Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Great Lakes – Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) | G25AS00166

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the funding opportunity number for this grant?

The funding opportunity number is G25AS00166.

What type of award is this?

This opportunity is a discretionary, science and technology research and development cooperative agreement.

Which agency is offering this opportunity?

The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), through the Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC).

What program or framework is this opportunity issued under?

This award is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) framework, which supports collaborative research, technical assistance, and education through a network of partner institutions.

Which CESU is associated with this funding?

Eligibility is tied to participation in the Great Lakes - Northern Forests CESU Program.

What is the main research topic of the project?

The project focuses on Lake Michigan and specifically on describing the growth and diet of alewife in nearshore environments across the lake.

Is the grant focused on multiple research needs or a single defined need?

The announcement describes a single, clearly defined research need: understanding (describing) alewife growth and diet in nearshore areas across Lake Michigan.

What is the central purpose of the proposed work?

The purpose is to improve understanding of how variability in larval alewife growth and feeding relates to survival and, ultimately, recruitment into the broader alewife population.

Why does the opportunity emphasize larval alewife?

The opportunity notes that larval stages are often a bottleneck for fish populations. Understanding what drives larval survival can help explain year-to-year differences in recruitment outcomes.

What does "recruitment" mean in the context of this opportunity?

In this context, recruitment refers to the successful entry of young alewife from early life stages into the broader population.

What does the opportunity mean by "boom or bust" dynamics?

It refers to years when alewife produce strong cohorts (high recruitment) versus years when recruitment is weak, leading to pronounced year-to-year variability.

What kinds of factors are expected to influence what larval alewife eat and how fast they grow?

The opportunity highlights both abiotic and biotic conditions. Abiotic conditions include temperature, physical habitat, and other non-living environmental factors. Biotic conditions include prey availability, competition, and food web structure.

What is meant by "abiotic conditions" in the announcement?

Abiotic conditions are non-living environmental factors. The examples listed include temperature and physical habitat.

What is meant by "biotic conditions" in the announcement?

Biotic conditions are living components and ecological interactions. The examples listed include prey availability, competition, and food web structure.

Where will the research take place?

The work is focused on Lake Michigan, specifically nearshore environments across the lake.

What sampling approach does the announcement describe?

The announcement calls for lake-wide sampling during a single sample year, with coverage across regions that differ in lower trophic productivity.

What does "lake-wide sampling during a single sample year" imply?

It indicates the study is designed to collect comparable information across Lake Michigan in one year of sampling, rather than spreading primary sampling across multiple years.

What are "nearshore environments" in the context of this opportunity?

The opportunity defines the target setting as nearshore areas of Lake Michigan. No further geographic definition is provided beyond "nearshore" and "across the lake."

What does it mean that regions "differ in lower trophic productivity"?

It means sampling should cover nearshore regions where the base of the food web is not equally productive. The announcement gives examples such as differences in plankton production and prey resources.

Why compare areas with different lower trophic productivity?

The announcement indicates that contrasting areas with different productivity can help identify broad patterns in larval production, growth rates, and diet composition, and support development of testable hypotheses about recruitment mechanisms.

What kinds of outcomes or results are intended from the study?

The intended outcomes include identifying lake-wide patterns in larval production, growth rates, and diet composition, and generating testable hypotheses about mechanisms driving recruitment variability.

How will the results be used, according to the announcement?

The results are intended to strengthen understanding of lake-wide ecological processes that shape early life survival for alewife.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to organizations that are already participating partners in the Great Lakes - Northern Forests CESU Program.

Are non-CESU organizations eligible to apply?

Based on the announcement summary provided, eligibility is limited to existing participating partners in the Great Lakes - Northern Forests CESU Program.

What is the assistance listing (CFDA) number associated with this opportunity?

The assistance listing is associated with CFDA number 15.808.

What is the maximum funding amount available?

The award ceiling is $96,305.

Is the funding amount stated as a ceiling or a guaranteed award amount?

The information provided describes a funding cap (an award ceiling) of $96,305.

When is the application due?

The original closing date for applications is January 9, 2025.

What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?

The opportunity is described as a cooperative agreement, indicating it is a form of financial assistance for research and development. The summary provided does not include additional details on roles or level of involvement beyond the cooperative agreement label.

Does the announcement specify how many years the project will run?

The summary provided does not state a project period. It does specify that the study design includes lake-wide sampling during a single sample year.

Does the announcement specify whether the work includes both growth and diet measurements?

Yes. The described research need is to describe both growth and diet of alewife (with emphasis on larval growth and feeding) in nearshore environments across Lake Michigan.

What life stage of alewife is emphasized in the project rationale?

The opportunity emphasizes the larval stage, focusing on larval growth and feeding as related to survival and recruitment.

Does the opportunity describe the main ecological idea being tested?

Yes. It highlights that variability in larval growth and feeding, influenced by abiotic and biotic conditions, is linked to survival and recruitment outcomes.

Does the opportunity aim to produce hypotheses or final explanations?

The announcement states the study will generate testable hypotheses about mechanisms driving recruitment variability, based on lake-wide patterns observed during the sampling year.