Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites essay
Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites have been established around the United States for almost 30 years. Many types of ecosystems, organisms, and ecological research techniques are in use at these sites. The focus of this assignment is to learn what physical sites have been established, what is going on at a particular site, and specific ecological sampling techniques that are used at that site.
Write a report of 1,250-1,500 words in length describing your chosen LTER site. Your report should address the following:
1. What is the name of the site?
2. What are the major ecosystem types or natural biomes represented by this project?
3. Why was this site chosen? Discuss the dynamics of populations, communities and habitats that have contributed in making this site suitable for the testing of ecological theories.
4. Who are the researchers involved and identify the lead researchers in this program.
5. What core areas are emphasized in the study of ecological phenomena over long periods of time based on which data is being collected at this site? Discuss the types of research being done and/or organisms being studied.
6. Describe in detail the research, experiments, protocols, and sampling techniques conducted at that site.
7. Discuss the results and conclusions that are presented and published by the researchers.