The movement of elements through ecosystems: Major research instrumentation for the integration of research and education.

Michigan Technological University, Houghton MI

Investigators

Abstract

A cadre of ecologists, biologists and chemists at Michigan Technological University are actively investigating terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem processes. These faculty will use several new research instruments to advance their fundamental studies of element transfers through ecosystems, and to integrate their research with the basic science education mission of MTU. Two mass spectrometers will be used to help trace isotopes of C, N and trace metals within and across atmosphere-land-water interfaces, and through natural food-webs. A portable Eddy-Covariance System will allow the researchers to conduct measurements of C, H2O and energy exchange between the atmosphere and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, greatly facilitating the extrapolation of experimental global change work to natural ecosystems. Existing multidisciplinary research projects at MTU have the unifying theme of tracing the flow of elements and energy through atmosphere, land, and water interfaces, with the goal of a more fundamental understanding of the processes that govern element transfers, ecosystem stoichiometry, and biological community composition and diversity. Elucidation of chemical transformation pathways in nature has advanced tremendously in the past decade with the advent of instrumentation capable of rapidly measuring elemental and isotopic composition of tissues, water, soils and sediments. The new instrumentation will enhance ongoing component projects and allow the separate working groups to link together their measurements of element fluxes and studies of processes that influence stoichiometry within ecosystem food webs. The instruments will also be utilized in classroom activities at MTU, giving graduate and undergraduate students an opportunity to use the latest state-of-the-art tools for studying ecosystem processes. To better understand mechanisms that regulate ecosystem processes, one must be able to follow compounds from specific sources through and between atmosphere-land-water interfaces. The new instruments will allow the MTU research team to follow compounds and elements at all stages from their source to their final destination. The researchers will be able to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the transformation and transport of compounds within and across ecosystems. Such knowledge is crucial in order to make the step from describing what has already happened to predicting what will happen in a future, changing environment.