Konza Prairie Biological Station

Baer Ecology Lab


The Baer-lab studies above and below-ground changes in structure (species and functional composition of plants and microbes) and function (primary productivity, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration) during ecological restoration in response to environmental heterogeneity, interannual variability in climate, and transpacific variation in population sources of dominant species.

Much of our research has focused on agroecosystems restored to tallgrass prairie. We have found slow changes in total soil carbon pools on decadal scales, dependent on soil texture, but rapid recovery of easily decomposable organic matter pools that tie up available nitrogen as restoration proceeds. Different ecotypes of dominant species used in restoration can differentially affect species composition and traits with consequences for ecosystem processes. Some of these studies span multiple decades and demonstrate that restored grasslands are dynamic ecosystems both above and below-ground, and our knowledge of these ecosystems remains in its infancy.

Projects

Grassland

NSF LTREB

The role of ecological heterogeneity in a long-term grassland restoration experiment
Inter-annual variation in climate effects on trajectories of community development and ecosystem functioning in restored prairie

LTER

Inter-annual variation in climate effects on trajectories of community development and ecosystem functioning in restored prairie
Evaluation of ecotypic variation and functional response of a dominant grass (Andropogon gerardii) across the precipitation gradient of tallgrass prairie and in response to altered precipitation

USDA

Evaluation of ecotypic variation and functional response of a dominant grass (Andropogon gerardii) across the precipitation gradient of tallgrass prairie and in response to altered precipitation
Comparison of ecosystem recovery during C4-grassland

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Comparison of ecosystem recovery during C4-grassland development between contrasting precipitation regimes, soil textures, high and low diversity restorations, and across continents (North American vs. South Africa)

Projects

Examination of ecological consequences of dominant grass source

NSF

Examination of ecological consequences of dominant grass source (i.e., cultivar vs. locally collected seed sources) used in prairie restoration on leaf-level processes, root architecture and dynamics, competitive interactions, community structure, and ecosystem processes
The role of human filters, specifically selection of dominant species population

LTER

The role of human filters, specifically selection of dominant species population sources and initial seed mix diversity (grass:forb ratio), on the re-assembly of tallgrass prairie community structure and function

Baer Ecology Lab Members standing in a field of grass

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