INT 9513261 Coffin This U.S.-Hungary cooperative research project between Debra Coffin of Colorado State University and Edit Kovacs-Lang of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Ecology and Botany will evaluate the importance of drought and soil texture to arid and semiarid grasslands in both countries. Specifically, field studies and model simulations will be used to evaluate effects of climate and soils on plant biodiversity, spatial pattern and temporal dynamics. Results should yield a wealth of species- and community-level data that may be used to predict changes in the structure of dry grasslands and to develop controls on vegetation dynamics. Such new information can be useful in interpreting the broader effects of global climate change on the grassland biome, which altogether accounts for about 24 percent of the earth's surface cover. This long-term ecological research project fulfills the program objective of advancing scientific knowledge by enabling leading experts in the Untied States and Eastern Europe to combine complementary talents and pool research resources in areas of strong mutual interest and competence. ??
