LIFE UNEARTHED with Ariel Waldman is a visually striking science-driven docu-series that reveals Earth’s ecosystems through radical shifts in scale—from microscopic wildlife to the planet’s most iconic species, and even the potential for life beyond Earth. Hosted by explorer Ariel Waldman, the series spans environments near and far, from the sweeping American Prairies to the alien terrains of Antarctica.
Dr. Andrew Hope, associate professor of biology at Kansas State University, earned this year's University Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentoring of Undergraduate Students in Research. Hope runs a research program focused on understanding the evolutionary and ecological responses of biodiversity to environemental change.
A University Outstanding Scholar and fellow of the Geological Society of America, Matthew Kirk has taught a wide range of classes and taken on several projects in groundwater-surface water interactions across the region. Learn how Matthew Kirk is integrating engagement into his teaching and research focused on improving the quality of Kansas water.
Konza LTER graduate student, Ashley Bowman, won the ESA Ecological Restoration Section Early Career Publication Award for her paper 'Heterogeneity promotes resilience in restored prairie: Implications for the environmental heterogeneity hypothesis.’ Ashley is a member of Dr. Sara Baer's lab at the University of Kansas. Congratulations, Ashley!
Konza LTER investigator, Dr. Abby Langston, was recognized with a 2024 William L. Stamey Award for Undergraduate Teaching. Dr. Langston is an associate professor in geography and geospatial sciences. Congratulations, Abby!
Members of the Ratajczak lab are employing aerial data in their mission to understand and manage the rapid spread of woody plants across the Great Plains.
Known as woody encroachment, the transformation of open grasslands into shrub and tree-dominated landscapes is impacting biodiversity, livestock forage, water resources and even wildfire risk.
KNZ LTER postdocs, Smriti Pehim Limbu and Francis Chaves Rodriguez are leading a new LTER Network Office Scientific Peers Advancing Research Collaborations (SPARC) working group. Their project entitled, "Integrating above- and belowground community data to understand ecosystem temporal dynamics and responses to global change (Above-belowground synchrony and coupling)," will compile paired above and belowground data from terrestrial systems across the LTER Network and NEON. They will then demonstrate the value of linking above and belowground research. The working group will have a special session at ESA 2025 to gather ideas around the above-belowground concept.
KNZ LTER investigators, Matt Kirk and Lydia Zeglin, have been named K-State University Outstanding Scholars. This honor underscores the university's commitment to fostering a talented workforce, advancing groundbreaking research and enhancing excellence. Kirk is a professor in the Department of Geology, while Zeglin is a professor in the Division of Biology. Congratulations to both!
Konza LTER investigator, Ari Jumpponen, is featured in the current edition of K-State's Seek magazine. Dr. Jumpponen is a KSU university distinguished professor in the division of biology.
KNZ LTER Graduate Students Earn Honors
Three KNZ LTER graduate students recently received honors for their research. Elise Grabda was awarded a Weaver Grant. Elise is a student in Dr. Kim Komatsu's lab at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. KSU graduate students, Alec Glidden and Klara Stevermer, both were awarded grants from the Grassland Heritage Foundation. Alec is a student in Dr. John Blair's lab, while Klara is a student in Dr. Jesse Nippert's lab. Congratulations to all!
KPBS director and KNZ LTER investigator, John Blair, was interviewed on Within Reason with Mike Matson on March 24. Dr. Blair talked about the tallgrass prairie ecosystem and you.
KNZ LTER investigator, Dr. Walter Dodds, is the recipient of the Olin Petefish Award in Basic Science. This Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Award is the state higher education system's most prestigious recognition for scholarly excellence.
KNZ LTER's woody encroachment research was featured in a recent LTER Network article entitled, "Shrubs take over the prairie: Cascading changes reshape grassland water systems."
Konza LTER grad students and investigators are part of a synthesis group examining how management status and climate affect the resilience of primary production. The group will supplement natural ecosystem data from the LTER with data from two other research networks -- the Nutrient Network (NutNet) and the Long-Term Agricultural Research Network (LTAR).
Konza LTER investigator, Dr. Matthew Kirk, associate professor in the K-State department of geology, has been named a fellow of the Geological Society of America.
Konza LTER investigator, Dr. Andrew Hope, has been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2024-2025. Hope will conduct bat biodiversity research in remote regions of Nepal in collaboration with his doctoral student Basant Sharma and Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Jessie McClellan, senior in geography, won the Undergraduate Student Poster Award from the Geomorphology Specialty Group at the recent American Association of Geographers national conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. McClellan is a student in Dr. Abigail Langston's lab at K-State.
Two Konza LTER undergraduate researchers were recently selected or named honorable mention for the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Kalea Nippert, whose mentor is Dr. Zak Ratajczak, was selected for the fellowship program. Her research is focused on understanding extreme fire effects within woody plant communities. Abigail Schmidt, whose mentor is also Dr. Zak Ratajczak, was named honorable mention. Abigail's research focuses on how climate extremes, like drought, will impact ecosystem structure and function. Congratulations to both!
"Up from Dust" is a podcast about the price of trying to shape the world around our needs, and the folks who are fixing our generational mistakes. Konza LTER 's woody encroachment research is featured.
Konza LTER investigator, Dr. Alice Boyle, has been selected as a fellow of the 2023 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Alice is an associate professor in the Division of Biology at Kansas State University.
Konza LTER principal investigator, Dr. Melinda Smith, was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Smith is a professor in the Department of Biology at Colorado State University.
KNZ LTER investigator, Dr. Matt Kirk, associate professor of geology, is fostering community growth in this area through education. Kirk participated in a community visit panel that highlighted water projects and resources in the Barton County, KS region.
Konza LTER undergraduate, Kalea Nippert, was one of five students from Kansas State University to present their research at Kansas Undergraduate Research Day at the Kansas Capitol. Nippert is mentored by Dr. Zak Ratajczak.
A newly published global study, led by KNZ LTER investigator, Melinda Smith, was recently featured in a Colorado Sun article. Dr. Smith is a professor at Colorado State University.
KNZ LTER doctoral student, Aleah Querns, has been awarded a graduate fellowship for the spring 2024 semester by the natural resources and environmental sciences (NRES). Querns is a member of Dr. Allison Louthan's lab at Kansas State University.
Konza Prairie Biology Station director and KNZ LTER investigator, John Blair, discusses how KPBS offers a window into Kansas' past in recent NPR article and interview.
Andrew Hope, assistant professor of biology, has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to establish the Kansas State University Biorepository for mammals and mammalian parasites.
Katie Kingery-Page, College of Architecture, Planning & Design associate dean and professor landscape architecture, and Erin Wiersma, College of Arts and Sciences associate professor of art, will give invited keynote talks and lead an ecological drawing workshop this week at the Salina Art Center for K-12 educators from across Kansas.
Three KNZ LTER graduate students recently received KSU Division of Biology teaching and research awards. Rachel Keen (Nippert lab) won the John C. Frazier Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Research in Plant Science. Matt Nieland (Zeglin lab) was awarded the Chris Edler Award for Outstanding Research on Konza. Emily Wedel (Nippert lab) won the Michael Scott Watkins Teaching Award.
KNZ LTER investigator, Dr. Allison Louthan, has been named one of the 2023 Ecological Society of America's Early Career Fellows. Early Career Fellows are members within eight years of completing their doctoral training (or other terminal degree) who have advanced ecological knowledge and applications and show promise of continuing to make outstanding contributions to a wide range of fields served by ESA. They are elected for five years.
Rachel Keen, KNZ LTER doctoral student in the Dr. Jesse Nippert lab, received an award for her Capitol Graduate Research Summit presentation. Keen presented "Impacts of woody encroachment on grassland water yield."
KNZ LTER doctoral student, Rachel Keen, will represent K-State in the 20th annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit, held at the Kansas State Capitol on March 22. Keen is one of 10 K-State graduate students chosen to present their research. She is a member of the Nippert lab.
"Trajectories and state changes of a grassland stream and riparian zone after a decade of woody vegetation removal" has been published in Ecological Applications and featured in K-State Today.
John Blair, director of Konza Prairie Biological Station, describes research related to the impact of a changing climate on tallgrass prairie ecosystems. He speaks with Rex Buchanan, director emeritus of the Kansas Geological Survey.
Bison grazing on native prairie for three decades transformed the landscape, allowing wildflowers to thrive that can feed legions of bees and butterflies.
KNZ LTER PhD student, Rachel Keen, was one of 10 graduate students to earn honors at K-State's Research and the State event. Keen is a member of Dr. Jesse Nippert's lab at KSU.
Nikole "Koley" Freeman, a postdoc researcher in Dr. Alice Boyle's lab, is the recipient of the American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship from the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Freeman, is working with Boyle and Trevor Hefley (associate professor of statistics), to understand how wild birds are responding to storms and shifting weather patterns.
A Kansas State University-led study has found that reintroducing bison doubles plant diversity in a tallgrass prairie. The research involves more than 30 years of KNZ LTER data and was recently published in PNAS.
The research team was lead by KNZ LTER investigator Zak Ratajczak. Other KNZ LTER researchers included Jesse Nippert, John Blair, Allison Louthan, Scott Collins, Sally Koerner, Melinda Smith, and Jeff Taylor.
KNZ LTER undergraduate student, Kalea Nippert, was named one of KSU Division of Biology's most promising students. Nippert is a sophomore majoring in biology and environmental science. She works as a research technician.
KNZ LTER graduate student, Greg Tooley, earned a NSF National Graduate Research Fellowship honorable mention. Tooley's research focuses on the mechanisms that enable woody scrubs to successfully encroach the Kansas tallgrass prairie.
Work by Konza artist, Erin Wiersma, and Katie Kingery-Page was included in the School of Art Institute of Chicago exhibit, "Earthly Observatory" from August 30 - December 3, 2021.
Konza LTER research is highlighted in the ESA Ecosphere LTER Special Issue, Slow Research to Understand Fast Change. The issue highlights how LTER research generated new understanding in 5 key areas.
Konza LTER investigator, Pam Sullivan, has been named an 2021 AGU Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Awardee. Dr. Sullivan is a professor at Oregon State University.
A recent article, "Spatio-temporal differences in leaf physiology are associated with fire, not drought, in a clonally integrated shrub", authored by several current and former members of Dr. Jesse Nippert's lab was selected as the Editor's Choice by AoB Plants. Co-authors are Emily Wedel, Kimberly O'Keefe, Jesse Nippert, Braden Hoch, and Rory O'Connor.
KNZ LTER Lead PI, Jesse Nippert, received a collaborative research award from the National Science Foundation to study the interaction between climate, bedrock and vegetation.
KNZ LTER investigator, Dr. Alice Boyle, was one of two senior plenary speakers at the recent joint virtual meeting of the American Ornithological Society and the Society of Canadian Ornithologist. She also accepted the Katma Award for a paper written with former KNZ LTER grad student, Dr. Elise Shogren and Jeff Brawn, University of Illinois.
A study on the impact of prescribed burns on the Konza Prairie showed that fire has minimal effect on the state’s snake populations, especially when there are adjacent unburned areas.
Ellen Welti's paper, "Nutrient dilution and climate cycles underlie declines in a dominant insect herbivore" was selected as one of the top papers featured in PNAS during 2020.
KNZ LTER investigator, Walter Dodds, lead a special issue in Frontiers of Ecology and the Environment. The special issue, "Macrosystems Biology -- Challenges and Successes," published February 1 by the Ecological Society of America, includes eight papers by more than 70 authors from around the world.
Konza Prairie LTER Researchers analyzed soil collected over a 30‐year period to assess the long‐term effects of contrasting fire and grazing regimes on soil carbon and nitrogen. The study found that long-term changes in land use are impacting fire and grazing regimes, with resultant changes to nutrient levels and species assemblages.
KNZ LTER graduate student, Seton Bachle, is the winner of the Kansas State University GSC Award for Graduate Student Teaching Excellence at the doctoral level. Bachle is a member of the Nippert lab.
Former KNZ LTER REU student, Molly Fisher's blog entry is featured on Short Stories About Long Term Research, an LTER graduate student generated blog. Molly was a student in the lab of Dr. Walter Dodds.
Don and Glennis Kaufman were recognized by the American Society of Mammalogists with the establishment of a graduate student research award named in their honor.
Former KNZ LTER PhD student in the KSU Division of Biology, Ellen Welti recently discussed her research on NPR. While at KSU, Welti was a member of the Joern lab. She is now a postdoc with Mike Kaspari at the University of Oklahoma. Her interview covers her recent PNAS paper which was based solely on long-term grasshopper and plant data collected at Konza Prairie coupled with new analyses.
KNZ LTER graduate student, Jaide Allenbrand, was one of eight students selected as a finalist in the KSU Three Minute Thesis contest. Allenbrand is a member of the Zeglin lab.
The Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network Office announced the award of three new synthesis working groups. Konza LTER investigator, Melinda Smith (CSU)'s group will be conducting a global synthesis of multi-year drought effects on terrestrial ecosystems.
Konza LTER investigator, Walter Dodds, discusses his new book, "The World's Worst Problems." Using a scientific approach, Dodds quantifies world problems based on actual danger and probability of deaths and human suffering.
KNZ LTER investigator, Sara Baer, will become the new director of the Kansas Biological Survey on August 18. As part of her position as director, she also will hold the title of state biologist.
KNZ LTER PIs, Walter Dodds and Matt Whiles, have published the third edition of their widely popular textbook, "Freshwater Ecology: concepts and Environmental Applications of Limnology."
Dodds was also recently named an inaugural fellow of the Society for Freshwater Science for his contributions to freshwater science.
KNZ LTER doctoral student, Kent Connell, received first place at the K-State GRAD Forum. The GRAD Forum provides graduate students from all discipline an opportunity to share their work with the K-State community. University faculty and postdoc judges select a winning presentation from each session.
Konza LTER investigator, Alice Boyle, writes and performs music inspired by her research. As a member of the bluegrass duo Kaw Creek, Boyle will perform across Kansas this spring and summer.
Konza LTER investigator, Keith Gido, was recently honored with the Fisheries Excellence Award from the North Central Division of the American Fisheries Society.
The Mid-America Arts Alliance will present Erin Wiersma's work for First Friday, on March 1, in Kansas City's Crossroads Arts District. Wiersma's work is created by dragging pieces of paper along the floor of the burned sections of Konza Prairie.
KNZ LTER graduate students, Rory O'Connor and Kent Connell, were two of ten students chosen to present their research in Topeka at the 16th Capitol Research Summit. O'Connor is a member of the Nippert lab. Connell is a member of the Blair lab.
Konza LTER graduate student, Sarah Winnicki's research is featured in the recent edition of Seek Research Magazine. Winnicki is a member of the Boyle lab at KSU.
Konza LTER investigators Jesse Nippert, Lydia Zeglin, and Kevin Wilcox receive nearly a $1 million Department of Energy grant to study carbon cycle science in the tallgrass prairie.
A recent article published in BioScience, entitled "Advancing Theories of Ecosystem Development through Long-Term Ecological Research", was featured in the latest edition of LTER Science Update. Konza LTER investigator, Sara Baer, is one of the article's authors.
John Blair, university distinguished professor of biology, has been named the director of Kansas State University's Konza Prairie Biological Station. Blair follows John Briggs, who retired.
Erin Weirsma, Associate Professor of Art at Kansas State University, uses the charred remains from prescribed burns at the Konza Prairie Biological Station to create unique one-of-a-kind art pieces.
A recent publication entitled, "Patterns and correlates of within-season breeding dispersal: A common strategy in a declining grassland songbird" was featured in LTER News.
A recent publication entitled "Fire and grazing modulate the structure and resistance of plant-floral visitor networks in a tallgrass prairie" is featured in the March edition of the LTER Science Update.
The Division of Biology and the Konza Prairie Long-Term Ecological Research program announce the retirement of Rosemary Ramundo, LTER analytical lab supervisor.
Konza LTER investigators, Sara Baer and Melinda Smith, are featured in a recent NRDC article, entitled "Climate Change May Bring Big Trouble to Big Bluestems (and the Cattle That Love Them)." The article discusses their research on climate changes' effects on big bluestem.
A recent article in EPA Science Matters discusses air management technology the EPA is utilizing at Konza to determine best practices for smoke management. They are using KNZ burned watersheds that have been part of the ongoing season of the year LTER experiment for 22 years.
A recent KNZ publication, entitled "Asynchrony among local communities stabilises ecosystem function of metacommunities," is one of the recent publications featured in this month's LTER Science Update.
Two KSU distinguished professors will lead an interdisciplinary university team collaborating with four other Kansas universities on a new $20 million project funded by the NSF to investigate how microbiomes of aquatic habitats, plants and soils can enhance agricultural productivity, mitigate environmental problems and conserve native grasslands.
Lessons for a Thirsty World - KU Hydrogeology Seeks Solutions: Among the many discoveries Macpherson and her students have made is that the amount of carbon dioxide in groundwater is increasing just as it is increasing in the atmosphere, except that carbon dioxide is increasing about seven times faster in groundwater than the atmosphere. As the amount of carbon dioxide has increased, so has the rate of weathering.
NSF has awarded Konza Prairie Biological Station and the Division of Biology nearly $225,000 to upgrade facilities for the Long-Term Bison Grazing Experiment. The award will provide funds to replace certain section of the Konza Prairie corral area, build 8 additional working pens, provide easier access for researchers along the bison perimeter fence, and additional remote scales to increase frequency of measurements to document seasonal dynamics of body weight.
The food web in Great Plains streams could be unraveling, according to a Kansas State University ecologist.
Keith Gido, professor of biology, and Josh Perkin, a Kansas State University alumnus, recently published "Groundwater declines are linked to changes in Great Plains stream fish assemblages" in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research maps the loss of stream habitat for many small fish in the Great Plains region and attributes it to declining groundwater sources.
Kim Komatsu, a Konza LTER reseacher, was interviewed in a recent edition of Shorelines, Life and science at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
Walter Dodds, university distinguished professor in the Division of Biology, is the 2017 recipient of the Society for Freshwater Science Award of Excellence.
Numerous LTER sites, including Konza LTER, were featured recently in Discover Magazine in an article entitled, Diary of a Changing Planet. The article chronicles a plant in flux. Konza LTER is featured on slide 7.
Global synthesis of the temperature sensitivity of leaf litter breakdown in streams and rivers, a recent Global Change Biology article by Konza LTER investigators, Walter Dodds and Lydia Zeglin, and others, has been featured in the May/June 2017 edition of LTER in the News.
Grazing by bison is stronger driver of plant ecohydrology in tallgrass prairie than fire history, a recent Plant and Soil article by Kimberly O'Keefe and Jesse Nippert, has been featured in the April 2017 edition of the LTER Science Update.
Home of the Range: Konza Prairie Biological Station works to conserve one of the most diminished ecosystems in North America is the title of an article in the latest edition of Seek, Kansas State University's research magazine. The article covers the research occurring at Konza and its importance.
Congratulation to KNZ LTER PhD student, Rory O’Connor! Rory was awarded first place in the PhD oral paper presentation category of the 2017 Society for Range Management Graduate Student Paper Competition. His presentation was entitled “Browsing Impacts Resprouting Shrub Physiology in a Woody Encroached Grassland.” Rory's adviser is Dr. Jesse Nippert.
What (and When) is the Point of No Return? | Ecological Monographs
How—and when—do ecosystems change character? Are those shifts reversible? And what signs might precede them? Such questions are hard enough to answer in a single place. One might think that incorporating different kinds of ecosystems would only complicate the problem. But a group of scientists in the Long-Term Ecological Research Network is finding a remarkably consistent pattern by combining models and data across several long-term ecological experiments. Their study, published in Ecological Monographs, asks how the intensity and duration of changes interact to determine whether an ecosystem shift is temporary or more likely to be permanent. (Marty Downs)
A children’s book written by a Kansas State University environmental educator aims to teach children about the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. “The Autumn Calf” by Jill Haukos, director of education for the Konza Environmental Education Program, tells a true story of a newborn bison calf born at the Konza Prairie Biological Station in fall 2012, according to a news release. A herd of about 300 wild bison lives on the 8,600-acre Konza Prairie, which is owned by K-State and The Nature Conservancy, as part of the research station’s native grazing and tallgrass prairie research.
During spring 2015, creative writing graduate student Saraiya Kanning traveled from Tucson AZ to the Konza Prairie to try to fall in love with the "little brown jobs"... the cryptic, brownish sparrows that make the prairie their home. After spending several days shadowing Konza researcher Alice Boyle, she discovered not only the subtle beauty of one of our most common bird species, but also learned a lot about how prairies function, and how their management affects wildlife. Her account, reaching thousands of birders nationally, highlights several of the main themes of the Konza LTER including the role of grazing and fire on grassland population dynamics.
Congratulations to Melinda Smith, who has been elected for her seminal contributions to understanding environmental drivers of grassland community structure through field experiments, cutting-edge genomics, and collaborative synthesis.
Andrew Hope, Kansas State University research assistant professor in the Division of Biology, and his colleagues across the U.S. have published "Shrews and Their Parasites: Small Species Indicate Big Changes" in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2016 Arctic Report Card. The study indicates an expansion in the range of the forest-dwelling masked shrew in Alaska, while the range of its tundra neighbor to the north, the barren ground shrew, constricts and fragments whenever the climate warms.
Alice Boyle, assistant professor of biology, is studying the movements of grasshopper sparrows, songbirds that weigh only about 17 grams and nest on the ground in Flint Hills tallgrass prairies as well as other grassland areas in the United States.
John Briggs, professor of biology and director of the Konza Prairie Biological Station, will give a public lecture at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, in 328 Waters Hall. Briggs will present some of the threats causing large-scale transformation of tallgrass prairie grasslands to savanna-like ecosystems.