Fig. 8. The Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site. This LTER program in southwest Michigan studies the ecological interactions underlying the productivity and environmental impact of production-level cropping systems. Vegetation in this area is characterized by forest with large areas of croplands and some wetland. The main question driving this model is how land use has changed over time, and how these changes feed back into linked social-ecological systems. The data sets presented suggested that urban expansion from three population centers—Chicago, Lansing, and Grand Rapids—is changing the relative scale and impact of other types of land use, in particular, agriculture. Information, ideas, and beliefs are grouped in the gold cloud and influence resource use. The model suggests that population growth will create extra demands on water resources.

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