Integrating long term datasets with next generation ecological models to quantify ecological response in aquatic systems | W81EWF 23 SOI 0015

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What agency is offering this funding opportunity?

The opportunity is offered by the Department of Defense through the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).

2) What is the main purpose of this grant?

The purpose is to improve prediction and management of aquatic ecosystems by connecting long-term environmental datasets to the next generation of integrated ecological models, so the models can produce more defensible long-range forecasts.

3) What core problem is ERDC trying to solve with this project?

Many newer process-based ecological models have been built or calibrated using short-term datasets (generally under three years). That short window limits the ability to forecast longer-term ecological change, especially where slow trends, episodic disturbances, and feedbacks unfold over many seasons or years.

4) Why are long-term datasets emphasized?

Long-term records better capture variability in streamflow, climate disturbances, habitat change, and biological community dynamics. Those longer records are needed to strengthen model calibration and parameterization so forecasts remain credible beyond short-run snapshots.

5) What types of models is ERDC aiming to improve?

The focus is on next generation integrated ecological models that represent tightly coupled interactions among physical processes, ecological processes, and human influences in aquatic systems.

6) What does ERDC mean by aquatic ecosystems being "tightly coupled systems"?

It means physical processes (such as streamflow and sediment movement), ecological processes (such as species interactions and community shifts), and human influences (such as water management and infrastructure) interact in complex ways, and the modeling approach should reflect those linkages.

7) What is the practical payoff ERDC is looking for?

Improved decision support for public-benefit missions that rely on long-range projections, including sustaining aquatic habitat while maintaining and improving infrastructure, managing flood risk, and reducing coastal storm damage.

8) Is the university partner expected only to compile existing datasets?

No. The partner is expected to go beyond compilation by identifying gaps in long-term data records, designing field-based studies to fill those gaps, and using resulting measurements to develop, conceptualize, calibrate, and parameterize integrated ecological models.

9) What kind of work does "field-driven" imply for this project?

It implies coordinated field measurement of physical habitat and hydrology alongside biological response, with explicit attention to linking process drivers (such as flow and disturbance) to changes in species dynamics over time.

10) What is the end goal for the model-related deliverables?

The end goal is to generate parameters and relationships that allow next generation models to represent real aquatic system behavior across space and time, rather than relying on general assumptions or short-term calibration.

11) What are the main research objectives listed in the opportunity?

Key objectives include: (a) proposing a robust experimental design to quantify physical and environmental drivers at multiple scales (including surface and subsurface/hyporheic zones), (b) characterizing small-scale spatial patterns in ecological response for invasive and native benthic communities with emphasis on flow effects, and (c) conducting streamflow-focused studies of how climatic disturbance regimes (especially floods and droughts) affect ecological response across multiple temporal scales.

12) What scales and zones should the experimental design cover?

The design should quantify drivers at multiple scales within aquatic systems and include both surface environments and subsurface or hyporheic zones.

13) Which biological communities are specifically called out?

The opportunity specifically highlights invasive and native benthic communities and requests work that examines their ecological responses and spatial patterns.

14) How important is streamflow to the proposed research?

Streamflow is central. The opportunity emphasizes in-stream flow influences on organism occurrence and distribution and calls for streamflow-focused studies tied to floods, droughts, and other climatic disturbance regimes.

15) What disturbance regimes are explicitly mentioned?

Floods and droughts are explicitly mentioned as key climatic disturbances to be evaluated in relation to ecological response across multiple temporal scales.

16) Does the scope include system-level processes beyond local habitat observations?

Yes. The work is expected to scale up to system-level experiments that quantify connectivity and movement, community dynamics, and intra- and inter-specific interactions.

17) What does ERDC mean by "connectivity and movement" in this context?

It refers to how organisms and materials move through the aquatic system, and how that movement and connectivity relate to broader community dynamics and interactions.

18) How should field observations be translated into model improvements?

ERDC is interested in translating observations into modeling structure, meaning empirical results should help define how model components connect and how processes should be represented in integrated ecological models.

19) Are species associations part of the research objectives?

Yes. The project includes determining positive and negative associations among species (co-occurrence patterns tied to distribution and abundance) and testing whether those associations arise from biological interactions or abiotic pathways.

20) What mechanisms should be tested to explain species associations?

The opportunity calls for testing whether associations are driven by biological interactions (such as competition or facilitation) versus abiotic pathways (such as shared habitat preferences or flow conditions).

21) Is watershed hydrogeomorphology included in the scope?

Yes. An objective is to quantify how watershed hydrogeomorphology relates to species distributions, linking landscape form and watershed processes to ecological patterns observed within the aquatic network.

22) What specific model inputs must the project produce?

The project must deliver parameter estimates suitable for use in next generation integrated ecological models that quantify ecological response, ensuring field work yields concrete inputs that improve model performance.

23) What type of funding mechanism is being used?

This is a discretionary funding opportunity offered as a cooperative agreement.

24) What does it mean that the award is a cooperative agreement?

It indicates ERDC anticipates substantial involvement and coordination during the project, rather than a hands-off relationship typical of some grants.

25) How many awards does ERDC expect to make?

ERDC expects to make one award.

26) What is the maximum funding amount available?

The funding ceiling is $2,500,000.

27) What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under CFDA 12.630.

28) When was the opportunity released and when did it close?

The opportunity was released on May 16, 2023, with an original closing date of July 17, 2023.

29) Who is eligible to apply based on the summary?

The eligibility category is listed as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement. Applicants are expected to verify institution types, partnership requirements, or other conditions in the full notice.

30) What kinds of applicants is ERDC seeking?

ERDC is seeking a university partner to carry out multidisciplinary, field-driven research that fills long-term data gaps and strengthens integrated ecological models through calibration and parameterization grounded in extended records.