Awards

Climatological data measured over the past 40 years at Niwot Ridge show that this temperate alpine site is undergoing directional change. Cooler, wetter conditions correlate with shifts in Plant community composition, reduced soil pH and modification of controls on nitrogen limitation to vegetation. While a number of future climatic scenarios are possible, enhanced precipitation in… Read more »

9810218 Seastedt The Niwot Ridge LTER employs a program of long- and short-term manipulative experiments and long-term monitoring to study biotic and ecosystem responses and feedbacks to interannual variation in climatic and atmospheric inputs. The 45-yr climate record shows that the alpine tundra at Niwot Ridge is experiencing increased amounts of precipitation; similar measurements of… Read more »

The Niwot Ridge LTER (NWT) employs a program of long- and short-term manipulative experiments and long-term monitoring to study biotic and ecosystem-level responses and feedbacks to interannual variation in climatic and atmospheric inputs for the alpine tundra. Long-term records show that there directional climate change in this area is occurring, which inspired a written synthesis… Read more »

New informatics tools and resources have the potential to advance our understanding of how biological processes interact over multiple spatial and temporal scales to structure natural communities and ecosystems. This project will enhance the reuse and integration of long-term ecological data by increasing its accessibility. These improvements could stimulate data synthesis and raise new lines… Read more »

Natural ecosystems experience constant change, and the consequences of this change are often revealed gradually over long periods of time. Twenty-five active Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) projects collect the long-term data necessary to identify these consequences and their effects on the ecosystem services, such as provision of clean water, that are critical for society…. Read more »

The needs for science communication to diverse stakeholders are changing rapidly in an era of dramatic global change, shifting human demographic trends, and the widespread digital nature of communication and networking. This award supports a new and nimble Communications Office that will bring, to the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) network, innovative capabilities to interact,… Read more »

Long-term research plays a key role in the development of fundamental ecological understanding. Twenty-eight Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites are distributed in habitats across the nation and in the tropical Pacific. Research at each site provides important system-specific knowledge whereas integrating across sites fosters the discovery of wide-spread patterns of ecosystem functioning and general ecological… Read more »

Long term research- the continued measurement of a set of variables that build towards addressing a research goal over decadal scales- has played a unique role in environmental biology. Long term research has revealed dynamic ecosystem processes and informed management decisions across the U.S. and beyond. The Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network has enabled… Read more »

The Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF) in Puerto Rico is a high quality tropical forest research site with a history of long-term research programs. The LEF is a National Forest and a Biosphere Reserve, which contains several research natural areas within its 11,231 ha. The objective of this project is to tie studies of disturbance regime… Read more »

9411973 Waide The Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF) Long-Term Ecology Research Program began in 1988 with the goal of integrating studies of disturbance regime and forest structure and dynamics with a landscape perspective. Two central research questions addressed 1) the relative importance of different disturbance types within the four tropical rain forest life zones of the… Read more »