This project will aim to understand the effects of nutrient addition in a grassland habitat dominated by long-lived perennial plants. Nutrient limitation is important in determinig vegetation composition, productivity and plant quality. Results will be compared to a network of 40 sites worldwide. The faculty mentor from biology will be Jean Knops.

The field work will be based at Cedar Point Biological Station, owned and operated by the University of Nebaraska's School of Biological Sciences. The Stations facilities include computer labs, library, teach and research classrooms and labs, and student and faculty housing, as well as a dining hall and recreational facilities. It is located north of Ogallala, NE, on the shores of Lake Ogallala.

This project will involve the flow of infectious agents through populations of hosts. The infectious agents are protistan parasites (gregarines, large "protozoa") and the hosts are damselflies. The gregarines develop oocysts which are shed into the environment and serve as the vehicle for transmission. Larval hosts are aquatic, but adults are terrestrial, and both are infected, often heavily. Larvae also undergo several molts, which may influence parasite loads. The faculty mentor from biology will be John Janovy, Jr.

The field work will be based at Cedar Point Biological Station, owned and operated by the University of Nebraska's School of Biological Sciences. The Stations facilities include computer labs, library, teaching and research classrooms and labs, and student and faculty housing, as well as a dining hall and recreational facilities. It is located north of Ogallala, NE, on the shores of Lake Ogallala.