Award Abstract # 2225076
Collaborative Research: BoCP-Implementation: BioFI- Biodiversity Forecasting Initiative to Understand Population, Community and Ecosystem Function Under Global Change

NSF Org: DEB
Division Of Environmental Biology
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
Initial Amendment Date: August 18, 2022
Latest Amendment Date: August 18, 2022
Award Number: 2225076
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Kendra McLauchlan
kmclauch@nsf.gov
 (703)292-2217
DEB
 Division Of Environmental Biology
BIO
 Directorate for Biological Sciences
Start Date: September 1, 2022
End Date: August 31, 2025 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $900,114.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $900,114.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2022 = $900,114.00
History of Investigator:
  • Brian Enquist (Principal Investigator)
    benquist@u.arizona.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Arizona
845 N PARK AVE RM 538
TUCSON
AZ  US  85721
(520)626-6000
Sponsor Congressional District: 07
Primary Place of Performance: University of Arizona
1041 E. Lowell Street, Room 221
TUCSON
AZ  US  85721-0088
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
07
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): ED44Y3W6P7B9
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): Innovation: Bioinformatics,
BOCP-Biodiv on Changing Planet
Primary Program Source: 01002223DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1165
Program Element Code(s): 164Y00, 199Y00
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.074

ABSTRACT

There is an urgent need to understand how biodiversity on the planet will change. This requires predicting which plant species are at risk of extinction. It also requires understanding the responses of as many species as possible to future climate conditions. This knowledge is essential to ensure the continuation of ecosystem services that contribute to human well-being. This project- the Biodiversity Forecasting Initiative (BioFI)- increases our knowledge of Earth's biodiversity and advances our ability to forecast biodiversity and biosphere functioning almost anywhere on the planet. In light of emerging environmental challenges and the rise of big data, demand for programming skills and data literacy will continue to increase. This project enhances the future of biodiversity science by training the next generation of scientists in tools for analyzing global biodiversity data sources. One education and training outcome is the development and delivery of an open-source, multi-modal, multi-level curriculum in the emerging field of Biodiversity Data Science. Additionally, this project provides direct training and mentoring for several graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

BioFI focuses on changes in plant species' abundance, traits, and geographic distribution which impact ecosystem function. This project brings together ecologists, environmental engineers, data scientists, and conservation stakeholders to integrate a variety of biodiversity data sources. BioFI provides the data and computational scaffolding to integrate biological and environmental disciplines to produce accurate predictions of future biodiversity trajectories. BioFI enables scientists to plan how to respond to disasters such as droughts and fires. BioFI leverages immense biodiversity and Earth observation data that provide global coverage and wide taxonomic scope. BioFI allows scientists to: (i) forecast the short-term and long-term consequences of biodiversity change; (ii) understand how potential changes in biodiversity will impact human well-being (ecosystem services that impact forestry, water supply, flood prevention, agriculture, and disease risk) and (iii) expedite our ability to plan for effective management.

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.

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

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