Award Abstract # 9211772
The Virginia Coast Reserve LTER Site

NSF Org: DEB
Division Of Environmental Biology
Recipient: RECTOR & VISITORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Initial Amendment Date: August 28, 1992
Latest Amendment Date: July 6, 1994
Award Number: 9211772
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager:
DEB
 Division Of Environmental Biology
BIO
 Directorate for Biological Sciences
Start Date: September 1, 1992
End Date: October 31, 1995 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $1,241,406.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $1,315,956.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 1992 = $607,495.00
FY 1993 = $633,911.00

FY 1994 = $74,550.00
History of Investigator:
  • Bruce Hayden (Principal Investigator)
    bph@virginia.edu
  • Herman Shugart (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • John Porter (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Virginia Main Campus
1001 EMMET ST N
CHARLOTTESVILLE
VA  US  22903-4833
(434)924-4270
Sponsor Congressional District: 05
Primary Place of Performance: University of Virginia Main Campus
1001 EMMET ST N
CHARLOTTESVILLE
VA  US  22903-4833
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
05
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): JJG6HU8PA4S5
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): INSTRUMENTAT & INSTRUMENT DEVP,
LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH,
LONG-TERM RSCH IN ENVIR BIO
Primary Program Source:  
app-0193 

app-0194 
Program Reference Code(s): 1129, 1228, 9169, 9178, 9251, ENVI, SMET
Program Element Code(s): 110800, 119500, 119600
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.074

ABSTRACT

The Virginia Coast Reserve (VCR) is an extremely dynamic, frequently disturbed landscape which is comprised of elements (e.g. grasslands, marshes) that differ in degrees normally associated with biome-level differences. Because the frequency of disturbance at the VCR is so great the types of ecosystem changes that would normally occur across large distances (continents, biomes) and over long periods of time (e.g. glacial and interglacial periods) happen on decadal time-scales. Ecosystem state changes are frequent. The central research theme of the VCR LTER project is the understanding of the dynamics of ecosystem state change, both the transitions among ecosystem states and succession within these states. The basic elements of this LTER's theoretical concept of landscape dynamics are that 1) there are "attractors" in the ecosystem state space within which successional dynamics operate and 2) there are events that produce transitions from one of these attractors to another. The VCR LTER will continue to study succession within several of the more prominent states (Myrica thickets and salt marshes) and the response of these states to disturbance. This will be accomplished by research in the NSF-defined LTER network core areas as well as additional VCR-established areas as well as additional VCR-established areas examining states and state changes that have occurred at the VCR in geologic, historic, and present-day context. The VCR LTER will address the following working hypotheses: 1) The controls on succession within states are the availability of water, the salinity of that water, the frequency of tidal inundation, and sediment deposition; and 2) Gradients in salinity and tidal inundation frequency and thus organic matter accumulation, primary productivity, and nutrients, are a function of the slope, sea level, and astronomical and storm tides. 3) Many ecological state changes are triggered by infrequent, short-duration, intense disturbances such as coastal storms. The products of the proposed work will be the development of a new theoretical base for maintenance and structuring of landscape, further elucidation of controls on ecosystem processes, and new ecosystem and landscape modeling approaches.

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

Print this page

Back to Top of page