Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this grant?

The Funding Opportunity Number is 09HQPA0051.

2) Which federal agency issued this funding opportunity?

This opportunity was issued by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

3) What program is this opportunity associated with?

It is offered under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, specifically the Rocky Mountain CESU.

4) What type of award is being offered?

This is a discretionary science and technology research award made through a cooperative agreement.

5) What does a cooperative agreement imply for how the project will be conducted?

A cooperative agreement indicates the project is expected to involve substantial collaboration with the federal partner during the work, rather than operating as a fully independent grant.

6) Which USGS center is using the funding to support the research?

The Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK) is using this funding to support the work described in the opportunity.

7) What is the main scientific focus of the project?

The project focuses on advanced statistical and probabilistic modeling to understand and predict wetland vegetation dynamics, with an emphasis on comparing Bayesian network approaches.

8) What ecological system and location does the project focus on?

The work is set at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and targets wetland vegetation, particularly species abundance.

9) What modeling approaches are being compared in this research?

The opportunity highlights a comparison of two related families of Bayesian network methods: Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs) and Bayesian Graphical Models (BGMs).

10) How do BBNs and BGMs represent ecological systems in this project?

Both approaches represent a multivariate ecological system as a graph made up of nodes (variables) and edges (relationships among variables).

11) What is the difference between directed and undirected edges in the models described?

The opportunity notes that edges can be directed (commonly used to represent a hypothesized causal relationship) or undirected (which can represent correlation structures, such as spatial or temporal dependence).

12) What is the primary outcome expected from the first project objective?

The first objective requires building a predictive model of wetland vegetation species abundance as a function of abiotic factors at Red Rock Lakes NWR using BBNs and/or BGMs.

13) What special temporal feature must be incorporated into the predictive modeling?

A key requirement is incorporating time lags at different temporal scales to reflect that vegetation may respond to environmental conditions with delays (including immediate responses and multi-season or multi-year legacy effects).

14) What does the second project objective focus on?

The second objective is to evaluate and test model selection tools for BBN and BGM structures, especially assessing whether information-theoretic criteria are appropriate for choosing among competing causal hypotheses.

15) Why does the opportunity emphasize spatial and temporal correlation in the data?

The opportunity highlights that spatial and/or temporal correlation can violate assumptions behind simpler selection approaches, so the project should examine whether model selection criteria still behave sensibly when those correlations are present.

16) What is the third project objective about?

The third objective is to assess whether BBNs or BGMs are practical and useful for applied natural resource practitioners who need to evaluate and communicate potential climate change effects on natural systems.

17) Does the opportunity emphasize interpretability and usability, or only statistical performance?

It emphasizes more than statistical performance. The third objective explicitly points to interpretability, usability, and decision support value for practitioners.

18) How many awards were expected under this opportunity?

The administrative details indicate one expected award.

19) What was the estimated total funding amount?

The estimated total funding amount was $36,417.

20) Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity listed no cost sharing or matching requirement.

21) Was an award ceiling or floor specified?

No. The award ceiling and floor were both shown as 0, which typically signals that a fixed maximum/minimum was not specified in the posting and applicants would need to rely on narrative guidance and/or the program contact.

22) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number is 15.808, titled U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection.

23) Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was limited to organizations that are participating partners in the Rocky Mountain CESU network, consistent with CESU rules restricting competition to member institutions.

24) What were the posting and closing dates for this opportunity?

The posting date was July 14, 2009. The original and current closing date was July 24, 2009.

25) When was the opportunity archived?

The opportunity was archived on August 23, 2009.

26) Who was the listed point of contact, and what were they responsible for?

The listed point of contact for access issues was Faith Graves, Contract Specialist, at 703-648-7356.

27) In simple terms, what is this grant trying to produce?

It is aimed at producing (1) a predictive model for wetland vegetation abundance under varying abiotic conditions, (2) a rigorous comparison of Bayesian network approaches and how to select among competing model structures/causal hypotheses (especially with spatial/temporal correlation), and (3) practical guidance on whether and how these models can support climate-relevant natural resource management decisions.