<div dir="ltr"><div><font style="font-size:12.8px" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">Dear LTER Community,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"><br></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">In January, as part of its mission to enhance collaboration across the LTER network, the NCO called for Synthesis Working Group proposals. The request elicited 24 highly competitive proposals that together harnessed data from all 24 LTER sites. Selection was based on scientific merit, contribution to LTER Network science, and use of novel approaches.</span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"> </span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"> </span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"> </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"><span style="line-height:22.08px">We would like to c</span></span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);line-height:22.08px;white-space:pre-wrap">ongratulate the three proposals funded at this time: </span><br></p><ul><li style="margin-left:15px"><b>Stream Elemental Cycling: Global Patterns in Stream Energy and Nutrient Cycling</b> -- PIs: Adam Wymore (LUQ) and Sujay Kaushal (BES)</li></ul><ul><li style="margin-left:15px"><b>LTER
Metacommunities: A synthesis to identify how metacommunity dynamics
mediate community responses to disturbance across the ecosystems
represented in the LTER network</b> -- <span style="font-size:12.8px">PIs: Eric R. Sokol (MCM), Christopher M. Swan (BES), Nathan I. Wisnoski (AND)</span><br></li></ul><ul><li style="margin-left:15px"><b>Communities-to-Ecosystems:
Integrating plant community and ecosystem responses to chronic global
change drivers: Toward an explanation of patterns and improved global
predictions</b><i> -- </i><span style="font-size:12.8px">PIs: Kimberly J. La Pierre (KNZ/CDR/SGS), Meghan L. Avolio (KNZ), and Kevin R. Wilcox (KNZ/SGS)</span></li></ul></font><span style="font-size:12.8px">Many
thoughtful and innovative proposals could not be supported in this
round of funding. The NCO expects to issue a new RFP in late July and we
encourage both revised proposals and new submissions.<font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"> In addition to the effort made by proposers, w</font></span><span style="font-size:12.8px;background-color:transparent">e
appreciate the time and effort invested by the eight anonymous
reviewers to inform the final decisions and to provide feedback. </span><div><span style="font-size:12.8px"><br></span><font style="font-size:12.8px" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">The May 2016 LTER Science Council meeting delved deep into a series of population-related questions, with breakout sessions on <b>abiotic effects, phenology, invasive species, non-trophic impacts of predators (AKA landscape of fear), and </b></span><b style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:12.8px;line-height:17.664px;white-space:pre-wrap">the role of long-term observation in detecting and accurately attributing signals of global change</b><span style="line-height:1.38;font-size:12.8px;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"><b>. </b>Interested researchers can find </span><a href="http://intranet2.lternet.edu/content/2016-science-council-meeting-round" style="line-height:1.38;font-size:12.8px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank"><b>summaries from those working groups</b></a><span style="line-height:1.38;font-size:12.8px;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"> on the LTER intranet. Please contact group leaders if you would like to contribute data, energy or ideas to these synthesis-topics-in-the-making. <a href="http://intranet2.lternet.edu/content/2016-science-council-site-presentations" target="_blank"><b>Site presentations </b></a>of recent work related to populations are also available on the intranet. </span></p></font><font style="font-size:12.8px" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"><br></span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">For more on the funded working groups, please visit the LTER Intranet: <a href="http://intranet2.lternet.edu/content/congratulations-2016-round-1-synthesis-working-groups" target="_blank"><b>p</b></a></span><b style="line-height:normal"><a href="http://intranet2.lternet.edu/content/congratulations-2016-round-1-synthesis-working-groups" target="_blank">roject summaries of funded working group proposals</a>.</b></p></font><div><div><img class="" src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif"><br></div><div>With best regards,<br></div></div></div></div>Frank<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><pre cols="72"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Frank W. Davis<br>Director, LTER Network Communications Office<br></span><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Director, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis</span><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span></span><br>University of California, Santa Barbara
735 State St., Suite 300
Santa Barbara, CA 93101-3351, USA
<a href="http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu" target="_blank">http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu</a>
Tel (805) 893-7527
Fax (805) 893-7451</span></pre>
</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
</div>