From Species Richness to Ecosystem Resilience: a Synthesis Study of Marine Consumer Nutrient Supply
Marine LTER sites come together to synthesize how consumer-mediated nutrient dynamics are changing throughout time and in response to disturbances.
Positive effect of fiddler crabs on saltmarsh grass reverses in expanded range
Atlantic marsh fiddler crabs facilitate the aboveground growth of a foundational saltmarsh grass, but this positive interaction becomes negative as crabs migrate north.
The memory of an oyster shell
A recent paper from researchers at the University of Georgia, in collaboration with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, uses oxygen isotope analysis of mollusk shells found at archaeological sites to show how ancestral Muskogean villages collectively, and sustainably, managed shellfish harvest.
Modeling Provides Clues for Salt Marsh Health
“We know that salt marsh plants face stressors like sea level rise, drought, and excess nutrient runoff. What is more difficult to predict is the localized response to these stressors,” writes Kyle Runion of his
Ecosystems are resistant or resilient to hurricanes, but not both
Ecosystems resist devastation from hurricanes by choosing either of two strategies: high resistance or high resilience.
Sea level rise impacting nitrogen cycle in tidal freshwater marshes
GCE LTER researchers simulated the effects of long term (press) and short term (pulse) salt water intrusions in tidal freshwater marshes. Press conditions were more disastrous for the ecosystem, altering the N cycle, while the landscape was able to recover from pulse conditions.
A Balancing Act for Coastal Freshwater Marshes
On the boundaries of fresh and saltwater systems, coastal marshes give rise to diverse, productive ecosystems that act as carbon sinks. Their secret? Freshwater marsh plants receive just the right amount of nutrients and salt from periodic seawater tides to thrive. However, incursions of saltwater into these systems are increasing —often caused by drought and… Read more »
LTER Road Trip: Within the SALTEx Marsh
Parking under a bridge, I walked down a short dirt road to the cutgrass (Zizaniopsis miliacea) marsh. The bright green stalks waved overhead, completely immersing me as I stepped onto a narrow boardwalk that provides access to the gridded plots. The air was hot and humid, t-shirts and shorts sticking to arms and legs as students and researchers moved amid the marsh.
LTER Road Trip: Science and Education on the Water
Every month, Field Technician Tim Montgomery loads his equipment onto a center console motorboat and heads off into the marshes surrounding Sapelo Island, Georgia. Over the course of several hours, he stops at multiple sites to check on the Georgia Coastal Ecosystem LTER network of data loggers continually collecting water quality parameters as they gently bob in the water. On one particular morning, I had the opportunity to go with him.
2018 NSF LTER Symposium: Understanding Our Ocean Connections
The National Science Foundation Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network presents an overview of the rich and varied research taking place at its 28 sites. In 2018, the topic of this annual half-day symposium is ocean ecosystems and their connections to marine species and human well-being.
Top Stories
LTER at AGU, 2024
New DataNugget: Do urchins flip out in hot water?
From Species Richness to Ecosystem Resilience: a Synthesis Study of Marine Consumer Nutrient Supply
Love writing about science? Now accepting applications for our 2024 LTER Graduate Writing Fellows program!
A changing Arctic drives a new generation of research
Measuring Methane in 4D: Tree Fluxes at Harvard Forest
Shaped by fire: the Bonanza Creek LTER
Renewed funding for the LNO prioritizes synthesis, broadening participation, and mentorship
It begins with quality data: non-LTER student uses SBC LTER data to learn R, presents work at ESA
Science at the Top of the World, or, 48 Hours at Beaufort Lagoon Ecosystems LTER