Accessible ecology: synthesis of the long, deep, and broad.
Large volumes of data have been collected to document the many ways that ecological systems are responding to changing environmental drivers. A general buy-in on solutions to these problems can be reached only if these and future data are made easily accessible to and understood by a broad audience that includes the public, decision-makers, and other scientists. A developing framework for synthesis is reviewed that integrates three main strategies of ecological research (long-term studies; short-term, process-based studies; and broad-scale observations) with derived data products and additional sources of knowledge. This framework focuses on making data from multiple sources and disciplines easily understood by many, a prerequisite for finding synthetic solutions and predicting future dynamics in a changing world.
Peters
Debra P C
DP
Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA. debpeter@nmsu.edu
D003142:Communication; D004463:Ecology / Q000379:methods*; D017753:Ecosystem; D012107:Research Design; D013997:Time Factors