Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Piedmont South Atlantic CESU | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) grant opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Piedmont South Atlantic CESU" (Funding Opportunity Number G14AS00114) supports a single cooperative agreement focused on applied aquatic ecology research in Georgia. The central purpose is to fund a partner within the Piedmont South Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) to work directly with USGS scientists on understanding how hydrologic variation, meaning changes in streamflow over time, influences the metapopulation dynamics of stream fishes. In practical terms, the project is aimed at measuring and modeling how fish populations occupy, persist in, disappear from, and recolonize stream habitats as flow conditions change across seasons and years.

The work is framed as part of a broader USGS effort to build a scientific foundation for ecological flow recommendations. Ecological flows are streamflow conditions intended to sustain aquatic ecosystems while balancing human water needs. This project contributes by linking measured field responses of fish species to streamflow patterns, and then using those relationships to inform simulation tools. The emphasis is on fish species occupancy dynamics, which typically involves repeated sampling to estimate where species are present, where they are absent, and how those patterns shift through time in response to hydrologic conditions and connectivity among streams.

Geographically, the study targets the Chattahoochee and Flint River systems within the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin. This basin is widely recognized for complex water management pressures and high ecological value, so research that clarifies biological responses to flow variability can directly support basin-scale decision-making. The funded work specifically builds on prior field efforts conducted in 2011, 2012, and 2013, indicating the project is designed to extend an existing dataset rather than start from scratch. The new sampling is expected to add coverage at sites that span a gradient of stream size and a gradient of isolation from mainstem populations. That focus reflects a key metapopulation idea: smaller or more isolated tributaries may depend on connectivity to larger source populations for recolonization after local losses, and that connectivity can be strongly affected by flow regimes.

Deliverables and outcomes implied by the announcement include collection of high-quality field data, analysis of fish occupancy in relation to streamflow patterns, and the extension and updating of existing metapopulation simulation models for the ACF system. The modeling component suggests the field sampling is not only descriptive, but also intended to improve predictive capacity by calibrating or validating simulations that can estimate how different hydrologic scenarios may influence persistence, colonization, and extinction probabilities across the stream network. Because the notice highlights both measured and simulated species responses, the project likely sits at the intersection of field ecology, hydrology, and quantitative modeling, with direct collaboration and coordination with USGS researchers throughout the process.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement, which typically means substantial involvement by the federal agency in the technical direction and collaboration during the project. The program falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category, and is associated with CFDA number 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection). USGS anticipated making one award, with an estimated total funding amount of $180,000. The posting date was June 26, 2014, with an original and current closing date of July 8, 2014, and an archive date of September 26, 2014. The announcement states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

Eligibility is restricted to organizations that are already participating partners in the Piedmont South Atlantic Coast CESU Program. In other words, the competition is not broadly open to all universities or nonprofits unless they are formal CESU partners under that specific unit. The public listing references additional information on eligibility within the full announcement and directs applicants to Grants.gov for source details. For assistance accessing the complete announcement, the contact listed is Faith Graves at USGS (703-648-7356; fgraves@usgs.gov).

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