153
See also: The ecosystem 134–137 ■ The biosphere 204–205 ■ Sustainable
Biosphere Initiative 322–323 ■ Ecosystem services 328–329A
n in-depth understanding
of ecosystems requires
long-term study. In 1980,
the US National Science Foundation
set up six Long Term Ecological
Research (LTER) sites to study
long-term, large-scale ecological
phenomena. There are currently
28 sites, five of which have been
running since 1980. Ecologists are
amassing datasets that will enable
in-depth knowledge to be shared.A forest ecosystem
One of the six original research
sites is Andrews Forest in Oregon.
It provides a good example of a
temperate rain forest, enjoying
mild, wet winters and cool, dry
summers. With 40 percent being
old-growth conifer forest, there is a
high degree of biodiversity across
its forest, stream, and meadow
ecosystems. Ecologists have
recorded thousands of species of
insects, 83 bird species, 19 conifer
species, and 9 species of fish.
Projects aim to observe how land-
use (such as forestry) and natural
phenomena (fires, floods, climate)ECOSYSTEMS
ONLY A COMMUNITY
OF RESEARCHERS HAS
A CHANCE OF REVEALING
THE COMPLEX WHOLE
BIG ECOLOGYIN CONTEXT
KEY ORGANIZATION
National Science
Foundation (created 1950)BEFORE
1926 Russian geochemist
and mineralogist Vladimir
Vernadsky formulates the
theory of the biosphere
in which everything on
Earth lives.1935 Pioneering British
ecologist Arthur Tansley
defines an ecosystem
as encompassing all the
interactions between
a group of living creatures
and their environment.AFTER
1992 At the Earth Summit
in Rio de Janeiro, there is
international consensus
on the importance of
protecting the biosphere.1997 The Kyoto Protocol
to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions is signed by
192 countries.affect hydrology, biodiversity, and
carbon dynamics—the way carbon
and nutrients move through the
ecosystem. There are many other
long-term research sites worldwide
with researchers logging data on
ecosystems. With free access to
the information, the research can
be easily disseminated globally. ■Log decomposition is being studied
over a 200-year period at six old-growth
forest sites in Andrews Forest, Oregon.
The experiment began in 1985.US_152-153_Neutral_theory_of_biodiversity.indd 153 12/11/18 6:25 PM