Latest Long Term Ecological Research Network Stories

Results of study on prairie grasslands show differences across the months Does it matter whether long periods of hot weather, such as last year's heat wave that gripped the U.S. Midwest, happen in June or July, August or September? Scientists studying the subtle effects of heat waves and droughts say that when such events happen makes a big difference. Based on more than 25 years of data from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Konza Prairie Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)...

Scientists address sustainability of agriculture; urban water systems; indigenous villages; marine environments From Canada to Chile, from Kazakhstan to Kansas, we are witnessing a fast-changing planet. What will it look like in the years, decades and centuries to come? How far, and in what ways, can Earth's systems be stressed before they undergo transitions to new states--with unforeseen consequences? For most of its history, Earth experienced vast alterations in response to...

Might a penguin's next meal be affected by the exhaust from your tailpipe? The answer may be yes, when you add your exhaust fumes to the total amount of carbon dioxide lofted into the atmosphere by humans since the industrial revolution. One-third of that carbon dioxide is absorbed by the world's oceans, making them more acidic and affecting marine life. A UC Santa Barbara marine scientist and a team of 18 other researchers have reported results of the broadest worldwide study of ocean...

Last of the oak savannas survives at NSF Cedar Creek Long-Term Ecological Research site Grasses bend in the wind, their golden tips tracing arcs across fields that stretch toward the horizon. Sunwashed by a fading evening light, these reedy ballet dancers are central figures in savanna, an ecosystem that covers some 20 percent of Earth's land area. The largest savanna--or grassland with widely spaced trees--is in Africa. But the American Midwest is half a planet away from the...

  Invasive Asian longhorned beetle has potential for wide reach in region's forests Are new England's iconic maple trees at risk? If a beetle has its way, the answer may be yes. Results from the first study of the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) in forests show that the invasive insect can easily spread from tree-lined city streets to neighboring forests. A paper reporting the results are published in the Canadian Journal of Forest Research. Successful ALB eradication efforts...

Growth of cropland, loss of natural habitat to blameThe continued growth of cropland and loss of natural habitat have increasingly simplified agricultural landscapes in the Midwest.In a study supported in part by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site in Michigan--one of 26 such NSF LTER sites around the world--scientists concluded that this simplification is associated with increased crop pest abundance and insecticide...

Growth of cropland, loss of natural habitat to blameThe continued growth of cropland and loss of natural habitat have increasingly simplified agricultural landscapes in the Midwest.In a study supported in part by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site in Michigan--one of 26 such NSF LTER sites around the world--scientists concluded that this simplification is associated with increased crop pest abundance and insecticide...

Florida alligators travel upstream and downstream between marshes and the coastBy Cheryl Dybas, NSF'Gators. They're everywhere in freshwater areas of the Southeastern U.S.Now, scientists have found American alligators also swim into the brackish waters of estuaries, places where rivers meet the sea, out into the coastal zone and back again.These "commuter" alligators connect very different habitats, creating links between marine, estuarine and freshwater food webs."Alligators...

By Cheryl Dybas, NSFMarine scientists discover wave disturbance, nutrient levels affect California giant kelp growthMarine scientists have a new view of the giant kelp in the Pacific Ocean--through a scuba mask and a satellite's "eye."Forests of giant kelp, or Macrocystis pyrifera, are found in temperate coastal regions and are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth.In a melding of data from the beneath the waves and from the skies above, researchers have developed a method...

Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have developed new methods for studying how environmental factors and climate affect giant kelp forest ecosystems at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales.The scientists merged data collected underwater by UCSB divers with satellite images of giant kelp canopies taken by the Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper. The findings are published in the feature article of the May 16 issue of Marine Ecology Progress Series.In this marriage of marine ecology and satellite...