This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Ecosystems are incredibly complex because they include many species interacting with each other in a spatially and temporally varying environment. One tool ecologists use to cope with this complexity is mathematical modeling. Despite the fact that mathematics is the natural language to describe complex systems, most biologists typically receive little mathematical training. The two goals of this project are to enhance the mathematical training of the next generation of ecologists and to advance our theoretical understanding of communities of plankton, the microscopic plants and animals at the base of most aquatic food webs. The main educational component of the project is the continuation of a successful three-week summer program in mathematical ecology at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS). This program serves undergraduate and graduate students from across and outside the US. The PI will also host visiting Research Fellows to his lab for short-term research projects and improve a graduate course in theoretical ecology at MSU. Together, this educational program will reach 48 students in the summer program and 12 research fellows, and will improve the training of graduate students at MSU.
The research component of this project uses mathematical models to investigate how vertical spatial structure and seasonal variability determine the structure and dynamics of lake and ocean plankton communities. Due to their small size, rapid growth, and relative simplicity, plankton are an ideal model system for community ecology. They are also important globally, playing key roles in coupled biogeochemical cycles, and locally, as drivers of water quality. The work on plankton will extend the researchers? previous theoretical work to include more complex food webs, diverse behavioral and physiological strategies, and the interaction of spatial and temporal forcing. Together, this research will advance our understanding of the structure and dynamics of plankton communities.
