John Blair
Friday, October 17, 2008 - 11:30-12:00
The Konza Prairie Long-Term Ecological Research program is an interdisciplinary research program focused on ecological processes in tallgrass prairie, with emphasis on the independent and interactive effects of fire, grazing and climatic variability. Long-term datasets (many that span >25 yrs) on key ecological processes such as hydrology, nutrient cycling, productivity, and community and population dynamics provide unique insights into the functioning of these grasslands. Because human activities are directly (by managing fire and grazers) and indirectly (by changing atmospheric chemistry and climate) altering the key drivers of ecological processes in grasslands, Konza Prairie research is increasingly relevant for addressing issues related to management and global changes, such as land-use/land-cover change and climate change. For example, long-term experiments that include different fire return intervals in watersheds that are grazed or left ungrazed can provide important information on how different fire return intervals and interactions with grazers alter ecosystem processes and plant species diversity. These experiments are also providing insights into the causes and consequences of woody plant encroachment into grasslands. Long-term data on responses to natural climatic variability are being complemented with experiments that manipulate the timing and amounts of precipitation to assess the potential impacts of future climate change. Examples from these studies will be used to illustrate how basic ecological research can contribute to the management, conservation and restoration of grasslands.
Keywords: CLIMATE CHANGE, FIRE, GRASSLANDS, GRAZERS, TALLGRASS PRAIRIE