05aug LTERFrameworkForSites

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Outline Timeline and progress to date Overarching question and conceptual premise Conceptual models a. Ecological systems submodels b. Human systems submodels c. Integrated social-natural systems model 4. Implementation framework 5. Summary 6. Potential 2007 Funding Initiatives

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Sept ’03 ASM Exec Proposal G100 NSWGs June ‘05 Infrastructure Knowledge -Partners Conference Committee NSF Proposal and program development phase May ‘06 CC Mtg Sept ‘06 ASM CI NEON New Timeline & Project Plan

OVERARCHING QUESTION: 

OVERARCHING QUESTION How do changes in human populations and their behavior, climate variation, altered biogeochemical cycles, and biotic structure interact to affect ecosystem structure and function and their services to society?

OVERARCHING QUESTION: 

OVERARCHING QUESTION How do changes in human populations and their behavior, climate variation, altered biogeochemical cycles, and biotic structure interact to affect ecosystem structure and function and their services to society? Changes in human population density Redistribution of population nationally and locally Increased availability and distribution of limiting resources Altered biotic composition and structure Increased variability in environmental drivers (e.g. climate, sea level rise)

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Human activities tend to be associated with changes in key resources and drivers (e.g., CO2, nitrogen, H2O, sea level rise). These changes can be classified as either pulses (discrete events) and presses (continuous). Central Premise

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Human activities tend to be associated with changes in key resources and drivers (e.g., CO2, nitrogen, H2O, sea level rise). These changes can be classified as either pulses (discrete events) and presses (continuous). Individual species have evolved adaptations to capture and use resources and to respond to various environmental drivers. Thus, changes in resource availability or environmental drivers are likely to have significant consequences for species interactions, community structure and ecosystem functioning. Central Premise

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Human activities tend to be associated with changes in key resources and drivers (e.g., CO2, nitrogen, H2O, sea level rise). These changes can be classified as either pulses (discrete events) and presses (continuous). Individual species have evolved adaptations to capture and use resources and to respond to various environmental drivers. Thus, changes in resource availability or environmental drivers are likely to have significant consequences for species interactions, community structure and ecosystem functioning. Human social systems are also spatially and temporally dynamic, and also respond to [and cause] pulse and press events. Social system drivers and dynamics (tax laws, regulations, preferences, behaviors) directly affect ecological processes. Ecological processes have feedbacks that affect human social systems. Central Premise

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Establish a framework for an integrated long-term multi-site research program based on (anthropogenic) pulse-press interactions in ecosystems. Press factor – variable or driver that is applied continuously at rates ranging from low to high (e.g., atmospheric nitrogen deposition, elevated CO2). Includes changes in rates (increases, decreases) relative to some historical baseline. Pulse factor – variable or driver that is applied once or at periodic intervals (e.g., fire, extreme climatic events). Includes changes in the size, magnitude and frequency at which pulses occur. Concept from Bender et al. 1984. Perturbation experiments in community ecology: Theory and practice. Ecology 65(1):1-13. Approach

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Ecosystem functioning 1/ 2 production, decomposition, nutrient cycling Biotic structure rank-dominance curves, life-history traits Human behavior (society, policy, economics) Ecosystem services food, pest/disease control, erosion control, soil fertility Long-term “press” e.g., N deposition, species invasions, temperature Short-term “pulse” e.g., fire, storms Conceptual Model

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Ecosystem functioning 1/ 2 production, decomposition, nutrient cycling Biotic structure rank-dominance curves, life-history traits Human behavior (society, policy, economics) Ecosystem services food, pest/disease control, erosion control, soil fertility Long-term “press” e.g., N deposition, species invasions, temperature Short-term “pulse” e.g., fire, storms

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Ecosystem functioning 1/ 2 production, decomposition, nutrient cycling Biotic structure rank-dominance curves, life-history traits Human behavior (society, policy, economics) Ecosystem services food, pest/disease control, erosion control, soil fertility Long-term “press” e.g., N deposition, species invasions, temperature Short-term “pulse” e.g., fire, storms Human component

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REGIONAL AND LOCAL ATTRACTORS: Water Cost of living Landscape Aesthetics/BD REDISTRIBUTION OF HUMAN POPULATION AND TRADE IMPLICATIONS: For: Eco Services, Biotic Structure, Policy and Economics E.g. Spatial/Temporal variation in fluxes of nutrients, water, temperature Conduct cross-site EXPERIMENTS (socioeconomic and ecological) FUTURES/OUTCOMES/SCENARIOS: Landscape, regional, continental Created by meeting of all stakeholders CONCEPTUAL MODELS

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Model: Inter-Regional Population Distribution, Trade: -water scarcity; landscape; climate; natural resource base for economy or quality of life; cost of living; regional economic policy; shipping access. Model: Local Population Distribution: - Drivers: local water scarcity; transport, telecom, house cost; landscape to urban amenity gradient; biotic diversity; land use control, incentive policies. Economic incentives/policy experiments affecting land use: fragmentation, nutrients, carbon, water Observational/natural experiments/data on policy Implications: Spatio-temporal press and pulse disturbances or inflows to ecosystem range of nutrient concentration, location; Habitat fragmentation, invasion Water stresses Outcomes/Scenarios inform LTER/companion experiments; stakeholder/scientist futuring Multi-site Ecology Experiments inform: landscape and biotic conditions. From LTER

Socio-economic approaches: 

Socio-economic approaches Quantify regional scale vs. local scale drivers of human population redistribution and behavior. Contrast how attitudes and drivers of human population dynamics vary among regions. Catalogue impacts of population dynamics and decisions on ecosystem services and biotic structures. Develop ecological scenarios and present scenarios to stakeholders. Assess human perceptions, desires, and expectations for ecosystem goods and services. Determine how changes in ecosystem services feed back to affect population preferences, movement patterns, etc.

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Ecosystem functioning 1/ 2 production, decomposition, nutrient cycling Biotic structure rank-dominance curves, life-history traits Human behavior (society, policy, economics) Ecosystem services food, pest/disease control, erosion control, soil fertility Long-term “press” e.g., N deposition, species invasions, temperature Short-term “pulse” e.g., fire, storms The Non-Human Component

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Organismal response Community re-ordering Community change Biotic Response Time Press (e.g. N deposition) System Response Trajectories A “punctuated equilibrium” model

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System Response Trajectories Press (e.g. N deposition) Organismal response Community re-ordering Community change Biotic Response Time Very resistant system Rapid community-level response

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Observational: Capture gradients and spatiotemporal variation: human-dominated, climatic, N-loading, etc. Measure variables above in consistent, coordinated manner over long-term. Inclusion of sites within and outside of LTER network. Ecological Approach

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2. Experimental A. Manipulations: press driver * pulse driver * biotic structure Ex: N deposition * fire/drought/storm * dominant taxa B. Measurements: coordinated & comparable response variables scale-independent measures of community structure across trophic levels some measure of connectivity among trophic levels rates of primary & secondary production / community metabolism system efficiency (retention & export of C, N, P) Ecological Approach

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3. Modeling Simulation models Conceptual models Forecasting/scenario models Economic models Human demographics and land use change models Ecological Approach

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Ecosystem functioning 1/ 2 production, decomposition, nutrient cycling Biotic structure rank-dominance curves, life-history traits Human behavior (society, policy, economics) Ecosystem services food, pest/disease control, erosion control, soil fertility Long-term “press” e.g., N deposition, species invasions, temperature Short-term “pulse” e.g., fire, storms

Key Features: 

Key Features Explicitly integrates social and ecological science. Iterative, interactive, and adaptive. Site-based and synthetic, can include participation by all LTER sites. Multi-site, coordinated. Includes both long-term and short-term research. Will take advantage of existing knowledge and strengths of the LTER network. Will expand beyond the existing LTER network. Will complement NEON and other networks. Will offer novel education and training initiatives. Will foster novel solutions to new CI challenges. Will yield information relevant to decision makers Does not come at a cost to existing site-based science.