This action funds a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biosciences Related to the Environment for 1996. The fellowship supports research and training in the area of ecology. Ecological diversity in the montane meadows of the Sierra Nevada altered by livestock grazing is being studied to determine the causes and consequences of spatial variation in the re-establishment of native graminoid species. A rule-based model will incorporate site-specific, qualitative, and anecdotal information to predict shrub- graminoid dyanamics at a given site. A series of field experiments will investigate the interplay between causal processes regulating graminoid recovery and physical conditions, such as water availability, known to be important in determining ecological parameters. This study bridges the gap between ecology and resource management by combining quantitative and qualitative knowledge to determine the information necessary to evaluate the ecological consequences of alternative management options.
