RCN: Coordination of the Nutrient Network (NutNet), global manipulations of nutrients and consumers

In order to understand and predict the complex ecological responses to environmental changes such as nitrogen deposition and species invasions and extinctions that are occurring at continental and global scales, there is an urgent need for large-scale experiments. The Nutrient Network, or NutNet is a collaborative network of over 60 scientists at more than 40 sites across North America, Europe, Australia, South America, Asia, and Africa. As a group, NutNet members are performing identical experiments in the world's grasslands to bring unique, high-quality data to bear on these important ecological issues. Network participants have agreed to provide their own funds to support the installation, maintenance, and sampling of NutNet experimental plots. Because participation in the NutNet by researchers around the globe has already vastly exceeded the original expectations, the current grant will fund a coordinator to work with the core network participants to design and implement web-based data and metadata entry forms, ensure network-wide data quality, produce education and outreach products, and plan and execute several network meetings.

The NutNet is a uniquely global effort to gain a general understanding of the extent to which fertilization (e.g. nitrogen or phosphorus runoff, aerial nitrogen deposition) and consumers (e.g. introduced species) control plant communities and ecosystem services in grasslands around the world. While studies addressing parts of this goal have been conducted at many of the individual sites in our network, highly coordinated cross-site studies, such as the NutNet, are lacking. The NutNet also provides an innovative networking environment that promotes global research collaborations which will advance our ability to predict ecosystem responses in the face of enormous global changes. In addition, the NutNet also serves to foster an inclusive research community of investigators around the world with a common research goal. Because of the minimal expense associated with setting up and sampling a single NutNet site, many current NutNet collaborators are young investigators or those from developing countries. The combined efforts of all NutNet participants will produce a replicated experimental infrastructure of unprecedented scope. Several high-profile publications should arise from the NutNet, addressing pressing societal issues such as grassland responses to eutrophication.