To address ecological questions that cannot be resolved with short-term observations or experiments, NSF established the Long-Term Ecological Research Program (LTER) in 198 0. Two components differentiate LTER research from projects supported by other NSF programs:
1) the research is located at

credit: Mamava’s Lactation Station at Burlington International Airport in Vermont – Courtesy Mamava

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specific sites chosen to represent major ecosystem types or natural biomes, and 2) it emphasizes the study of ecological phenomena over long periods of time based on data collected in five core areas.

Long-term studies are critical to achieve an integrated understanding of how components of ecosystems interact as well as to test ecological theory.

Ongoing research at LTER sites contributes to the development and testing of fundamental ecological theories and significantly advances understanding of the long-term dynamics of populations, communities and ecosystems.

It often integrates multiple disciplines and, through cross-site interactions may examine patterns or processes over broad spatial scales.

Recognizing that the value of long-term data extends beyond use at any individual site, NSF requires that data collected by all LTER sites be made publicly accessible.

The LTER program has long recognized the importance of humans in ecological systems and is especially interested in how human activities in urban settings interact with natural processes to determine ecological outcomes.

Factors that control urban ecosystems are not only environmental, but also social and economic.

These factors and their interactions need to be considered to understand urban ecosystems over long time frames and broad spatial scales.