Elizabeth Borer and Eric Seabloom at Cedar Creek
Studying the web of life in the waters of rural Cedar Bog Lake in the 1930s, University of Minnesota graduate student Raymond Lindemann discovered basic principles governing ecosystems and launched the field of ecosystem ecology.
And that was just the beginning.
In the eight decades since then, the College of Biological Sciences’ 5,500-acre Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, located an hour north of the Twin Cities, has grown into a magnet for the world’s top ecologists. Home to not only Cedar Bog Lake but woodlands, former farm fields, and its namesake stream, "Cedar Creek" researchers at the site have produced one game-changing discovery after another.
"Cedar Creek is best known for demonstrating that grasslands with more plant species are more productive, resilient, and resistant to disease and invasion," says Eric Seabloom, a University of Minnesota professor and the director of Cedar Creek.
"The results of this long-term biodiversity experiment, led by ecology professor David Tilman, inspired hundreds of studies around the world," he says.
Today, "The power of biodiversity demonstrated in Tilman’s work is widely recognized and woven through scientific fields like agriculture and conservation," he adds. "It underpins planning at scales ranging from the United Nations to the University’s own strategic plan."
Read the full story on the University of Minnesota's website.