NSF Org:	IOS Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems
Recipient:	COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date:	August 19, 2024
Latest Amendment Date:	August 19, 2024
Award Number:	2430150
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Kari Segraves ksegrave@nsf.gov  (703)292-8935 IOS  Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems BIO  Directorate for Biological Sciences
Start Date:	July 1, 2025
End Date:	June 30, 2030 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$916,173.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$916,173.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2024 = $916,173.00
History of Investigator:	Kristen Ruegg (Principal Investigator) kristen.ruegg@colostate.edu Sheela Turbek (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Colorado State University 601 S HOWES ST FORT COLLINS CO  US  80521-2807 (970)491-6355
Sponsor Congressional District:	02
Primary Place of Performance:	Colorado State University 200 W. Lake St. FORT COLLINS CO  US  80521-4593
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	02
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	LT9CXX8L19G1
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	Cross-BIO Activities
Primary Program Source:	01002425DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):
Program Element Code(s):	727500
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.074

ABSTRACT

The project will build a tool for land managers that will help them conserve grassland birds. North American grasslands once spanned more than 500 million acres. Grasslands are rapidly vanishing, along with the organisms that inhabit them. Grassland birds play a critical role in ecosystem health by dispersing seeds and consuming pests that damage crops and spread disease. However, grassland birds are declining faster than any other group of birds in North America, and their loss poses a threat to these important ecosystem services. One challenge with taking conservation actions to promote the recovery of grassland birds is that they migrate between distinct geographic regions each year. These migrations make it difficult to understand the factors causing population declines. To address this challenge, the project will collect data on migratory patterns, genetic health, and reproductive output of declining grassland bird populations. These data will be used to identify conservation actions that will benefit grassland bird populations, with the goal of restoring grassland bird populations across North America. In addition to building a conservation tool, the researchers will organize workshops for land managers. The project will also provide research internships for undergraduate students through Colorado State University?s MURALS First Year Scholars Academy program.

Since 1970, over seventy-five percent of grassland birds have declined with some species nearing threatened and endangered status. While conservation efforts aimed at reversing population declines in grassland birds are urgently needed, such efforts are currently hindered by critical gaps in our understanding of the migratory connections and demographic vital rates of populations throughout their full annual cycle. The goal of the proposed work is to develop a user-friendly tool that will aid wildlife habitat biologists in prioritizing management actions such as grassland restoration, brush management, and prescribed grazing. Specifically, the proposed research will combine data on migratory connections, genetic variation, and demographic vital rates collected across the breeding and nonbreeding grounds of three declining grassland bird species into a genomically-informed, full annual cycle, Integrated Population Model that will allow decision makers to assess which conservation measures will best promote species recovery within their jurisdiction. Furthermore, the proposed work will evaluate the effectiveness of resulting conservation recommendations by leveraging ongoing monitoring efforts.

This project is jointly funded by the Divisions of Environmental Biology and Integrative Organismal Systems through the Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice Program.

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.

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