Award Abstract # 9810220
LTER: Long-Term Ecological Research in Field Crop Ecosystems

NSF Org: DEB
Division Of Environmental Biology
Recipient: MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date: January 4, 1999
Latest Amendment Date: June 15, 2004
Award Number: 9810220
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Henry L. Gholz
DEB
 Division Of Environmental Biology
BIO
 Directorate for Biological Sciences
Start Date: December 15, 1998
End Date: June 30, 2006 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $4,200,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $4,866,183.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 1999 = $973,348.00
FY 2000 = $750,000.00

FY 2001 = $755,000.00

FY 2002 = $774,100.00

FY 2003 = $823,339.00

FY 2004 = $790,396.00
History of Investigator:
  • G. Philip Robertson (Principal Investigator)
    robert30@msu.edu
  • Katherine Gross (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Stuart Gage (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Stephen Hamilton (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Christopher Vanderpool (Former Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Richard Harwood (Former 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): Population & Community Ecology,
LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH,
BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH COLLECTION,
CONNECTIONS,
ENVIR SOCIAL & BEHAVIOR SCIENC,
EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC PROGRAM,
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS DEVELP,
Ecosystem Science
Primary Program Source: app-0100 
01000102DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

app-0102 

app-0103 

app-0104 

app-0198 

app-0199 

app-0403 
Program Reference Code(s): 1195, 5209, 5912, 5978, 7218, 9169, 9177, 9178, 9251, 9278, EGCH, SMET
Program Element Code(s): 112800, 119500, 119700, 192200, 520900, 597800, 735500, 738100
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.074

ABSTRACT

9810220
Robertson

Agricultural activities worldwide are carried out through a combination of biological and chemical management practices. The Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) Long-Term Ecological Research program has been conducting research since 1987 focusing on testing the hypothesis that agronomic management practices based on knowledge of ecological interactions can effectively replace management based on chemical subsidies. Work to test this general hypothesis is focused on field-crop ecosystems that are used extensively throughout the US Midwest. KBS research employs a series of sites where 11 different cropping systems and successional communities have been established to represent different levels and types of ecological disturbance. Within this series of sites, working hypotheses are being tested in general areas of soil microbial communities, the dynamics of insect consumers, nutrient availability, and plant community dynamics.
Recent work has led to development of biologically based agricultural systems that produce acceptable crop yields. The KBS site has documented changes in abundance of various taxa that appear to be important in row-crop function and in ecosystem-level attributes of agricultural systems. General ecological understanding has been advanced in key relationships in field-crop ecosystems. In addition to continuing these efforts, proposed work will evaluate the effects of agricultural practices at scales larger than individual fields on the dynamics of biogeochemical processes in entire watersheds. Efforts will also be developed to incorporate a social component to evaluate the degree to which human decision making plays critical roles in the ecological processes occurring in agricultural ecosystems. Finally, the results of efforts at the KBS site will be regionalized to develop a general understanding of the interactions between climate and productivity across the entire North Central Region.

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