What is L TER ?

The LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH program (L TEA) is a network of field sites used to study structure and process in natural landscapes at temporal and spatial scales of decades or centuries. The ten sites now funded by the National Science Foundation's Division of Biotic Systems and Resources, include forest, prairie, desert, and aquatic environments. Major questions are addressed at each site related to patterns and controls of primary production, food webs, population abundance and distribution, organic matter accumulation and biogeochemical cycling, as well as questions related to disturbance frequency and affect. A base of common measurements and questions lay the groundwork for new analyses and generalizations across very different