Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research

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A Thousand Invisible Cords

"A Thousand Invisible Cords: Connecting Genes to Ecosystems" is a documentary that examines whether one gene in one plant or animal can change an entire ecosystem. The conclusion is surprising: “The effects of genes extend beyond the individual to have community and ecosystem consequences,” according to Thomas Whitham, the leader of the research team and the documentary’s science advisor.
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Effects of Biodiversity Loss

Loss of biodiversity appears to impact ecosystems as much as climate change, pollution and other major forms of environmental stress, according to a research study published this week in the journal Nature. “It has been clear for some time that species loss affects ecosystems, but the impacts we found were very surprising,” said Bruce Hungate, co-author and professor of biological sciences at Northern Arizona University.

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Merriam-Powell in the News

National Science Foundation Grant

The Colorado Plateau Museum of Arthropod Biodiversity and nine cooperating Southwestern arthropod collections received a three-year, $1.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation to create a virtual information network on ground-dwelling arthropods. Currently, there is no single Southwest collection of these organisms—spiders, ants, grasshoppers, and beetles. The comprehensive online library that will result from the project, known as the Southwest Collections of Arthropods Network, will make it easier to examine changes in biodiversity resulting from climate and land-use changes.
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Award Winner

Thomas G. Whitham, Executive Director of the Merriam-Powell Center and Regents' Professor of biological sciences, was awarded the 2011 Eminent Ecologist Award from the Ecological Society of America. The award is presented to a senior ecologist in recognition of an outstanding body of ecological work or sustained ecological contributions of extraordinary merit. In making the award, the Society noted the importance of Whitham's research on how individual genotypes in foundation species influence entire communities and ecosystems as well as his work as a mentor to an entire generation of ecologists. Whitham was also elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science by his peers. Fellows are recognized for meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications.

New Merriam-Powell Research

Biogeochemical and ecological feedbacks in grassland responses to warming

Zhuoting Wu, Paul Dijkstra, George W. Koch, and Bruce A. Hungate

A new study published in Nature Climate Change examines the long-term effects of global warming on plant growth. The unexpected results indicate that plants may thrive initially but growth diminished over time. Additionally, long-term warming resulted in the loss of native species and more rapid nitrogen cycling. Much of the nitrogen was converted to nitrogen gases lost to the atmosphere or leached out with rainfall washing through the soil.

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