Nov 07, 2014 05:20 PM EST By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

With the support of a $6.76 million grant renewal from the National Science Foundation, Kansas State University's Konza Prairie Biological Station will continue its long-term ecological research for another six years.

Konza Prairie, an 8,600-acre native tallgrass prairie research station, is jointly owned by Kansas State University and The nature Conservancy and managed by the university's Division of Biology in the College of Arts & Sciences.

The NSF Long-Term Ecological Research, or LTER, program is an interdisciplinary research and education program focused on the tallgrass prairie, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, according to John Blair, the research program's director and university distinguished professor of biology.

"The Konza LTER grant funds core research activities at the Konza Prairie Biological Station, and supports the activities of scientists and students from K-State and from other institutions around the world," Blair said.

This is the seventh consecutive renewal for the Konza site since being selected as one of the first six NSG long-term ecological research sites in 1980. The new grant brings the total LTER funding to more than $29 million. The NSF renews Long-Term Ecological Research programs based on a rigorous review of past productivity and proposed new research.

Research conducted at Konza Prairie has resulted in more than 1,450 publications and more than 220 student theses and dissertations. The renewal of the Long-Term Ecological Research program will give Blair and his colleagues the opportunity to test and refine models of ecological change, and provide new insights into grassland responses to environmental and land-use changes.

"The renewal of the Konza LTER grant will ensure that this level of productivity continues," Blair said. "Research activities such as those at Konza Prairie are essential for achieving K-State's 2025 goal of becoming a Top 50 public research university."

New and ongoing research projects at Konza Prairie include investigating grassland responses to fire and grazing, woody plant encroachment, climate change, and nutrient enrichment. In addition to research, the Long-Term Ecological Research program also supports education and training of students from elementary school to college.

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