KBS LTER Overview

2013 KBS LTER Site Review May 29 2013 May 29, 2013 Agenda and Overview Phil Robertson, Lead PI W.K. Kellogg Biological Station and gg g Dept. of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences

KBS LTER Site Review

Provisional Agenda 8:30

Welcome Introductions, Agenda Approval KBS LTER Overview

9:30

Science Themes I (15 min + 5 min q/a) Microbial Dynamics – Tom Schmidt, co‐PI Plant Community Dynamics – Kay Gross, co‐PI Insect Dynamics – Doug Landis, co‐PI

10:30

Break

10:45

Science Themes II Agronomic Impacts – Sieg Snapp Human Dimensions – Scott Swinton

11:30

Data Management Information Management at KBS – Sven Bohm Spatial Databases – Suzanne Sippel

12:00

Lunch – McCrary Cafeteria


1:00

3:30

4:30 5:30 7:30

Provisional Agenda, cont. (Wednesday afternoon) Field trip #1 St #1 LTER Main Site, MCSE T2r1 Stop #1 – LTER M i Sit MCSE T2 1 1. Orientation – Phil Robertson 2. Farmer Incentives – Leah Harris 3 Microbial diversity – Brendan O 3. Microbial diversity – Brendan O’Neill Neill 4. Belowground production – Christine Sprunger Stop #2 – LTER Main Site, MCSE T7r2 5 Plant dynamics – Tim Dickson 5. Plant dynamics – Tim Dickson 6. Fungal community dynamics – Chris Wright Stop #3 – LTER Main Site, Resource Gradient Experiment 7 Landscape insect dynamics – Megan Woltz 7. Landscape insect dynamics – Megan Woltz 8. Nitrous oxide responses to fertilizer inputs – Neville Millar Stop #4 – Biofuels (GLBRC) Intensive Site 9 Spatially explicit modeling with UAVs – Bruno Basso 9. Spatially explicit modeling with UAVs – Bruno Basso 10. Global warming impacts – Ilya Gelfand Stop #5 – LTER Deciduous Forest (DF) Site 11 Coccinellid community dynamics – Christie Bahlai 11. Coccinellid community dynamics – Christie Bahlai Barbecue and Posters – Carriage House Patio Review team caucus – Carriage House Classroom


8:00 8 10 8:10 8:30

9:10

10:45

12:00 5:00 6:30

Provisional Agenda, cont. (Thursday) Agenda review S i Science Theme III Th III Biogeochemistry – Steve Hamilton Education and Outreach Ed ti Education and Outreach – dO t h Julie Doll J li D ll K‐12 Education Support and Outreach (sLTER) – Andy Anderson Field Trip #2 – Augusta Creek Watershed (Kellogg Forest) 12 O i t ti 12. Orientation – St Steve Hamilton H ilt 13. Stream nitrogen dynamics – Lauren Kinsman‐Costello Wrap‐up Discussion P j ti t Project integration – ti Phil R b t Phil Robertson University fit – Assoc. Deans Doug Buhler (CANR) and Dave Dewitt (CNS) Future issues – PIs Questions still outstanding – Review team Questions still outstanding – Review team Review team working lunch and afternoon caucus NSF Report‐out – Saran Twombly Fi t i First airport departures td t Dinner

KBS LTER Central Organizing Question g gQ To what extent can we manage modern field crops with biology rather than chemistry? – while maintaining / enhancing ecosystem services related to • Yields, especially food and fuel production • Environmental performance Environmental performance

A complex question that requires fundamental ecological knowledge related to…. Insect predator‐ prey relationships that control pest that control pest populations

Plant community y dynamics that affect primary productivity and yield

Human decisions that affect ecosystem services from agriculture

Microbe‐soil‐plant interactions that control soil nutrient availability

Biogeochemical fluxes to land, water, and atmosphere

KBS LTER Conceptual Model: Farming for Services

Robertson et al., in review; after Collins et al. 2011

The KBS LTER Main Cropping System Experiment (MCSE) Ecosystem Type

Management Intensity

Annual Grain Crops (Corn - Soybean - Wheat) Conventional management High No-till Reduced input with cover crops Biologically-based with cover crops Perennial Biomass Crops Alfalfa Hybrid poplars Unmanaged Communities Early successional old field Mid successional old field Late successional forest

Low

The KBS LTER Main Site Layout of the MCSE

Successional and Forested Sites of the Main Cropping System Experiment (MCSE)

MCSE Scale‐Up Fields Corn‐Soybean‐Wheat y T1 Conventional T3 Reduced Input T4 Biologically Based 27 Fields: 3 treatments x 3 entry points x 3 replicates

Landscape Scale Questions are Integral to KBS Research Local Watersheds Area counties

Midwest States

National Cross-site

Major Long‐term Experiments of KBS LTER  Main Cropping System Experiment (from 1988) Main Cropping System Experiment (from 1988)  What are the key ecological interactions in intensive production systems?

 MCSE Scale‐up Experiment (from 2006) MCSE S l E i t (f 2006)  How do MCSE results scale to commercial operations?

 Biodiversityy Gradient Experiment (from 2000) p ( )  How does rotational complexity influence ecosystem attributes?

 Resource Gradient Experiment (from 2003)  How do water and nitrogen constraints affect year‐to‐year crop productivity?

 The Living Field Lab Study (from 1993) g y( )  How do MCSE systems perform within key commercial production contexts?

 The GLBRC Biofuel Cropping System Experiment (from 2008) The GLBRC Biofuel Cropping System Experiment (from 2008)  How do prospective cellulosic biofuel crops compare with respect to key sustainability traits and deliverable services?

KBS LTER Project Management  Executive Committee (meets ~monthly) Phil Robertson, Julie Doll, Kay Gross, Steve Hamilton, Justin Kunkle, Doug Landis, Tom Schmidt, Sieg Snapp, Scott Swinton  Lead Staff  Sven Bohm, Information Manager  Julie Doll, Outreach and Education Coordinator  Justin Kunkle, Science Coordinator Justin Kunkle Science Coordinator  Joe Simmons, Agronomic Manager  Stacey VanderWulp, Project Manager  Agronomy Committee (meets annually)  S. Snapp, Chair  Grad Student Committee (meets semi‐annually) y  Megan Woltz and Bonnie McGill, co‐chairs  Information Management Committee (new; meets quarterly)  Sven Bohm Sven Bohm and Justin Kunkle, co‐chairs and Justin Kunkle co chairs

KBS LTER Project Management, cont. p  LTER Network Citizenship from 2010         

Executive Board (Hamilton, Robertson) Science Council Chair (Robertson) Communications Committee (Doll Robertson) Communications Committee (Doll, Robertson) Information Management Executive Committee (Bohm) Graduate Student Committee Co‐chair (Glanville) International Committee (Snapp) Graduate & Undergraduate Education Working Groups (Kunkle, Doll) 2012 BioScience Network Synthesis Issue (2 papers: Landis, Robertson) y ( p p ) NSF Mini‐symposiums  2010 Ecosystem Services – Swinton  2012 Sustainability Science – 2012 Sustainability Science – Robertson  2013 Global Reach ‐ Woltz

KBS LTER Cross‐site and Broad‐scale Synthetic Research  Lotic Intersite Nitrogen Experiment (LINX) Project (Hamilton)  Cross‐continent nitrogen cycling in streams

 Productivity Diversity Traits Network (PDTNet) (Gross)  Responses of grassland communities to nitrogen fertilization and p g g precipitation variability

 EcoSeRE ‐ Precipitation Gradient Experiment (Lau)  Response of plant species to changing precipitation gradients Response of plant species to changing precipitation gradients

 Convergence and Divergence Network (Gross)  How does plant community composition converge or diverge in response to disturbance

 Network Workshops Since 2010  Aquatic and soil organic matter linkages ‐ Aquatic and soil organic matter linkages ‐ Kincaid  Questions in social science graduate student workshop ‐ Beneviste  Climate analysis training – Munoz  EcoSeRE Precipitation Manipulation Planning – Precipitation Manipulation Planning Lau

KBS LTER Cross‐site and Broad‐scale Synthetic Research, cont.  Broad‐scale Synthetic Research – Examples of papers since 2010  Beaulieu Beaulieu, J. J., J. L. Tank, S. K. Hamilton, et al.. 2011. Nitrous oxide emission from denitrification J J J L Tank S K Hamilton et al 2011 Nitrous oxide emission from denitrification in stream and river networks. PNAS 108:214‐219.  Bernot, M. J., D. J. Sobota, … S.K. Hamilton et al. 2010. Inter‐regional comparison of land‐use effects on stream metabolism. Freshwater Biology 55:1874‐1890.  Egbendewe‐Mondzozo, A., S. M. Swinton, R. C. Izaurralde, D. H. Manowitz, and X. Zhang. 2013. Maintaining environmental quality while expanding biomass production: Sub‐regional U.S. policy simulations. Energy Policy 57:518‐531.  Findlay, S., P.J. Mulholland, S.K. Hamilton, et al. 2011. Cross‐stream comparison of substrate‐ specific denitrification potential. Biogeochemistry 104:381–392.  Gelfand, I., R. Sahajpal, X. Zhang, C. R. Izaurralde, K. L. Gross, and G. P. Robertson. 2013. Sustainable bioenergy production from marginal lands in the US Midwest. Nature 493:514‐517.  Helton, A.M., G.C. Poole, J.L. Meyer, W.M. Wollheim, … S.K. Hamilton, et al. 2011. Thinking Helton A M G C Poole J L Meyer W M Wollheim S K Hamilton et al 2011 Thinking outside the channel: modeling nitrogen cycling in networked river ecosystems. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 4: 229‐238.  Johnson, L.T., J.L. Tank, R.O. Hall, Jr., P.J. Mulholland, S.K. Hamilton, et al. 2013. Quantifying the production of dissolved organic nitrogen in headwater streams using 15N tracer additions. d ti f di l d i it i h d t t i 15N t dditi Limnology & Oceanography, in press.  Ma, S., S. M. Swinton, F. Lupi, and C. B. Jolejole‐Foreman. 2012. Farmers' willingness to participate in Payment‐for‐Environmental‐Services programmes. J. Agricultural Economics 63:604‐626.  Ma, S. and S. Swinton. 2011. Valuation of ecosystem services from rural landscapes using agricultural land prices. Ecological Economics 70:1649‐1659.

KBS LTER Cross‐site and Broad‐scale Synthetic Research, cont.  Broad‐scale Synthetic Research Examples, cont.  Meehan Meehan, T. D., B. P. Werling, D. A. Landis, and C. Gratton. 2012. Pest‐suppression potential of T D B P Werling D A Landis and C Gratton 2012 Pest suppression potential of Midwestern landscapes under contrasting bioenergy scenarios. PLoS ONE 7: e41728.  Meehan, T. D., B. P. Werling, D. A. Landis, and C. Gratton. 2011. Agricultural landscape simplification and insecticide use in the Midwestern United States. PNAS 108:11500‐11505.  Swinton, S. M., B. A. Babcock, L. K. James, and V. Bandaru. 2011. Higher US crop prices trigger little area expansion so marginal land for biofuel crops is limited. Energy Policy 39:5254‐5258.  Werling, B. P., T. D. Meehan, B. Robertson, C. Gratton, and D. A. Landis. 2011. Biocontrol potential varies with changes in biofuel‐crop plant communities and landscape perenniality. Global Change Biology‐Bioenergy 3:347‐359.  Woltz, MJ, R Isaacs, DA Landis. 2012. Landscape structure and habitat management differentially influence insect natural enemies in an agricultural landscape. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 152:40‐49. Ecosystems and Environment 152:40 49.  Robinson, T.M.P., K.J. LaPierre, M.A. Vadeboncoeur, K. M. Byrne, M.L. Thome, and S.E. Colby. 2013. Seasonal, not annual precipitation drives community productivity across ecosystems. Oikos 122: 727–738.

LTER Network Cross-site Publications

Robertson et al. 2012 BioScience

KBS LTER Management Overview ‐ Budget  Current Budget ‐ $940k/y  60% core support (data management, field, lab, and coordinating staff)  40% research hypotheses  >100% indirect costs returned to project (see below)  Direct Costs  Summer salaries – 3 months total (0 – 0.5 month)  Research Hypotheses ($35k each; total $245,000 direct costs)  Agronomic Dynamics (Snapp) A i D i (S )  Plant Dynamics (Gross)  Microbial Dynamics (Schmidt)  Arthropod Dynamics (Landis) p y ( )  Terrestrial Biogeochemistry (Robertson)  Aquatic Biogeochemistry (Hamilton)  Human Dynamics (Swinton)  University Support ($434k/y exclusive of land base)  2 Coordinator positions  2 Data management positions  Agronomic expenses  Graduate fellowships (1 annual; 3 summer)

KBS LTER Collaborations and Site Use  Formal Partners    

MSU AgBioResearch MSU Extension KBS K‐12 Partnership School Districts (14) DOE G t L k Bi DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) R h C t (GLBRC)

 Informal Partners    

Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy Various land owners at out state sites Various land owners at out‐state sites MSU Knight School of Environmental Journalism Society of Environmental Journalists

 Site Use Site Use  22 Projects External to MSU since 2010  16 Institutions: Univ. Maryland, Univ. Louisville, Univ. Bascilicata (Italy), Western Michigan Univ., Bradley Univ., Colorado State Univ., Univ. New Hampshire, Univ. Wisconsin – Oshkosh, Indiana Univ., Baldwin‐Wallace Univ., Univ. Toledo, Rice Univ., Northwestern Univ., Univ. of Wisconsin – Madison, Stanford Univ., Purdue  Externally funded projects (MSU and non‐MSU)  38 since 2010 (26 currently active) 38 since 2010 (26 currently active)  NSF (DEB, EHR, OCI, SBE), USDA (AFRI, NRC‐SARE), DOE, EPRI, EPA, USDA, State of Michigan, CERES Trust, NASA, USGS

KBS LTER Research Productivity  Publications since 2010  Refereed journal articles: 107  Books and chapters: 16  Theses: 10

KBS LTER 2010 Proposal Issues Identified in Panel Summary (8)  Research Research integration among core areas insufficient integration among core areas insufficient  Response:  Redoubled site synthesis efforts (e.g. book)  Initiated new collaborative grant activities – CZO and CNH proposals (pending), GLBRC sustainability modeling  Cross‐project integration analysis to identify weak linkages

 Insect diversity and pest suppression too narrowly focused on too few species  Response:  Core research effort focus on Coccinellid diversity as a model for generalist predators  Used as basis to expand functional studies (e.g. pest suppression) to regional landscape:  Role of landscape structure and perenniality on pest suppression Role of landscape structure and perenniality on pest suppression  Impact of pest suppression on insecticide use  Intraguild predation  We have recruited other researchers and sought external funding to include other taxa, in particular pollinators – Isaacs (MSU), Gratton (UW)

KBS LTER 2010 Proposal Issues Identified in Panel Summary, cont.  Microbial ecology  Questions insufficiently novel  Too few microbial ecologists  Absence of plant symbiosis research  Response:  Revised and re‐organized microbial questions to focus on field measurements of additional key ecosystem processes (nitrification, denitrification, methane oxidation, N2 fixation)  Recruited microbial ecologists to site – R it d i bi l l i t t it Stuart Grandy St t G d (UNH), Jay Lennon (IU) (UNH) J L (IU)  Recruited new plant‐microbe researchers to site – Steve Bentivenga (UW‐Oshkosh), Sarah Emery (Univ. Louisville), Jen Lau (KBS)  Long‐term data sets not being exploited sufficiently  Response:  Site synthesis volume (50 multiple‐year graphs of 110 total)  Individual research areas Individual research areas  Biogeochemistry: Syswerda et al. 2011, 2012, Gelfand et al. 2013  Plant dynamics: Grman et al. 2010, Cleland et al. 2013, Cleland et al. 2013  Insect dynamics: forthcoming (site synthesis volume)  Microbial ecology: Levine et al. 2011  Agronomic responses: Snapp et al. 2010, Gelfand et al. 2010  Human dynamics: (limited relevance: derivative)

KBS LTER 2010 Proposal Issues Identified in Panel Summary, cont.  Human Human dynamics model and assumptions not well described dynamics model and assumptions not well described  Response:  Model of adoption decisions clarified as constrained optimization (Swinton presentation)  Broader impacts: Farmers not sufficiently engaged (feedback lacking)  Response:  Climate change in agriculture education research (discussion sessions, focus groups, Climate change in agriculture education research (discussion sessions focus groups community meetings)  Closer extension educator ties (collaborations, state and regional meetings)  Information management: LNO Metadata repository has too few KBS contributions  Response:  We have added to Metacat 84 KBS datasets (each with several data tables) 48 data sets now on NIS (41 on staging server) – 190 data tables 190 data tables  48 data sets now on NIS (41 on staging server)

KBS LTER 2010 Proposal Issues Identified in Panel Summary, cont.  P Project management: Leadership transition plan lacking j L d hi ii l l ki  Response:  University support for LPI has been established and is working to keep current LPI in place p  We have a future lead PI transition plan (Robertson to Hamilton with co‐lead arrangement)  Co‐PI transitions happen organically (mainly retirements) and have occurred successfully in the past; we do not anticipate immediate transitions nor future successfully in the past; we do not anticipate immediate transitions nor future difficulty

KBS LTER Research Integration Cross disciplinary Publications (co authorship analysis) Cross‐disciplinary Publications (co‐authorship analysis)

Based on co‐authorship analysis; n=431 publications

Site Volume: The Ecology of Agricultural Ecosystems ‐ Long‐term Research on the Path to Sustainability 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Conceptual and Experimental Approaches to Understanding Agricultural Conceptual and Experimental Approaches to Understanding Agricultural Ecosystems: KBS LTER Ecosystem Services Afforded by Agriculture and their Economic Value Production Agriculture in the US North Central Region: Why We Farm Where We Farm Where We Farm Soil Organic Matter Dynamics: Controls and Management for Ecosystem Functioning Microbial Diversity in Agricultural Soils and its Relation to Ecosystem Functions Plant Community Dynamics in Managed and Natural Ecosystems Arthropod Biodiversity and Pest Suppression in Agricultural Landscapes Agricultural Nitrogen: Boon and Bane g g Simulating Crop Response and Biogeochemical Fluxes to the Environment Changes in Water Quality as Water Moves Through Agricultural Landscapes Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases in Agricultural Ecosystems Changing Farmer Choices about How to Manage Agricultural Ecosystems Agronomic Lessons from KBS: Field Crop Performance in the LTER and Li i Fi ld L b Living Field Lab Development of Acoustic Monitoring Technology for Ecological Investigations Synthesis: Bringing It All Together

2013!


Provisional Agenda 8:30

Welcome Introductions, Agenda Approval KBS LTER Overview 9:30 Science Themes I (15 min + 5 min q/a) Microbial Dynamics – Tom Schmidt, co‐PI Plant Community Dynamics – Kay Gross, co Plant Community Dynamics Kay Gross, co‐PI PI Insect Dynamics – Doug Landis, co‐PI 10:30 Break 10:45 Science Themes II h Agronomic Impacts – Sieg Snapp Human Dynamics – Scott Swinton 11:30 Data Management Overview – Sven Bohm Spatial Databases – p Suzanne Sippel pp 12:00 Lunch – McCrary Cafeteria

Completed Experiments

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 Rotation / Entry Point Study (1989 – 1996)  How does climate variability affect year‐to‐year MCSE yields?

 Vetch / Tillage Study (1989 – Vetch / Tillage Study (1989 1994)  What factors affect cover crop success?

 European Corn Borer Study (1999 – 2004)  Do genetically‐engineered Bt traits in leaf litter affect decomposition dynamics or soil microbial processes?

 Gene Transfer Study (1998 Gene Transfer Study (1998 – 2010)  How quickly does prokaryotic gene flow (2,4‐D degradation capacity) occur?

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Do not print - keep in reserve for questions (unhide later) Phil Robertson 2, 5/23/2013