NSF Org:	DEB Division Of Environmental Biology
Recipient:	UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO
Initial Amendment Date:	November 16, 2000
Latest Amendment Date:	May 12, 2003
Award Number:	0080529
Award Instrument:	Continuing Grant
Program Manager:	Henry L. Gholz DEB  Division Of Environmental Biology BIO  Directorate for Biological Sciences
Start Date:	November 15, 2000
End Date:	May 31, 2003 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$1,400,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$1,514,968.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2001 = $755,000.00 FY 2002 = $759,968.00
History of Investigator:	Scott Collins (Principal Investigator) scollins@unm.edu Timothy Lowrey (Co-Principal Investigator) Robert Parmenter (Co-Principal Investigator) James Brunt (Co-Principal Investigator) William Pockman (Co-Principal Investigator) Deana Pennington (Co-Principal Investigator) James Gosz (Former Principal Investigator) Clifford Dahm (Former Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	University of New Mexico 1 UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO ALBUQUERQUE NM  US  87131-0001 (505)277-4186
Sponsor Congressional District:	01
Primary Place of Performance:	University of New Mexico 1 UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO ALBUQUERQUE NM  US  87131-0001
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	01
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	F6XLTRUQJEN4
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	Population & Community Ecology, LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Primary Program Source:	app-0102  01000102DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):	SMET, EGCH, 9251, 9177, 9178, 9169
Program Element Code(s):	112800, 119500
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.074

ABSTRACT

The Sevilleta Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) Program, established in 1988, conducts research on ecological processes and responses to climate dynamics in a biome transition zone in central New Mexico. The major research site is the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The multi-disciplinary research group comprises 34 scientists from 10 universities and numerous research agencies, including FWS, The Nature Conservancy, US Geological Survey, USDA Forest Service, USDA Agricultural Research Service, DOE Los Alamos National Laboratory, and DOE Sandia National Laboratory. The primary goal of the LTER Program is to develop and test a hierarchical model of controls and constraints on the movements of biotic assemblages at the edges of their distributions. These movements occur as a result of complex interactions among a large number of abiotic and biotic variables, at a wide range of spatial scales, and over time periods ranging from minutes to centuries. The Sevilleta LTER models and experiments address the relative roles of the major controlling variables, and allow prediction of changes in the structure and functioning of biome transition zones that would result from natural and anthropogenic perturbations. Of particular interest is the role of moisture availability in driving the distributional expansion and contraction of C3 and C4 plant species over decadal time frames, and the resulting changes in local and landscape level ecological processes. The results of these studies will provide a greater understanding of the physical and biological processes that govern the dynamics of the major ecosystems in central New Mexico, factors that lead to desertification processes, and contribute to improved understanding and management of the environment for sustainable human use and development.

Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.