The overall objective of the Grassland Ecology and Basic Range Science program at KSU is determine the basic mechanisms associated with use of plant and animal resources to produce plant and animal outputs at the individual, population and ecosystem levels. Those mechanisms can be used to develop management practices which optimize plant and animal production. In addition, knowledge of carbon and water acquisition and loss is important in a global context. Data from the project has been and is being used in global climate change efforts in both the direct effects of elevated carbon dioxide and the carbon sequestration arena.