Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, South Florida/Caribbean CESU | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), South Florida/Caribbean CESU funding call (Funding Opportunity Number G11AS20034) issued by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) through the USGS Southeast Ecological Science Center. It was a research-focused call intended to support work on the Everglades freshwater marsh.

2) What was the main purpose of the project funding?

The central purpose was to improve scientific understanding of the Everglades freshwater marsh by supporting research that would extend and test an existing ecological model called GEFISH (the Greater Everglades fish model). The goal was to refine and evaluate how well GEFISH explains and predicts small fish biomass dynamics in the marsh.

3) Why is small fish biomass important in this opportunity?

Small fish biomass dynamics were highlighted as a key indicator for ecosystem condition and a critical link in the Everglades food web. Strengthening the ability to model fish biomass was therefore treated as important for understanding ecosystem status and function.

4) What is GEFISH?

GEFISH is the Greater Everglades fish model. In this opportunity, it is described as an existing ecological model used to represent and analyze the dynamics of small fish biomass in the Everglades freshwater marsh.

5) What aspects of GEFISH were intended to be improved?

The opportunity focused on extending and testing GEFISH in order to strengthen the model's structure, assumptions, and performance. The intent was to increase confidence in the model for ecological analysis and potential use in broader Everglades science and management questions where fish biomass is an important outcome.

6) What kind of ecological framework does the model use?

The work centered on a simplified food web framework represented in GEFISH. The model tracks dynamics and interactions among key ecosystem components and organizes them into functional groups to capture major ecological roles without requiring species-level detail for every organism.

7) What ecosystem components are tracked in the GEFISH framework?

The opportunity describes GEFISH as tracking major components including primary producers, detritus, invertebrates, invertebrate detritivores, and fish consumers.

8) How are organisms represented in the model (species vs. functional groups)?

The announcement describes the model as using functional groups, which are intended to reflect major ecological roles without needing to model each species individually.

9) What type of award mechanism was used?

This was a discretionary opportunity offered as a cooperative agreement under the CESU Program.

10) How is a CESU cooperative agreement different from a standard contract or a typical grant?

The announcement emphasizes that a CESU cooperative agreement is not a standard procurement contract and is distinct from a typical grant. It reflects the collaborative nature of CESU projects, where federal scientists and partners often have substantial interaction during the project.

11) What is the CESU Program in general terms?

The CESU structure is described as a partnership mechanism designed to connect federal agencies with participating organizations to deliver research, technical assistance, and education.

12) Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was limited to organizations that were already participating partners of the South Florida/Caribbean CESU Program. The opportunity was not open to the general public or to institutions outside that established CESU partnership.

13) Was the opportunity open to organizations outside the South Florida/Caribbean CESU network?

No. The notice states eligibility was restricted to existing participating partners of the South Florida/Caribbean CESU Program.

14) How many awards were expected?

The opportunity anticipated a single award.

15) What was the estimated total funding amount?

The estimated total funding amount was $33,000.

16) Was an award ceiling or floor provided?

No. The notice listed both the award ceiling and award floor as 0, which typically indicates the agency did not publish a formal per-award range beyond the total estimated funding for the posting.

17) Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement, meaning applicants were not required to provide non-federal funds as a condition of the award.

18) What CFDA program number was associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity fell under CFDA 15.808, U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection.

19) How was the opportunity categorized?

It was categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

20) When was the opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on May 18, 2011.

21) What was the application closing date?

The original and current closing date were both listed as May 27, 2011, indicating a brief application window.

22) When was the opportunity archived?

The opportunity was later archived on August 5, 2011.

23) Where were applicants directed to access the full announcement materials?

The listing pointed applicants to Grants.gov for the full announcement materials.

24) Who was the USGS point of contact listed for assistance?

The listing provided the following USGS contact: Faith Graves, phone 703-648-7356, email fgraves@usgs.gov.

25) Which USGS center issued the research funding call?

The call was issued by the USGS Southeast Ecological Science Center.

26) What geographic ecosystem focus was specified?

The scientific focus was the Everglades freshwater marsh, with emphasis on understanding and predicting small fish biomass dynamics within that system.