4 research outputs found
Harnessing the NEON data revolution to advance open environmental science with a diverse and data-capable community
It is a critical time to reflect on the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) science to date as well as envision what research can be done right now with NEON (and other) data and what training is needed to enable a diverse user community. NEON became fully operational in May 2019 and has pivoted from planning and construction to operation and maintenance. In this overview, the history of and foundational thinking around NEON are discussed. A framework of open science is described with a discussion of how NEON can be situated as part of a larger data constellationâacross existing networks and different suites of ecological measurements and sensors. Next, a synthesis of early NEON science, based on >100 existing publications, funded proposal efforts, and emergent science at the very first NEON Science Summit (hosted by Earth Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder in October 2019) is provided. Key questions that the ecology community will address with NEON data in the next 10 yr are outlined, from understanding drivers of biodiversity across spatial and temporal scales to defining complex feedback mechanisms in humanâenvironmental systems. Last, the essential elements needed to engage and support a diverse and inclusive NEON user community are highlighted: training resources and tools that are openly available, funding for broad community engagement initiatives, and a mechanism to share and advertise those opportunities. NEON users require both the skills to work with NEON data and the ecological or environmental science domain knowledge to understand and interpret them. This paper synthesizes early directions in the communityâs use of NEON data, and opportunities for the next 10 yr of NEON operations in emergent science themes, open science best practices, education and training, and community building
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Are Bioavailable Nutrients Reliable Predictors of Extracellular Enzyme Activities in Semi-Arid Soils?
Because potential extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs) represent microbial investment intonutrient acquisition, they may be sensitive to soil nutrient conditions and land management
practices. However, inconsistent relationships between EEA and bioavailable nutrients such as
inorganic N and P are generally reported. I therefore asked whether bioavailable nutrient
concentrations could serve as a reliable predictor of EEA in semi-arid ecosystems. I sampled six
vineyards throughout the state of Arizona, USA, collecting soil samples from within the vineyard
itself and outside the area of active management. A suite of soil physicochemical characteristics
including nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, and the activities of two N-acquiring [N-acetyl-β-
glucosaminidase (NAG) and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP)] and one P-acquiring [phosphatase
(PHOS)] EEAs were measured in each sample. I found that concentrations of inorganic N were
extremely poor predictors of NAG and LAP activities. Soil phosphate concentrations were
similarly poor predictors of PHOS activity. The activities of the two N-acquiring enzymes were
not correlated with each other, contrary to my expectations. Additionally, the measured EEAs
did not show consistent patterns based on sampling location. These findings lead me to the
conclusion that EEAs are unreliable indicators of nutrient limitation or land-use in semi-arid
(agro)ecosystems