KBS LTER: Field Crop Ecology

The KBS LTER site is in a diverse, rural-to-semirural landscape typical of the U.S. Great Lakes and upper Midwest regions. Research at KBS asks how diverse plants, animals, and microbes in agricultural landscapes can contribute to farm productivity, environmental performance, and profitability. We study annual and perennial crops including corn, soybean, and wheat rotations, forage crops such as alfalfa, and biofuel crops such as poplars, switchgrass, and native successional communities. Contrasts with natural forest and successional sites provide important points of comparison for gauging the effects of agricultural management on organisms in agricultural landscapes and on the delivery of ecosystem services.  We are particularly interested in the role of biodiversity in agriculture, and in particular on the functional significance of diversity in agricultural fields and landscapes. We focus on three taxonomic groups of particular importance: microbes in soil and streams, invertebrates both above and below ground, and plants both wild and purposely grown. Interactions between and among members of these groups are affected by climate, landscape position, and management practices, and affect crop performance and the delivery of a wide range of ecosystem services ranging from clean air and water to wildlife amenities to adequate food, fuel, and fiber.

KBS outreach targets teachers, students, farmers, policymakers, and the general public. The KBS-K12 Partnership for Science Literacy provides science teachers from 14 districts around KBS exposure to ecological science and in-depth training in Science for Understanding. A GK-12 program places KBS graduate students in K-12 classrooms, with additional support from a cross-site Math and Science Partnership. Professional audiences include extension educators, international agronomists, and agricultural consultants.