Notice of Intent: Testing whether bison grazing has altered vegetation phenology in Yellowstone National Park

The summary for the Notice of Intent: Testing whether bison grazing has altered vegetation phenology in Yellowstone National Park grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the National Park Service, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.
Notice of Intent: Testing whether bison grazing has altered vegetation phenology in Yellowstone National Park: The green wave hypothesis predicts that ungulates time spring migrations from lower to higher elevations in step with early-season vegetation growth. By tracking the wave of spring green-up, ungulates can prolong access to newly emerging vegetation that is high in protein and digestible organic matter, and low in fiber. It is often assumed that ungulates take a passive role in tracking phenology; climate and topography drive vegetation emergence and growth, and ungulates move in search of desired conditions. An alternative to this general assumption is that ungulates play an active role in influencing grassland conditions, including biomass and phenology. Grazing can increase plant production since plants are adapted to regrow after being consumed. Under sufficiently high grazing intensity, ungulates can alter vegetation phenology by slowing green-up rates and extending the period that new vegetation is available. Large numbers of ungulates exhibiting high grazing intensities across large spatial extents may have the potential to shape the green wave. Previous work on African buffalo have indeed confirmed that high densities of social ungulates do modify plant phenology and biomass in the phenomenon of â¿¿grazing lawnsâ¿¿; here, we propose to test whether Bison in YNP exhibit the same patterns.

The northern Yellowstone bison subpopulation increased from fewer than 1,000 individuals during 2004 to more than 3,500 during 2015. Over the same time span, the central Yellowstone bison subpopulation experienced a similar magnitude of change in abundance, except in the opposite direction from high to low abundance. These changes provide us a unique opportunity to assess whether bison grazing intensity can alter vegetation phenology and test if ungulates can shape the green wave.

Federal Grant Title: Notice of Intent: Testing whether bison grazing has altered vegetation phenology in Yellowstone National Park
Federal Agency Name: National Park Service
Grant Categories: Other
Type of Opportunity: Discretionary
Funding Opportunity Number: P16AS00262
Type of Funding: Information not provided
CFDA Numbers: 324085
CFDA Descriptions: Cooperative Research and Training Programs - Resources of the National Park System
Current Application Deadline: Jun 25, 2016
Original Application Deadline: Jun 25, 2016
Posted Date: Jun 16, 2016
Creation Date: Jun 16, 2016
Archive Date: Jun 27, 2016
Total Program Funding: $35,652
Maximum Federal Grant Award: $35,652
Minimum Federal Grant Award: $0
Expected Number of Awards: 1
Cost Sharing or Matching: No
Applicants Eligible for this Grant
Information not provided
Additional Information on Eligibility
This action will result in a task agreement award under the National Park Service Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). This is a notice of intent and a noncompetitive award in accordance with the Department of Interior 505 Departmental Manual 2.12C. Please see attached announcement for more information.
Grant Announcement Contact
Grants Management Officer Kelly Adams [email protected]
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National Park Service 303-969-2348