Konza Prairie Agroecosystem NEON / KONA

Konza Prairie Agroecosystem (KONA) is a terrestrial NEON field site is located in the Flint Hills region of Kansas just 10 km (6 mi.) south of Manhattan, KS. Sampling occurs in a 3.6 km² (903 acre) area of cultivated crop fields owned and managed by Kansas State University’s Department of Agronomy and Department of Animal Science and Industry. The site is focused on sampling within agricultural systems. The surrounding region consists of grasslands, forests, and agricultural land cover types and includes the largest remaining areas of unplowed tallgrass prairie in North America. KONA is part of the NEON Prairie Peninsula Domain (D06), which stretches from Kansas through Nebraska and Iowa to southern Minnesota, and moves east to encompass Illinois and most of Indiana. The Domain hosts four other NEON field sites: two aquatic and two additional terrestrial, all of which are located in Kansas. KONA is colocated with the KING aquatic field site and just 5 km (~3 miles) west of the KONZ terrestrial site. The two sites provide a contrast between more pristine prairie at KONZ and heavily impacted agricultural land at KONA within the same area. Land use and land use management are key grand challenge themes for this Domain. [1]

KONA is located within Riley County, which is in the eastern half of Kansas and has a continental climate characterized by warm, wet summers and cold, dry winters. The average annual temperature is 12.7°C (54°F). The average annual precipitation is 850 mm (33.5 in.) and is sufficient to support woodland or savanna vegetation. The region is known for intense summer storms brought on by moist air from the Gulf of Mexico coming up from the south and colliding with the cold, dry air coming down from the north. Large rainfall events can cause flooding of roads and fields as the rivers overrun with water. Other large weather events common in the area are wildfires and tornadoes. [3] [4] [15]

The agricultural fields at KONA are composed of alluvium, a type of sediment deposited by flowing water made of gravel, sand, silt, clay, or other rock particulates. The fields lie above the Chase group, which is a geologic group from the early Permian laid down in the Gearyan stage. The group is composed of cherty limestone and green or red shale. Chert is another term for flint, meaning a sedimentary rock composed of quartz. It this “flinty” limestone that gives the Flint Hills, home of the Konza Prairie, its name. [9] [11] [18]

The dominant soil series is Chase silty clay loam, rarely flooded. The soil remains silty clay loam to a depth of 0.33 m (1 ft.), where it changes to silty clay. It is somewhat poorly drained and has a moderately low to moderately high water capacity. [2] [3]

The northern NEON plots at the Northern Agronomy Farm drain into the Big Blue River, while the southern NEON plots at the Ashland Bottom Farm drain into the McDowell Creek. Both of these water sources are tributaries to the larger Kansas River. [12]

All sampling plots in KONA are located in cultivated crop fields. Crops vary year to year but the most commonly planted are wheat, corn, milo, soybeans, alfalfa, and oats. [1]

Although plots are used for agriculture, they still host an abundance of wildlife. Common species in the region include white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), coyotes (Canis latrans) and turkey vultures (Cathartes aura). While deer are commonly spotted around KONA, its most abundant species are often smaller, such as Woodhouse’s toad (Anaxyrus woodhousii), the great plains skink (Plestiodon obsoletus), and various species of beetles. The America burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) is a federally endangered species known to inhabit the area. NEON provides data on five types of wildlife at KONA: birds, ground beetles, mosquitoes, small mammals, and ticks. [16] [17]

The Konza Prairie was once part of a wide-ranging tallgrass prairie that stretched across Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and the Dakotas. The Kansas region of the prairie is home to the Kaw Nation, also known as the “People of the Southwind.” During the eighteenth century, white settlers made contact with the Kaw Nation. After the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the American government took over the land.

The South Half of the Prairie

The North Half of the Farm

College’s Possession of the Farm

The land is managed by Kansas State University’s Department of Agronomy and Department of Animal Science and Industry. KSU’s Department of Agronomy “provides statewide leadership in teaching, research and extension in crop, soil and range sciences.” Their research focuses on subjects such as cropping and tilling systems, management practices, and weed science. NEON plots are located in the North Agronomy Farm and the Ashland Bottoms Farm. The Department of Animal Science and Industry manages 6500 acres of land for research purposes. Their research involves animal health, breeding, and nutrition as well as food and meat sciences. Their goal is to ultimately provide consumers safe, high-quality food products. Although none of NEON’s KONA plots are located on animal-grazed land, it's possible to see the dairy cows from some plots. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Site characterization at KONA was completed in 2016 and the site was operation-ready in 2017. Due to the plot’s location in agriculture fields, NEON’s standard way of marking plots (with PVC and surface-level metal monuments to mark key points) was not attainable. Therefore, rare earth magnetic markers were placed a meter below the surface soil to mark the center of each plot. This allows the markers to remain untouched by agriculture activities such as tilling, plowing and harvesting. The distributed plots were allocated at KONA according to a spatially balanced and stratified-random design. The flux tower, which stands 8 m (26 ft.) tall and has four instrument levels, was completed in 2015 and began operating in 2016. Our NEON scientists protect the tower and its array of sensors and equipment by hand-sowing and harvesting the crops nearest the tower. [1]