitating return of displaced fauna to the stream bottom following flood. Experimental tests of specific hypotheses are outlined to address both the magnitude of the effect that these mitigating patches have on the fauna and the mechanisms underlying the effects. Experiments will involve: (1) field quantification of how the spatial patterns of the fauna are effected by the proposed mitigating patches and by flood; (2) field experiments in which patches are manipulated and recovery of fauna compared with unmanipulated sites; and (3) field and flume studies examining the mechanisms responsible for faunal response to mitigating patches. The results will provide information on how natural disturbances effect equilibrium conditions.

Spatial and temporal patterns of recruitment can strongly influence both the abundance and distribution of animals, as well as the evolution of life history characteristics. Larvae of most benthic and demersal fishes arrive on reefs with well-developed swimming and sensory capabilities and therefore, have the potential to strongly influence the pattern of recruitment by controlling where and when they settle. This research will experimentally examine the role of larval behavior in determining the pattern of settlement of a benthic fish common to oyster reefs. The naked goby was chosen because its larvae undergo a demersal schooling phase prior to settlement. Larvae of this species are extremely abundant and can be easily observed. Dr. Palmer and collaborators will focus on two aspects of larval behavior (1) how larval behavior influences pre-settlement distribution and dispersion patterns, in turn, influence spatial patterns of settlement. These two processes are extremely important to the ultimate patterns of recruitment because they can determine which other species influence larval survival and movement, the spatial distribution of recruits, the need for post-settlement dispersal and the importance of density-dependent interactions.

9318060 Palmer Theoretical studies have argued that the spatial and temporal arrangement of habitat patches may have a strong influence on population size and persistence in environments that are heterogeneous and/or disturbed. Few experimental studies have addressed the interactive effects of spatial arrangement and patch age on local population dynamics. In this research, the PI's will conduct a set of experiments to determine how the distance between patches and patch age influence the abundances and distributions of patch-dwelling organisms. The test organisms will be stream invertebrates within experimental patches of woody/leafy debris. First, the PI's will determine the spatial scale over which fauna potentially can respond to patch arrangement by measuring species-specific dispersal distances in the field. Next, experiments will be designed to manipulate the distance among patches and patch age, followed by monitoring species responses based on population abundance and distribution. %%% This research is broadly relevant to both theoretical and empirical investigations of patch dynamics and it is of particular interest to lotic ecologists because it addresses how habitat heterogeneity and faunal dispersal in streams interact to ensure population persistence in highly variable environments. in addition, this work will provide one of the first empirical applications of theoretical models which suggest using dispersal ability as a scaling function when studying spatial habitat heterogeneity.

9701591 Palmer Stream environments are difficult to fully understand because food and living space tend to be distributed in an uneven way, and animals move extensively within the environment. These are factors which have lately received much attention separately, but not together. In particular, many theoretical studies assume either that animals move at random, or that they have perfect knowledge of their environment, and thus can determine the best location to move to. However, many animals do not fit these simplified ideas-they can control their movements to some extent but do not have extensive information about their environment. The investigators will use computer models, with varying levels of biological realism, to determine how animals move within the uneven stream environment, and how their movement affects population sizes and stability. They will also perform experiments in an artificial stream to determine how much control small stream invertebrates can exert over their movement in the face of flow. The movement patterns and population levels of small stream invertebrates have important consequences for the stream environment, because they form the base of the stream food web and are involved in the microbial processes web as well.

9817348
Kaufman
This grant provides partial support for the purchase of a gas source stable isotope mass spectrometer with automated preparation systems for the Isotope Geochemistry Laboratory at the University of Maryland. The Principle Investigators include: A.Jay Kaufman, a recent addition to the Department of Geology faculty after seven years as a post-doctoral fellow and research scientist in stable isotope geochemistry at Harvard University; Karen Prestegaard, a physical and chemical hydrologist in the Department of Geology; and Margaret Palmer, an ecologist in the Department of Zoology. In addition, Christina Gallup, a geochronologist and coral researcher in the Department of Geology, and Russ Dickerson, an atmospheric chemist in the Department of Meteorology will use the new instrumentation in their studies.

The establishment of a gas source stable isotope mass spectrometer at the University of Maryland represents the first academic facility of its kind in the Washington D.C. area. As such, this facility will allow additional collaborative studies by local researchers, in particular at George Washington University and the Smithsonian Institution. The gas source instrument will be housed in a newly-renovated laboratory adjacent to the existing stable isotope preparation laboratory in the Chemistry building. This facility, funded by the university and the Earth Sciences Instrumentation and Facilities Program (EAR/IF), will support research initiatives in chemical stratigraphy, carbonate geochemistry, global climatic and environmental change, coral research, hydrology, atmospheric and environmental sciences.
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In many ecosystems, the dominant habitat patches frequently change in terms of their overall quality or their resource levels. Periodically, habitat patches may be physically disrupted or destroyed. In such highly dynamic systems it often is assumed that mobile fauna will be unresponsive to the arrangement of habitat patches or to other landscape attributes. The underlying logic is that faunal responses to landscape attributes will be masked by the spatial and temporal variability of such systems. In this proposal, we argue that mobile fauna in highly dynamic systems are, in fact, responsive to landscape attributes - especially patch arrangement. Population persistence and species interactions following the disruption of patches or changes in resources may be influenced greatly by the quality and arrangement of patches. In prior NSF-funded research, we found that stream-dwelling chironomids and copepods respond to the quality and distribution of habitat (leaf) patches in laboratory and field experiments, but we did not consider how patch stability, patch resource (leaf species) composition, or predator-prey interactions influence faunal dynamics. Here, we hypothesize that invertebrate abundance in streambeds is better explained at the scale of multiple patches (the "landscape") than at the scale of individual patches; is directly linked to the interactive effects of patch arrangement, patch stability, and patch quality; and, that invertebrate response to these three factors is modified by the presence of fish predators.

We propose three field experiments to test the following specific hypotheses: (1) in stable landscapes (no patch movement), the abundance of stream invertebrates depends on patch arrangement and patch quality (leaf species composition); (2) when patches are not stable, the abundance of invertebrates depends on the interactive effects of patch arrangement and the level of patch stability; and (3) the response of stream invertebrates to patch arrangement, quality, & stability is influenced by the presence of predatory fish. To test the first two hypotheses, we will manipulate patch arrangement and patch stability or leaf quality using repeated measures factorial designs. For the third hypothesis, we will manipulate predator abundance and one landscape attribute at a time (patch arrangement, patch stability, or leaf quality). We will follow changes over time in the abundance of invertebrates at the level of landscapes, although we also will be able to assess variability within and among the individual patches that constitute each landscape.

This work has important implications because we are asking if and how changes in landscapes --in terms of patch types and their arrangement and their resource levels -- influence biotic assemblages. Much of the current understanding of biotic responses to spatial landscape features is based primarily on theoretical and empirical work on systems in which the landscape features are fairly stable. Since many systems are highly dynamic -- patches move and patch quality varies temporally -- the type of research proposed here is greatly needed. As in our past grant, this research will be conducted as a collaborative effort between P. Silver at Penn State Erie, an undergraduate institution, and M.A. Palmer at University of Maryland College Park, a large research institution. The PI's, undergraduates, graduate students and a post doctoral associate will collaborate in all phases of the work, thereby providing maximum opportunity for students to participate in high quality research in an atmosphere of intense teamwork and collaboration with workers at a large research campus and a small primarily teaching campus.

Our understanding of fundamental problems in the biological sciences requires new
approaches, new collaborations, and perhaps new ways of doing science that involve highly
quantitative and mathematical approaches. The mathematical and biological sciences are
ripe for efforts to blur the boundaries between mathematical/statistical and biological
disciplines. New partnerships, new training programs, and new ideas are needed to promote
research that integrates cutting-edge math and biological tools. A 1.5 day workshop is
proposed to bring together senior and junior investigators from the biological sciences
and the mathematical/statistical sciences. A keynote address and six talks will be given
on day 1 to highlight the opportunities and challenges at the math-bio interface. On day
two, a group of approximately 30 will work together for a half day to brainstorm ideas,
initiatives, and activities that will enhance math-bio linkages. The intention is that
this workshop will stimulate many other activities on campuses, at society meetings, and
within agencies that together should have synergistic effects in promoting the type of
research that will help solve complex problems faced by our society.

This award establishes a new environmental synthesis center that will stimulate research, education, and outreach at the interface of the natural and social sciences in order to develop novel and effective solutions to global environmental challenges. The center's founding plan requires mutual engagement of social and natural scientists in a facilitated process that leads to joint refinement of synthesis projects and the framing of questions that transcend disciplinary boundaries. This plan is grounded in four key goals: the creation of new coalitions; learning at all levels; expansion and improvement of the synthesis process; and creation of a flexible, adaptive institution. These goals will be achieved through community-driven activities that encourage diverse methods of collaboration including distributed interactions, the use of social media to consolidate collective knowledge from a broad constituency, data visualization, and design charrettes. Through engagement of multiple disciplines in innovative activities, the center promises a fundamental reorganization in how synthesis is accomplished and put into practice.

The Center will advance environmental synthesis science by combining diverse perspectives - those from basic research, public policy, science translation, and education. Policy scholars from Resources for the Future, along with policy makers, natural resource managers, and scientists from governmental agencies, will be integral to all center activities. The center presents an unprecedented opportunity to build capacity and broaden participation by advocating synthesis as a process that includes learning at all levels. Students will be trained in the skills needed to carry out synthesis and engaged directly in the synthesis process, with particular focus on hearing- and physically-impaired students, inner-city urban students, non-traditional students, and ethnic minorities. A key aspect of the center's vision is to advance the process of synthesis itself. Through continual evaluation and assessment of center activities and products, and adjustments to center philosophy and management in response to this evaluation, the center will function as a laboratory to facilitate learning about and improving the process of synthesis.

Understanding how the fate of carbon is influenced by biological communities is one of the greatest challenges in ecosystem science. Freshwater ecosystems, including streams, are now recognized as sites for the transport, processing, and burial of substantial amounts of organic matter. Communities of microbes, including bacteria, account for a vast majority of the processing of organic matter in streams, but there is much that is not known about how microbial communities impact the fate of organic matter in streams. This project will address this knowledge gap by studying how bacterial community diversity, stream water chemistry, and organic matter composition influence whether organic matter is consumed by stream microbes or transported downstream. A mesocosm experiment will be conducted to test the hypothesis that changes in pH and organic matter composition will impact the stream microbial community and its ability to process organic matter. Genetic bacterial community fingerprints will be used to quantify how the bacterial community responds to the experimental treatments. Bacterial metabolic responses will be measured using enzyme assays and overall metabolic rates.

This project will contribute to understanding of the relationship between microbial community structure and metabolism in freshwaters. As watersheds are altered by human activity, pH and organic matter inputs to aquatic ecosystems are also changing. Since streams may be viewed as sentinels for environmental change, this study will generate insight into the response of freshwater communities to global change. Undergraduate researchers will be engaged in all aspects of the work to further their scientific understanding. Results will be communicated at scientific meetings and in journals. Educational materials will be developed for local primary school students that assist in interpreting this work and broader concepts of ecosystem ecology.

Equitable, ethical, and sustainable uses of the Earth's finite resources require an understanding of how human behaviors affect and respond to the environment. The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) facilitates novel research across the natural and social sciences to achieve this understanding and to provide the knowledge needed to address complex problems challenging human societies globally. The Center will develop education and training activities to build capacity across all career stages to solve complex problems and to develop a new generation of researchers skilled in collaboration and communication. These activities will emphasize the relevance of socio-environmental synthesis to real world problems by including policy-makers, governmental agencies, and non-governmental agencies in all activities, ensuring that these knowledge users obtain the information they need to make sound decisions. New investments will train thought leaders, educators, and decision-makers of the future. Building capacity extends to increased involvement of under-served groups in solving societal problems. Partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, coupled with active mentoring of their undergraduates and faculty, will engage these communities in environmental challenges that have significant cultural, economic, and social implications. Center activities will build computational literacy and provide publicly-available analytical tools that will advance computational training far beyond SESYNC's participants. Through a suite of new activities, SESYNC will build capacity to find solutions to pressing societal challenges.

SESYNC has established itself as a pioneer in the integrative, computationally intensive, and trans-disciplinary research that defines a new biology for the 21st century. Its approach for the future relies on a firmly vetted and established approach to synthesis developed over 5 years of experiment and testing. Activities focus on developing a community of practice for socio-environmental synthesis. New partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities will establish workshops, collaborative synthesis projects, and a peer faculty-student network to foster exchange of ideas, provide intellectual and moral support, and facilitate access to professional development and research opportunities. A new postdoctoral program focuses on 'immersion' to accelerate development of integrated, inter-disciplinary research projects. Fellows will first initiate a project in their own discipline and then be quickly immersed, through lectures and workshops, in the theory and practice of related disciplines. Graduate students will direct their own synthesis working groups to develop skills in collaboration and communication early in their careers. Diverse efforts to track participants will sustain their involvement in socio-environmental synthesis after leaving SESYNC. A new cyberinfrastructure program, Data to Motivate Synthesis, will use facilitated data discovery and team science workshops to formulate research questions at the interface of social-natural sciences. A new collaboration with Georgetown University's Environmental Initiative will strengthen SESYNC's 'actionable' scholarship portfolio and further broaden participation in socio-environmental synthesis. The two institutions will co-support four postdoctoral fellows to conduct synthesis research on science-policy links. The success of all activities will be measured against established goals and milestones through formative and summative assessment.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has challenged the engineering research community to embrace and advance new approaches that not only enable technological innovation but result in broad benefits to human well-being and social prosperity. Collaborative, transdisciplinary, and convergence research within the context of Engineering Research Centers (ERCs) is thought to provide a particularly promising opportunity for research engineers to meet this challenge. This pilot project hypothesizes that the engineering research community will benefit from activities to better position and prepare them to meet the NAS challenge and propose innovative transdisciplinary ERCs that are likely to have major societal benefits. With a focus on a wide array of best practices in transdisciplinary and convergence research, this project will prepare research engineers to better identify and solve difficult issues, while also helping NSF fulfill its new vision for the next generation of ERCs. This project will similarly encourage ERCs to integrate diverse stakeholder perspectives and needs into research, and thus facilitate improved problem-solving and increased involvement of traditionally underrepresented groups in science. Therefore, the pilot project has the potential to produce benefits within the engineering research community and for society at large.

Drawing on lessons learned by leaders at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center and those learned from other complex transdisciplinary efforts, this pilot project will: (1) conduct an interactive workshop with leading members of the engineering research community; (2) determine if participating in the workshop is associated with enhanced understandings of four key topics identified as engineering priorities. The topics include effective methods for stakeholder engagement; convergence as a driving approach for innovative engineering research to solve societal problems; effective transdisciplinary team-based research processes; and, reflective and adaptive center designs that foster convergent research and societal impact. To asses understanding, participant surveys will be administered prior to and following the workshop. The results will be considered preliminary and will be used to inform potential future studies on how to build capacities in research communities to conduct transdisciplinary, convergence research.

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.