1. 1 Funded by NSF Program: Water and Carbon in Earth System Funded by NSF Program: Water and Carbon in Earth System Interactions between Water, Energy and Carbon Dynamics as Predictors of Canopy to Ecosystem Scale Vegetation Pattern and Function in a Changing Environment Funded by NSF Program: Water and Carbon in Earth System Funded by NSF Program: Water and Carbon in Earth System PIs: Praveen Kumar 1, Murugesu Sivapalan 1,2, Stephen Long 3, Xin-Zhong Liang 4 Institute for Sustainability of Intensively Managed Landscapes 1 Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering 2 Department of Geography 3 Department of Plant Biology 4 Illinois State Water Survey University of Illinois Urbana, Illinois 61801

2. 2 Problem Statement Changing Environment (examples) –CO2 increase –Temperature change –Deforestation Questions: –How will the vegetation functions change? –How will ecosystem functions change? –How will the hydrologic cycle change? Existing models are not sensitive to capture these behaviors from canopy to ecosystem scale –How can we develop models to predict them?

3. 3 Hypothesis Driven Research Optimality Hypothesis: evolutionary selection pressures drive ecosystems towards a state of maximum utilization of available light, water and nutrient resources for the production of biomass Acclimatization Hypothesis: Vegetation form and function from the canopy to the ecosystem scale are a reflection of the acclimatization strategies adopted by the vegetation to maximize CO2-assimilation in the presence of the spatial and temporal variability of the controlling factors Complexity Hypothesis: Co-evolution of the eco-hydrologic environment and vegetation patterns and functioning, in the presence of complex non-linear feedbacks results in self- organization

4. 4 Research Objectives Define and test the hypotheses on optimality, acclimatization, and complexity in a variety of ecosystems. Develop a dynamic predictive model that is based on the principles of optimality, acclimatization, and complexity for characterizing the water, energy, and vegetation characteristics from the canopy to the ecosystem scale. Explore the relationship between water, energy, and carbon cycles at various spatial and temporal scales under the scenarios of human and climate induced disturbance.