Theoretical demands for long-term ecological research and the management of long-term data sets

Abstract

Long-term ecological studies are required to understand ecosystem complexity, to develop integrated dynamic models, and to explore appropriate measures for the assessment and control of ecosystem behaviour. The knowledge derived from long-term ecological studies should be a prerequisite to formulate ecosystem management plans, i.e. with reference to recent environmental processes. Long-term problems are especially interesting elements of ecosystem theory. Many hypotheses only can be tested for validity from a long-term aspect, and many generalized ideas about ecosystem development could not be verified satisfactory up to now due to a lack of long-term data sets. In this introductory statement chapter, some theoretical aspects of ecosystem dynamics are sketched. These outlines are used to derive demands and questions from ecosystem theory towards long-term ecological studies. The queries are posed referring to six main objectives of long-term research: (i) understanding large-scale variabilities, (ii) understanding the interactions of short-term and long-term fluctuations, (iii) understanding self-organization, (iv) understanding rare events and disturbances, (v) better understanding the impacts of anthropogenic use of landscape resources on ecosystem functions, and (vi) generation of knowledge and data for the development and evaluation of new generations of ecosystem models for resource management. These items can be taken to demonstrate the enormous research demands referring to long-term environmental dynamics and to develop and apply techniques of ecological statistics, data management, and ecosystem modelling. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.