Project Grant 2221914

This National Science Foundation project grant award of $831,969 provides funding over three years from September 2022 through August 2025 under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) to link species traits to marine ecosystem functioning. Principal investigators at the University of California Irvine, supported through funding from the NSF Division of Ocean Sciences, will characterize functional traits of seaweed species along environmental gradients on rocky shorelines in the U.S. and Europe. Researchers will screen seaweed traits related to morphology, physiology and ecology to understand links between functional traits and emergent functional attributes. The award also supports experiments, outreach, curriculum development, undergraduate and graduate student training, a public art exhibit, and collaboration with U.K. partners through the NSF-NERC joint funding agreement. Findings aim to enhance prediction of ecosystem impacts from changing biodiversity, especially along environmental gradients.