[LTER-luq-pi] Fwd: CloudNet: Opportunity to participate in a decomposition study in Tropical Montane Forests

[Jess Zimmerman]

Do we want to participate?


Jess K. Zimmerman
Professor
Lead PI, Luquillo LTER Program
Director, El Verde Field Station
Department Environmental Sciences
University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras
Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico

Tel: 787-764-0000 ext. 1 <(787)%20764-0000>-XXXX-# where XXXX is:
   LTER Program Office: 88233
   El Verde Field Station: 83467
Mobile: 787-380-3311 <(787)%20380-3311>

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Martin,Patrick <Patrick.Martin at colostate.edu>
Date: Fri, Feb 17, 2017 at 7:32 PM
Subject: CloudNet: Opportunity to participate in a decomposition study in
Tropical Montane Forests
To: "Martin,Patrick" <Patrick.Martin at colostate.edu>


Dear Tropical Montane Cloud Forest Researchers,



As a part of an NSF-funded research coordination network on tropical
montane science and ecology (CloudNet, http://cloudnet.agsci.colostate.edu),
we are organizing a global study on *decomposition processes* in tropical
montane forests (TMFs) with an emphasis on including cloud-affected areas
or “cloud forests.” Specifically, we are interested in examining
decomposition across large geographic scales as well as within sites along
environmental gradients (climate, land use, soil fertility, etc.). A pan-TMF
study will help evaluate the commonalities and contrasts in a key ecosystem
process across TMFs as well enabling comparisons with other ecosystems such
as lowland tropical forests. We have designed this study with methods that
will be directly comparable with a pantropical decomposition study
conducted at 27 sites in lowland tropical forests (Powers et al. 2011, J.
Ecol).



This study will use a short-term litterbag and ‘popsicle stick’ experiment
to evaluate decomposition rates and processes of leaves and wood in
TMFs. Similar
to the Powers et al. (2011) study, we will use a common leaf standard (bay
leaves), place bags above- and belowground, and make decomposition bags of
two different mesh sizes to examine the influence of micro- vs. macrofauna.
In addition, we will add a wood decomposition component (Meier et al. 2012,
Soil. Biol. Biochem.).



We have a detailed methods protocol that will be sent to all participants.
Litterbags will be provided for all participants as well, ready to be put
out in the field. To participate, the study will require a *minimum of 3
visits to at least one location* in your TMF site: the 1st to initiate the
study at the beginning of the wet season in your site in 2017, and the 2nd
and 3rd to collect and weigh the samples (approximately 3 months and 7
months after deployment). All contributing researchers will be granted
co-authorship on the manuscript of this work.



If you are interested in participating in this study or have questions
about the specifics, please email Jim Dalling (dallingj at life.illinois.edu),
Becky Ostertag (ostertag at hawaii.edu), or Patrick Martin (
Patrick.martin at colostate.edu) *no later than March 1st, 2017*. Also, please
feel free to pass this opportunity along to other researchers who would be
interested in participating.



Jim, Becky, Patrick
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.lternet.edu/pipermail/luq-pi/attachments/20170221/70732141/attachment.html>