Stable Isotope Feasibility Study for Testing the Role of    Algal Carbon in a Tropical 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 Orinoco basin is one of the few locations where a large                     unregulated river adjoins a minimally-altered floodplain.  The                  Orinoco therefore presents special opportunities for the study of               natural floodplain phenomena.  Past studies of mass flux along                  the Orinoco main stream and of the phasing in physical, chemical,               and biological events on small segments of floodplain have                      produced several lines of evidence that indicate an unexpectedly                high importance of algal organic matter (phytoplankton,                         periphyton) in sustaining the aquatic food webs of the Orinoco                  floodplain ecosystem.  Other prominent sources of organic matter                for the system include particulate material from upstream                       terrestrial environments, riparian litterfall, and aquatic                      vascular plants.  However, current evidence indicates that the                  majority of biomass from these sources is degraded microbially                  without passing efficiently into consumer food chains.  Stable                  isotopes appear to offer the best prospect for a direct test of                 this hypothesis.  However, the usefulness of stable isotopes is                 to some degree site-specific because of variations in isotope                   signatures and in the number of compartments that must be                       resolved through the use of these signatures.  For this reason,                 the present proposal outlines a plan for testing the feasibility                of using stable isotopes in resolving the broad hypothesis                      concerning algal carbon in the Orinoco floodplain.  Means and                   variances will be established for stable isotope signatures of C,               N, and S in major organic-matter compartments at a representative               site on the Orinoco floodplain, and methods for physical                        separation of functionally different compartments such as                       detritus and suspended algae will be tested.  This information                  will be used in quantifying the resolving power of stable                       isotopes in the Orinoco floodplain.
[{'FirstName': 'William', 'LastName': 'Lewis', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'M', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': 'Jr.', 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'William M Lewis', 'EmailAddress': 'William.Lewis@colorado.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000313401', 'StartDate': '07/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'James', 'LastName': 'Saunders', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'F', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': 'III', 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'James F Saunders', 'EmailAddress': 'saundej@spot.colorado.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000239413', 'StartDate': '07/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}]
{'Name': 'University of Colorado at Boulder', 'CityName': 'Boulder', 'ZipCode': '803090001', 'PhoneNumber': '3034926221', 'StreetAddress': '3100 MARINE ST', 'StreetAddress2': 'STE 481 572 UCB', 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Colorado', 'StateCode': 'CO', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '02', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'CO02', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'SPVKK1RC2MZ3', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
{'Name': None, 'CityName': None, 'StateCode': None, 'ZipCode': None, 'StreetAddress': None, 'CountryCode': None, 'CountryName': None, 'StateName': None, 'CountryFlag': None, 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': None, 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_PERF': '""'}
{'Code': '1128', 'Text': 'Population & Community Ecology'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1988&All=true', 'xml': '8807880.xml'}