Award Abstract # 0423627
The KBS LTER Project: Long-Term Ecological Research in Row-Crop Agriculture

NSF Org: DEB
Division Of Environmental Biology
Recipient: MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date: December 7, 2004
Latest Amendment Date: August 6, 2010
Award Number: 0423627
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Saran Twombly
DEB
 Division Of Environmental Biology
BIO
 Directorate for Biological Sciences
Start Date: December 1, 2004
End Date: December 31, 2011 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $4,920,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $5,493,693.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2005 = $878,693.00
FY 2006 = $901,000.00

FY 2007 = $916,000.00

FY 2008 = $919,000.00

FY 2009 = $879,000.00

FY 2010 = $1,000,000.00
History of Investigator:
  • G. Philip Robertson (Principal Investigator)
    robert30@msu.edu
  • Douglas Landis (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Katherine Gross (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Stuart Gage (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Stephen Hamilton (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Michigan State University
426 AUDITORIUM RD RM 2
EAST LANSING
MI  US  48824-2600
(517)355-5040
Sponsor Congressional District: 07
Primary Place of Performance: Michigan State University
426 AUDITORIUM RD RM 2
EAST LANSING
MI  US  48824-2600
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
07
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): R28EKN92ZTZ9
Parent UEI: VJKZC4D1JN36
NSF Program(s): ECOSYSTEM STUDIES,
LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH,
BE: NON-ANNOUNCEMENT RESEARCH,
ENVIR SOCIAL & BEHAVIOR SCIENC,
International Research Collab,
ERE General,
BROADENING PARTICIPATION
Primary Program Source: app-0105 
app-0106 

app-0107 

01000809DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01000910DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01001011DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 0000, 1195, 5209, 5912, 5924, 5946, 5978, 5980, 7218, 9169, 9177, 9178, 9251, 9261, 9278, EGCH, OTHR, SMET
Program Element Code(s): 118100, 119500, 162900, 520900, 729800, 730400, 748700
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.074

ABSTRACT

Initiated in 1987, the Kellogg Biological Station LTER (KBS) examines basic ecological relationships in field crop ecosystems to better understand internal processes controlling productivity independently of external subsidies (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides). The initial goal remains the same: effectively substituting ecological knowledge and theory in the agronomic management of cropping systems for a reliance on chemically based approaches. Research involves synergistic activities of long-term observations of contrasting cropping systems and successional vegetation, shorter-term field experiments, and modeling. Hypothesis testing relates to patterns and processes underlying ecosystem productivity and nutrient retention, including plant community dynamics, soil microbial populations, insect consumer dynamics, watershed and field-scale biogeochemistry, human interactions, and regional processes. KBS-4 is organized around the same initial hypothesis, albeit with a new conceptual research model and the addition of a new focus on valuation of ecosystem services. The model organizes ecological understanding of field crop ecosystems into components focused on ecological structure (e.g., organisms and their adaptations, population and community assemblages, and habitat structure) vis a vis ecological functions (e.g., biogeochemical processes, energy capture and flow, and hydrodynamics). Linkages between these components largely define the mechanisms that underlie the production of ecosystem goods and services, those products that provide the economic and social rationale for farming. Major research topics include plant community change, microbial processes, controls of arthropod communities, biogeochemical fluxes of solutes and trace gases, human valuation of cropland ecosystem services, and regionalization (scaling up via models).

Broader Impacts. KBS is an established leader in developing and using ecological approaches to improving our understanding of agroecosystems. KBS research deals with food production, a topic of global significance, and has ready practical applications to the ongoing development of mid-western US agriculture, as well as the potential to make significant contributions to the more general area of sustainable agriculture. Outreach and educational activities are robust at KBS. Research findings are reaching the media, local and regional agricultural communities, and other key citizen groups influencing land management. KBS places a high priority on connections with agricultural policymaking and global-change issues. Several KBS scientists have testified to Congress on agricultural issues and strong international connections have been forged. The site has a significant on-the-ground outreach program offering a wide range of service and educational opportunities to the broader community including agricultural extension services, informal education, university coursework, research experience for undergraduate and graduate students, and Schoolyard LTER activities for K-12 students and educators. Contributions to the LTER network include the publication of a soils methods synthesis book and participation in the diversity x NPP and LINX network-wide studies. The site is close to full adoption of the Ecological Meta-Language (EML2) format standard to ensure easy data exchange.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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(Showing: 1 - 10 of 300)
Ambus, P; Robertson, GP "The effect of increased N deposition on nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide fluxes from unmanaged forest and grassland communities in Michigan" BIOGEOCHEMISTRY , v.79 , 2006 , p.315 View record at Web of Science 10.1007/s10533-005-5313-
Andren, O; Kirchmann, H; Katterer, T; Magid, J; Paul, EA; Coleman, DC "Visions of a more precise soil biology" EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE , v.59 , 2008 , p.380 View record at Web of Science 10.1111/j.1365-2389.2008.01018.
Arango, CP; Tank, JL; Johnson, LT; Hamilton, SK "Assimilatory uptake rather than dissimilatory transformation determines seasonal patterns in nitrogen" LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY METHODS , v.53 , 2008 , p.2
Basso, B., O. Gargiulo, K. Paustian, G.P. Roberston, C. Porter, P.R. Grace and J.W. Jones "Procedures for initializing organic carbon pools in the DSSAT-CENTURY model for agricultural systems" Soil Science Society of America Journal , v.75 , 2011 , p.69-78
Basso, B; Ritchie, JT "Impact of compost, manure and inorganic fertilizer on nitrate leaching and yield for a 6-year maize-alfalfa rotation in Michigan" AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT , v.108 , 2005 , p.329 View record at Web of Science 10.1016/j.agee.2005.01.01
Bates, S.T., D. Berg-Lyons, J.G. Caporaso, W.A. Walters, R. Knight, and N. Fierer "Examining the global distribution of dominant archaeal populations in soil" ISME Journal , v.5 , 2011 , p.908-917
Beaulieu, J.J., Arango, C.P., Hamilton, S.K., Tank, J.L. "The production and emission of nitrous oxide from headwater streams in the Upper Midwest" GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY , v.14 , 2008 , p.878
Beaulieu, J.J., J.L. Tank, S.K. Hamilton, W.M. Wollheim, R.O. Hall, Jr., P.J. Mulholland, B.J. Peterson, L.R. Ashkenas, L.W. Cooper, C.N. Dahm, W.K. Dodds, N.B. Grimm, S.L. Johnson, W.H. Mcdowell, G.C. Poole, H.M. Valett, C.P. Arango, M.J. Bernot, A.J. Bu "Nitrous oxide emission from denitrification in stream and river networks" Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA , v.108 , 2011 , p.214-219
Bhardwaj, A.K., P. Jasrotia, S.K. Hamilton and G.P. Robertson "Ecological management of intensively cropped agro-ecosystems improves soil quality with sustained productivity" Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment , v.140 , 2011 , p.419-429
Bhardwaj, A.K., T. Zenone, P. Jasrotia, G.P. Robertson, J. Chen and S.K. Hamilton "Water and energy footprints of bioenergy crop production on marginal lands" Global Change Biology-Bioenergy , v.3 , 2011 , p.208-222
Bird, G. W., R. R. Harwood, J. E. Sanchez, M. F. Berney, J. Smeenk, and J. J. Smith "Role of nematodes in nutrient cycling" Phytopathology , v.94 , 2004 , p.S129
(Showing: 1 - 10 of 300)

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

The Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) Long-term Ecological Research Project in Row-crop Agriculture

At KBS we have built a long-term research program to examine important aspects of the ecology of agricultural ecosystems. We combine experimental studies with long-term observations of crop fields and landscapes.  Over the last six years our research program has advanced scientific understanding of US row-crop ecosystems such as corn, soybean, wheat, and alfalfa. Of particular note is our progress in understanding 1) greenhouse gas fluxes, 2) soil microbial diversity, 3) nitrogen cycling and loss, and 4) crop pests and their enemies. 

Greenhouse Gas Fluxes. Since 1992 we have studied fluxes of the major, naturally occurring greenhouse gases -- carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and nitrous oxide -- in a variety of cropped and natural ecosystems. Our research shows how different cropping strategies can have different effects on greenhouse gas fluxes. Twenty years of research show that conventional cropping methods have an annual global warming impact (GWI) of about 100 CO2-equivalents per square meter. Careful analysis reveals that nitrous oxide production is responsible for more than half of this impact, with the remaining half the combined effect of fuel and agrochemical use, including inputs of fertilizer, lime, and pesticides.  However, results also suggest that almost all of the GWI of farming can be mitigated by changing management. No-till cultivation leads to soil carbon storage that almost completely offsets the GWI of other activities. Planting legume cover crops also helps. Taken together, results suggest that crop production could help to mitigate US greenhouse gas production.

Microbial Diversity. Soil microbes are important catalysts of global carbon and nitrogen cycles, including the production and consumption of greenhouse gases. Some microbes produce CO2 and nitrous oxide while decomposing organic matter in soil. Others consume methane from the atmosphere, thus helping to mitigate climate change. To better understand the role that agriculture has on these processes, we studied microbial communities in soils across corn, soybean, and wheat fields, "old fields" that had been abandoned from agriculture, and forests.  Results showed that land management has little influence on general microbial diversity, but greatly affects the diversity of microbes involved in methane oxidation: soils with a greater diversity of methane oxidizing bacteria consume more methane from the atmosphere. These observations suggest that managing lands to conserve or restore the diversity of methane-consuming bacteria could help mitigate climate change.

Nitrogen Cycling and Loss. Agricultural landscapes commonly have excessive concentrations of nitrate (an especially mobile form of nitrogen) in ground and surface waters due to fertilizer applications in excess of what the crops can use. Nitrate that leaches to ground and surface waters can contaminate drinking water supplies and eventually a portion will be carried to coastal ocean waters where it will contribute to "dead zones" of low oxygen availability, such as in the Gulf of Mexico. We discovered how different farming practices can dramatically improve nitrate retention in grain crops. In particular biologically-based (organic) management reduced nitrate leaching by as much as two-thirds compared to conventional farm management. This is because organic management included cover crops like red clover that supplied nitrogen and extended the season of living cover. Unmanaged forests and fields leached little or no nitrate.

Plant Pests and their Enemies. The soybean aphid (Aphis glycines), an invasive insect pest, is the greatest threat to ...

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