NSF Award
2422249
The abundances of species fluctuate through time and differ across space. Variation in abundances is used to determine patterns of synchrony (i.e. correlations in abundances), which influence species extinction risk and the stability of ecosystems. Patterns of synchrony are driven by many factors, such as variability in temperature or precipitation, or the dispersal patterns of species themselves. To date, research on synchrony has primarily focused on the role of the environment as an external force driving synchrony, both across locations and across species. However, traits, which define characteristics of species, likely play major roles in regulating synchrony. Further, different traits might determine patterns of synchrony in different environmental conditions. This research combines plant composition data from a global grassland experiment with collections of species trait data to test how traits determine patterns of synchrony across environmental gradients. The researchers will additionally lead a virtual global seminar for grassland ecologists on integrating experimental data with ecological theory. The grant will support multiple students in attending and networking at an annual working group meeting that brings together grassland scientists. This research will enhance understanding of the processes that determine ecosystem variability, aiding our ability to manage ecosystems and predict responses to future environmental change.<br/><br/>Synchrony is a ubiquitous phenomenon across ecological levels of organization and is driven by both biotic factors and abiotic environmental drivers. At the population level, correlations in temporal abundance fluctuations across distinct locations (i.e., population synchrony) increase species' extinction risk. In communities, correlated fluctuations among species in a given location (i.e., community synchrony) decreases ecosystem stability. Species traits (morphological, physiological, and phenological characteristics of species) and trait-by-environment interactions likely play major roles in regulating synchrony. The project integrates multi-site time series data from a global distributed experiment (the Nutrient Network) with novel trait collection, existing trait databases, and methods development to create and empirically test frameworks for linking functional traits to synchrony across scales of ecological organization under both natural conditions and experimental treatments that alter herbivory patterns and nutrient enrichment. The research will synthesize multiple trait databases and collect new data on traits hypothesized to mechanistically affect synchrony, characterizing how trait composition within ecological communities responds to increased fertilization and decreased herbivory pressure. Trait data, coupled with long-term time series data of plant composition, will be used to assess how trait variation and trait-by-environment interactions influence population and community synchrony across environmental gradients.<br/><br/>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.
