An Introduction

Using funds provided by the National Science Foundation we are studying climate-biosphere interactions in the Western United States and Northern Mexico that are determined by spatial and temporal dynamics in the North American Monsoon System. The principal question that we are addressing is: what are the forcings that provide spatial coherency and temporal synchrony to the ecosystems that occupy this geographic region and how do those forcings influence the propagation of ecological perturbations within the system? We are focusing on processes that cross ecosystem boundaries, creating connectivity among the ecosystems and producing a synergy that we refer to as an ecological macrosystem. The issues we are studying include the spread of summer-active invasive grasses through rangelands and deserts, and the movement of wildfires from lower elevation, grassland ecosystems into higher elevation, forest ecosystems.

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