compounds. Thus, DOE programs related to site clean-up, production 

 of renewable resources, and waste management also will benefit from 

 the MAESR report. 



Significance of MAESR 



Basically, the key themes in ecosystem research were developed 

 early in the 20th century, yet progress in understanding how 

 ecosystems function has been slow. For the most part, ecologists 

 have applied techniques developed in other areas of science. Large 

 leaps in understanding have come from the application of new 

 techniques. Over the past 20 years, for example, satellites have 

 provided a capability to document and quantify many ecologically 

 relevant processes on a global scale. Improved technology and long 

 time-series analysis have facilitated the accurate measurement of 

 extremely small changes in atmospheric gas composition, and the 

 inference of globally integrated biological processes such as 

 respiration and photosynthesis. Improved computational algorithms 

 and hardware have led to the development of relatively 

 sophisticated numerical simulation models, which can be integrated 

 into general atmospheric circulation models (GCMs) to examine the 

 feedbacks between biological processes and climate. At present, 

 however, a mechanistic understanding of how ecosystems function and 

 respond to change is lacking. 



MAESR will provide, for the first time, a comprehensive 

 molecular biological approach to understanding systems ecology. 

 The questions posed in the report were developed primarily by 

 ecologists. The alteration of the chemical composition of the 

 biosphere represents anthropogenic, global selection pressure, 

 whereby organisms may be forced to extinction, without our clearly 

 understanding the consequences. Ecologists need to quantitatively 

 predict how that selection pressure will affect the living 

 resources of the earth on short and long time scales, and how those 

 effects will modify the environment. MAESR, described here, 

 provides a framework for that understanding. Implementation of 

 this initiative will provide new scientific challenges for 

 molecular biologists, leading to stronger interdisciplinary 

 research efforts in understanding how energy extraction and use 

 will affect the major ecosystems of the world. 



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