The Role of Periphyton on the Amazon River Floodplain
{'Code': '08010208', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'DEB', 'LongName': 'Division Of Environmental Biology'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'James R. Gosz', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
The role of periphyton in nitrogen and phosphorus cycling               in the Amazon floodplain will be investigated.  Lowland                         floodplains of large rivers like the Amazon are sites of the                    highest biological productivity within the river system.  A                     key characteristic of floodplains that leads to their                           high productivity is nutrient retention.  Periphyton is                         conjectured to be important in nutrient trapping and recycling in               the floodplain.  Periphyton is also thought to be an important                  source of labile carbon and nutrients to the open waters of the                 Amazon. The carbon and nutrients derived from periphyton in turn                are thought to be important in the support of the large                         secondary production of open waters, including fish production.                         The importance of periphyton in the Amazon floodplain will              be studied using state.of.the.art techniques.  For example,                     tritiated thymidine will be used to determine microbial activity.               The importance of periphyton as an energy source for                            open.water food chains will be determined using stable isotopes.                And the results from site.specific studies will in extrapolated                 to larger scales with the aid of remote sensing technologies.  A                variety of these technologies will be used including LANDSAT TM                 (30X30 m resolution) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR).  The                   remote sensing technologies will help to establish the extent                   of floodplain habitat.                                                                  The significance of this research is that it will help us               to understand what role the floodplains play in the operation                   of large river basins in the tropics.  These areas are                          under increasing development pressure from the expanding                        human population.  The importance of floodplains in these systems               is often ignored.  This research should provide documentation                   of this importance and provide a scientific basis for                           wise management of this resource.                                                       Drs. Fisher and Melack have good records of productivity                working in this very difficult field environment.  The                          institutional support available to them is superior.
{'FirstName': 'Thomas', 'LastName': 'Fisher', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'R', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Thomas R Fisher', 'EmailAddress': 'fisher@hpel.CEES.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000224428', 'StartDate': '10/15/1987', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences', 'CityName': 'CAMBRIDGE', 'ZipCode': '216133368', 'PhoneNumber': '4102212014', 'StreetAddress': '2020 HORNS POINT RD', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Maryland', 'StateCode': 'MD', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '01', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'MD01', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'JHTYTGKYWLL9', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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{'Code': '1128', 'Text': 'Population & Community Ecology'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1987&All=true', 'xml': '8706643.xml'}