Sharks are top predators in marine ecosystems, so small changes in shark populations can ripple down and affect entire marine communities. Understanding how sharks adapt to ecosystem changes may help scientists predict how other marine life could react to a changing ocean. Researchers from the Florida Coastal Everglades (FCE) LTER investigated how juveniles of two similar… Read more »
Although the modern “American Dream” is no longer defined by white picket fences, this perception of the “ideal” homestead still holds some influence on cultural norms: cookie-cutter houses lining a cul-de-sac, each with a pristinely manicured green lawn. A collaborative study of residential lawns near several LTER sites found that the quest for this suburban… Read more »
How sensitive are coastal ecosystems to sharp changes in temperature? Using a detailed spatial analysis in the Florida Everglades, researchers found that cold snaps reduced ecosystem productivity most dramatically in areas with low water levels that were located away from the coast. With more extreme weather events predicted in the future, knowing the likely effects of low temperature events on subtropical wetlands systems can inform management of these important ecosystems.
Wetlands exist on every continent save Antarctica and manifest as a variety of habitats, from salt marshes to mangrove forests. They provide important ecosystem services, such as water purification and flood protection—often tied to their high productivity and diversity.
Following on the Ecological Theory working group at the 2015 All Scientists Meeting, please find attached an updated syllabus for a Fall 2016 distributed graduate seminar. The seminar series will engage scientists from key theoretical fields of ecology to speak about how long term research informs the evolution of that theory. Each week we will… Read more »
Ask any teacher to identify their students’ favorite question. The answer is universal: “Why do I need to learn this?” The Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Program, funded through NSF and LTER, seeks to give teachers the tools to answer this question in ways that excite and engage their students.
Evelyn Gaiser, the lead Principal Investigator for the Florida Coastal Everglades (FCE) Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program, has been appointed executive director of Florida International University (FIU) School of Environment, Arts and Society (SEAS) and associate dean in the “College of Arts & Sciences. Gaiser has served as the interim executive director of SEAS… Read more »
President Barack Obama visits the Florida Everglades on Wednesday, April 22, 2015, to commemorate Earth Day and to highlight the threat of global warming to the U.S. economy and how rising sea levels are putting the economic engine for the South Florida tourism industry at risk. In advance of President Obama’s visit, Florida Coastal Everglades… Read more »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Where Does Charcoal, or Black Carbon, in Soils Go? Scientists find surprising new answers in wetlands such as the Everglades April 18, 2013 — Scientists have uncovered one of nature’s long-kept secrets–the true fate of charcoal in the world’s soils. The ability to determine the fate of charcoal is critical to knowledge… Read more »
A number of scientists led by Florida Coastal Everglades (FCE) Long Term Ecological Research scientist, James Fourqurean, have concluded that seagrasses may play a vital role in solving climate change. In an interesting paper in the May 21 issue of the journal Nature Geoscience, Fourqurean and his co-authors report that, on a unit area basis,… Read more »
