I will be most interested in the results of this study. Some time ago I
posted about the MASS mortality (I have never seen any die-off to compare
with it anywhere else) of pinyon pines in what is know as the "Granite
Springs" area of northern Baja California Norte, Mexico. I would hope that
there would be some mapping and correlation of patterns of mortality, onset
and process of decline, and analysis of other stress factors before reaching
a conclusion that "drought" was the cause of mortality. I keep hoping that,
with the popularity of "CSI" TV shows and the like that biological and
ecological studies will take on some of the features of forensic
investigations.
It would be interesting to know more about such studies before they are
concluded, such as where phenomena were observed and not observed, what
correlative data led to the conclusion that drought was the crucial factor,
and study design as well as what the "debate" is all about and how the study
addresses the issues.
I was in northern NM in October, and I may or may not be in that vicinity in
January; if I am, I would be most interested in seeing the areas in
question.
WT
PS: I don't know what "eco-hydrology" is, but if that includes
"micro-hydrology" and plant soil-water relations in ecological (rather than
just agricultural) contexts, I will be especially interested in that.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nate McDowell" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, November 27, 2009 12:55 PM
Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Research tech on drought mortality in New Mexico
Apologies for cross-posting
Research technician at the University of New Mexico. The Department of
Biology has research technician support for a highly motivated individual
interested in working on a DOE funded collaboration with Los Alamos
National Laboratory (LANL) addressing the hydraulic mechanisms of survival
and mortality of piñon and juniper trees during drought. The recent
drought in the southwestern USA has caused widespread mortality of piñon
pine; however, the exact causes of mortality and survival remain the
subject of debate. Field work will be located at a woodland site within
the Sevilleta LTER where ecosystem-scale manipulations of water
availability are ongoing. The experimental manipulations and measurements
are already installed, thus the primary responsibilities of the technician
will be overall site management and maintenance of both the experimental
infrastructure and continuous measurements, leading and/or assisting field
campaigns, and data analyses. Opportunities for co- and lead-authoring
manuscripts are substantial. The University of New Mexico and LANL have a
strong group in physiological ecology, ecosystem science and eco-hydrology
presenting many opportunities for interaction with scientists in related
areas.
Required qualifications include a BSc at the time of appointment, research
experience in related fields, effective written and oral communication
skills, and willingness to work in a team environment. Experience with
dataloggers, gas exchange instrumentation, sapflow, water relations and
hydraulic measurements, isotopes, carbohydrates, process modeling, and
irrigation or construction experience are desirable.
For more information see the project website
http://per.ornl.gov/McDowell.html or contact Will Pockman ([email protected],
http://www.unm.edu/~pockman/) and Nate McDowell ([email protected],
http://climateresearch.lanl.gov/). Applications will only be accepted at
http://UNMJobs.unm.edu (filter for Biology Department). The position will
remain open until filled.
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