BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//ZContent.net//ZapCalLib 1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Grassland Plant-Soil-Microbial Responses to Climate Extremes and La
 nd Use Change
LOCATION:MSNR 345
TZID:America/Denver
DTSTART:20260505T100000
UID:2026-06-07-23-08-03@natsci.colostate.edu
DTSTAMP:20260607T230803
Description:You\\'re invited! Join us for Alex Siggers\\' PhD Seminar Defen
 se entitled\, \"Grassland Plant-Soil-Microbial Responses to Climate Extrem
 es and Land Use Change\". This seminar will focus on how global change dri
 vers\, such as extreme droughts\, deluges\, and renewable energy developme
 nt\, are impacting grassland ecosystems across the United States Great Pla
 ins. Celebrate his achievement and explore this critical and thought-provo
 king work!\n\nThis seminar offers a unique opportunity to examine how hydr
 oclimatic extremes and land use changes are altering ecosystem structure a
 nd function. Alex’s research highlights the pressing need to better unde
 rstand the legacy effects of these changes before ecosystems are irreversi
 bly transformed.\n\nEvent Details\nSpeaker: Alex Siggers\nTitle: Grassland
  Plant-Soil-Microbial Responses to Climate Extremes and Land Use Change\nD
 ate: Tuesday\, May 5th\, 2026\nTime: 10:00 AM\nLocation: MSNR 345\n\nAdvis
 ed by Dr. Melinda Smith\, Professor and Vice provost for Faculty Affairs\,
  CSU Department of Biology\n\nCan\\'t make it in person? Join online!\nTea
 ms: col.st/8uadf\n\nAlex\\'s dissertation investigates how extreme drought
 s\, deluges\, and solar photovoltaic energy development are altering abiot
 ic determinants of ecosystem functionality. His work provides critical ins
 ights into how these global change drivers impact grassland ecosystems\, e
 mphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of these ecosystems before 
 lasting changes occur.\n\nJoin us in celebrating Alex\\'s achievement and 
 explore his critical and thought-provoking work!\nVisit our website for m
 ore information on our seminars and follow us on social media for more ann
 ouncements from Biology.\n\n 	\nInstagram: @csubio\n 	\nTwitter/X: @csubio
 logy\n 	\nFacebook: Department of Biology at Colorado State University\n\n
 Abstract\nAtmospheric warming is intensifying the global hydrological cycl
 e\, leading to increased occurrence of hydroclimatic extremes. Extreme dro
 ughts and deluges (persistent\, torrential rain events) are already impact
 ing ecosystems globally\, with each leaving legacy effects of altered ecos
 ystem structure and function. The likelihood of co-occurring hydroclimatic
  extremes increases with each degree of warming\, yet little is known abou
 t how compound drought and deluge events impact ecosystems. Similarly\, cl
 imate solutions\, such as renewable energy development\, are altering abio
 tic determinants of ecosystem functionality. Solar photovoltaic energy (PV
 ) is currently the cheapest\, most scalable renewable energy option\, thou
 gh PV arrays occupy greater land area than alternative energy forms and ma
 y have unintended consequences for their host ecosystems. Thus\, precipita
 tion inputs and other abiotic factors are being altered by global change d
 rivers in myriad ways\, yet experimental assessments of their ecological i
 mpacts are limited and highly context dependent. Further\, altered precipi
 tation regimes and land use changes are likely to be especially consequent
 ial in grasslands\, where water is the predominant limiting resource and P
 V deployment is most expansive. In this dissertation I investigated how th
 ese global change drivers impacted grassland ecosystems across the United 
 States Great Plains. The first chapter examined the legacy effects of extr
 eme drought on soil microbial communities across representative grassland 
 types of the US Great Plains. The second chapter shifted focus to the shor
 tgrass steppe of northeastern Colorado\, where I investigated the ecosyste
 m impacts of compounded extreme drought and deluge. The final chapter asse
 ssed plant-soil-microbial responses to a PV array in a semi-arid C3 grassl
 and. Altogether\, this work suggests that global change drivers will have 
 immense contemporaneous and lasting impacts on grassland ecosystems\, high
 lighting the pressing need to understand our ecosystems before they are ir
 reversibly altered.\n\n10:00 am
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR