Thursday, August 5, 2010: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
301-302, David L Lawrence Convention Center
OOS 38 - Ecological Dimensions of Biofuel Production
Second generation biofuels, the production of ethanol from lignocellulosic feedstocks, are purported to have great promise for ensuring energy security and slowing the accumulation of greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere. In this symposium we will explore the emerging understanding of how the wide scale deployment of biofuel feedstocks may affect local and global greenhouse gas budgets, biogeochemical cycles, and biodiversity. We seek to elucidate the economic and regulatory dimensions of biofuel production, and then to explore the contributions of ecological research to the wider debate on the merits of biofuel cultivation. We begin by exploring the greenhouse balance of biofuel crop cultivation and associated land use change. Specifically, we address biogeochemical changes associated with biofuel crop cultivation and their role in the life cycle analyses used to calculate the full GHG effects of biofuel production. In addition, we consider how biogeochemical forcings associated with biofuel crops may impact climate. We then discuss how landscapes may change as a result of biofuel cultivation, focusing both on opportunities to optimize landscapes through potentially beneficial biofuel cropping systems as well as on potential dangers to biodiversity. We end with a discussion of how ecologists can best contribute to the wider discussion on biofuels.
Organizer:Sarah C. Davis, University of Illinois
Co-organizers:Evan H. DeLucia, University of Illinois
Kristina Anderson-Teixeira, University of Illinois
Moderator:Sarah C. Davis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
8:00 AMOOS 38-1Measurements of the ecosystem impacts of four biofuel crops on the cycles of carbon, water, and nitrogen in Central Illinois
Marcelo Zeri, University of Illinois, George Hickman, University of Illinois, Carl J. Bernacchi, University of Illinois/USDA-ARS
8:20 AMOOS 38-2CANCELLED - Quantifying and mitigating the environmental impacts of using corn stover as a biofuel feedstock
Paul R. Adler, USDA-ARS, Stephen J. Del Grosso, USDA-ARS, Ghasideh Pourhashem, Drexel University, Sabrina Spatari, Drexel University, Gregory W. Roth, Pennsylvania State University, William J. Parton, Colorado State University
8:40 AMOOS 38-3Managing perennial monocultures for ecosystem services
Emily Heaton, Iowa State University, Jeremy Singer, USDA-ARS, Frank Dohleman, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Stephen P. Long, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
9:00 AMOOS 38-4Assessing the invasiveness of Miscanthus sinensis, a potential bioenergy crop
Lauren D. Quinn, University of Illinois, J. Ryan Stewart, University of Illinois
9:20 AMOOS 38-5Ecology of nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with a perennial grass biofuel crop
Angela D. Kent, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Daniel P. Keymer, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Yuejian Mao, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
9:40 AM Break
9:50 AMOOS 38-6Quantifying the climate impacts of land use change
Kristina J. Anderson-Teixeira, University of Illinois, Peter K. Snyder, University of Minnesota, Evan H. DeLucia, University of Illinois
10:10 AMOOS 38-7Carbon and nutrient implications of using forest biomass for bioenergy
Steven P. Hamburg, Environmental Defense Fund
10:30 AMOOS 38-8Large variation in stand-scale sustainability of forest biomass harvesting in central New Hampshire
Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur, University of New Hampshire, Steven P. Hamburg, Environmental Defense Fund, Ruth D. Yanai, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Joel D. Blum, University of Michigan
10:50 AMOOS 38-9Conversion of CRP grassland to cropping systems for bioenergy production causes large CO2 emissions
Ilya Gelfand, Michigan State University, Terenzio Zenone, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, Poonam Jasrotia, Michigan State University, Jiquan Chen, The University of Toledo, Stephen K. Hamilton, Michigan State University, G. Philip Robertson, Michigan State University
11:10 AMOOS 38-10The potential and pitfalls of biofuels: how knowledge gaps may impair a comprehensive assessment
Caroline E. Ridley, US EPA, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Chris M. Clark, US EPA, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Britta Bierwagen, US EPA, Alice Chen, AAAS, US EPA, Sustainability Program, Stephen D. LeDuc, US EPA, Brenda B. Lin, US EPA, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Adrea Mehl, US EPA, Office of the Science Advisor, Richard A. Simmons , AAAS, US Department of State, Bureau for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs, David A. Tobias, AAAS, US EPA, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics

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