The EcoTrends Project: preview of the book and introduction to the web site

Poster Number: 
274
Presenter/Primary Author: 
Debra Peters
Co-Authors: 
Christine Laney
Co-Authors: 
Ariel Lugo
Co-Authors: 
Scott Collins
Co-Authors: 
Charley Driscoll
Co-Authors: 
Peter Groffman
Co-Authors: 
Morgan Grove
Co-Authors: 
Alan Knapp
Co-Authors: 
Tim Kratz
Co-Authors: 
Mark Ohman
Co-Authors: 
Bob Waide
Co-Authors: 
Jin Yao
Co-Authors: 
Mark Servilla

The EcoTrends Project began in 2004 as a joint collaboration among the LTER Program, USDA Agricultral Research Service, and the USDA Forest Service with two goals: (1) to create a book illustrating trends in long -term data and showing the value of long-term data across a network of sites in addressing continental-scale questions, and (2) to make long-term biotic and abiotic data easily accessible through a common web interface with a focus on derived or aggregated data to allow cross-site analyses to be made. Over the past 5 years, the project has integrated hundreds of site-based datasets under five major themes: (1) plant and animal populations and communities, (2) disturbance characteristics and ecological responses, (3) biogeochemistry, (4) climate, and (5) human population and economy. Although the project continues to add datasets as additional processed data become available, sufficient information is now available for the book to be completed and for general access to the web site. This poster provides a preview of the chapters of our book to be submitted to the USDA  for publication later this fall, and a description of the entry point to the web site (http://www.ecotrends.info).