MEETING THE DEMAND FOR AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST PRODUCTS IN A CHANGING CLIMATE IS CRITICAL FOR THE SOCIOECONOMIC WELL-BEING OF THE UNITED STATES. DECADAL CLIMATE PREDICTION IS A NECESSARY PART OF THIS ASSESSMENT, BUT COMPREHENSIVE LAND MANAGEMENT POLICIES TO ADAPT TO AND MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE REQUIRE AN INTEGRATIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE COUPLED PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, AND HUMAN PROCESSES IN THE EARTH SYSTEM. EARTH SYSTEM PREDICTION IS REQUIRED, NOT JUST CLIMATE PREDICTION. THIS PROPOSAL ADDRESSES THE NEED TO IMPROVE PREDICTION OF BIOLOGICAL SERVICES IN THE EARTH SYSTEM WITH A FOCUS ON FOOD AND TIMBER SECURITY IN NORTH AMERICA. THE RESEARCH STUDIES: AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST SYSTEMS; THEIR RESPONSES TO AND FEEDBACKS WITH CLIMATE CHANGE; AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST MANAGEMENT THAT MAINTAINS YIELD WHILE MINIMIZING ADVERSE CLIMATE FEEDBACKS. THE FOCUS OF THE PROPOSED MIMICS-CLM UNH RESEARCH WILL BE TO REFINE PARAMETERIZATIONS AND VALIDATE MODEL OUTPUT IN ORDER TO: (1) QUANTIFY THE ECOPHYSIOLOGICAL VARIATION OF MICROBIAL FUNCTIONAL TYPES (MGE AND MGR); (2) EVALUATE THE PHYSICAL PROTECTION OF MICROBIAL RESIDUES THAT CAN FORM STABLE SOIL C; AND (3) EXPLORE HOW MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION OF SOIL C RESPOND TO AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES. DATA WILL BE COLLECTED FROM PUBLISHED LITERATURE AND TARGETED EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES TO HELP CONSTRAIN AND INFORM MIMICS PARAMETERIZATIONS AND RESPONSES TO AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES. LEVERAGING ONGOING FUNDED WORK AT THE KELLOGG BIOLOGICAL STATION AND GREAT LAKES BIOENERGY RESEARCH CENTER, MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS THAT MAY FAVOR PHYSICAL VS. BIOCHEMICAL PROTECTION OF SOIL C ACROSS GRADIENTS OF SOIL TEXTURE, SITE FERTILITY, AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (INCLUDING RESIDUE MANAGEMENT AND TILLAGE PRACTICES) WILL BE EXAMINED.