This award provides funds to the Department of Biology at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque to continue a successful Research Experiences for Undergraduates program in association with the Sevilleta LTER SITE. Ten undergraduate students per year will participate in ecological research projects in central New Mexico. As part of the NSF Long-Term Ecological Research Network, the Sevilleta LTER site provides REU students with a unique opportunity to examine ecological processes at the boundaries of several major southwestern biomes (Chihuahuan Desert, Great Plains Grassland, Great Basin Shrub-Steppe, Interior Chaparral, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, Montane Coniferous Forest, and Sub-Alpine Forest/Meadow). The program will capitalize on the diversity of the 21 Sevilleta LTER faculty, who collaborate on a wide array of scientific studies in meteorology, botany, zoology, paleoecology, watershed dynamics, nutrient cycling, and landscape ecology. The REU Program includes: 1) weekly orientation and progress meetings, 2) field and laboratory training in research concepts and techniques, 3) independent student research projects, 4) seminar series and university classwork, 5) group field trips, 6) pre- and post- project oral presentations, and 7) project manuscript preparation and submission to journals. These activities will integrate all theoretical and technical aspects of the LTER and promote an holistic approach to large-scale, ecological studies.
