Journal article
Value of long-term ecological studies
DB Lindenmayer, GE Likens, A Andersen, D Bowman, CM Bull, E Burns, CR Dickman, AA Hoffmann, DA Keith, MJ Liddell, AJ Lowe, DJ Metcalfe, SR Phinn, J Russell-Smith, N Thurgate, GM Wardle
Austral Ecology | Published : 2012
Abstract
Long-term ecological studies are critical for providing key insights in ecology, environmental change, natural resource management and biodiversity conservation. In this paper, we briefly discuss five key values of such studies. These are: (1) quantifying ecological responses to drivers of ecosystem change; (2) understanding complex ecosystem processes that occur over prolonged periods; (3) providing core ecological data that may be used to develop theoretical ecological models and to parameterize and validate simulation models; (4) acting as platforms for collaborative studies, thus promoting multidisciplinary research; and (5) providing data and understanding at scales relevant to manageme..
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Awarded by National Science Foundation
Funding Acknowledgements
This paper arose as a result of a workshop sponsored by the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN). We thank Professor M. McGeoch and Professor S. Ormerod for insightful comments that considerably improved an earlier version of this paper.