In collaboration with Dr. Alex Strauss and Dr. Rebecca Abney, we are representing Georgia as a member of a globally-replicated experiment that seeks to understand the effects of disturbance and nutrient addition on grassland communities: DRAGNet (Disturbance and Resources Across Global Grasslands Network). Our site is located near campus in Whitehall Forest, and will represent an early succession Piedmont Prairie. This area was clear-cut in 2020, and we have begun to conduct pre-treatment measurements. In additional to the DRAGNet investigations into the effects of disturbance and nutrient addition, our site will additionally investigate the effects of aboveground fungi and its role in connecting above- and belowground organic matter dynamics.
