9416808 Bledsoe This project focuses on synthesis of below-ground productivity by plant roots at a number of sites in North America (LTER sites and other sites with significant root biomass information). Below-ground productivity is a key part of net primary productivity (NPP), yet there have been few efforts to compare below-ground productivity across different sites and develop synthetic hypotheses which might explain factors which control root growth and death and allocation of carbon to roots. This information is vital in understanding NPP, as well as in predicting effects of global change on NPP. The below-ground ecosystem has been neglected, essentially. The project has a dual objective: first, to develop a computer system which is suitable for intersite/synthetic research in root ecology; and second, to actually use that system for new scientific research. Specifically, the following below-ground productivity questions will be addressed: 1. How do abiotic variables (primarily climate and soil) affect below-ground root biomass in different ecosystems? 2. How does above-ground vegetation type affect below-ground root biomass in different ecosystems? 3. What relationships exist between above- and below-ground biomass parameters (density, health, resilience, etc.) in different ecosystems? The project is organized around a series of workshops in which ecologists (primarily root scientists) collaborate with information engineers (computer systems professionals with expertise in data-bases, application software, and networking). One pilot and two production workshops are planned. For each workshop the activities are similar: (1) design and prototyping of a root data-base and an associated application software-suite relevant to the ecosystem of interest: (2) validation of the prototype data-base and application software in a pre-workshop (limited to the organizers), followed by refinements to the system, as necessary; (3) collection of real-world data and metadata sets for topic ecosystem, and loading these data into the data-base with appropriate quality controls; (4) hosting of a formal workshop at which participants are challenged to make use the collected data-base and application software-suite, actually accomplishing intersite/synthetic science. The significance of the project is the information technology assistance it offers scientists in understanding how root ecology varies spatially and temporally across sites, and how it is affected by climate, soils, above-ground vegetation and other site-specific factors. Further, the project will evolve a series of data-bases and associated application software suites for intersite/synthetic work in ecology, to be published across the Internet, which hopefully will stimulate interest for similar efforts in other ecological disciplines.
