This project uses long-term data and experiments to predict how ecosystems will respond to environmental change. This includes changes to the chemical makeup of the atmosphere and soils, the frequency of events like fire and drought, the rate at which species go extinct, and the spread of weeds, pests, and pathogens. Many of these changes directly affect ecosystems and their ability to provide important services on which humans depend. The effects of environmental change occur over many decades and may vary through time. Predicting the effect of these changes depends on long-term experiments. Long-term feedbacks between organisms and the environment can make these changes stronger, weaker, or even reverse them. For example, soils under retired farmlands keep getting more fertile and store more atmospheric carbon for decades, but how fast this happens depends on the diversity of plant species in the area. Researchers at the Cedar Creek Long-Term Ecological Research Program (CDR) will collect long-term data in retired agricultural lands, prairies, savannas, and forests. These data will be combined with mathematical models to better understand how ecosystems respond to many environmental changes happening at the same time. CDR’s education and outreach team along with the Cedar Creek field station staff will continue to work with community partners to recruit, train, and support a STEM workforce. The project will create opportunities for K-12 students, undergraduate and graduate