Long Term Ecological Research Network

Abstract In many temperate and annual grasslands, above‐ground net primary productivity (NPP) can be estimated by measuring peak above‐ground biomass. Estimates of below‐ground net primary productivity and, consequently, total net primary productivity, are more difficult. We addressed one of the three main objectives of the Global Primary Productivity Data Initiative for grassland systems to develop simple models or algorithms to estimate missing components of total system NPP. Any estimate of below‐ground NPP (BNPP) requires an accounting of total root biomass, the percentage of living biomass and annual turnover of live roots. We derived a relationship using above‐ground peak biomass and mean annual temperature as predictors of below‐ground biomass ( r 2 = 0.54; P = 0.01). The percentage of live material was 0.6, based on published values. We used three different functions to describe root turnover: constant, a direct function of above‐ground biomass, or as a positive exponential relationship with mean annual temperature. We tested the various models against a large database of global grassland NPP and the constant turnover and direct function models were approximately equally descriptive ( r 2 = 0.31 and 0.37), while the exponential function had a stronger correlation with the measured values ( r 2 = 0.40) and had a better fit than the other two models at the productive end of the BNPP gradient. When applied to extensive data we assembled from two grassland sites with reliable estimates of total NPP, the direct function was most effective, especially at lower productivity sites. We provide some caveats for its use in systems that lie at the extremes of the grassland gradient and stress that there are large uncertainties associated with measured and modelled estimates of BNPP.

Complex environmental problem solving depends on cross-disciplinary collaboration among scientists. Collaborative research must be preceded by an exploratory phase of collective thinking that creates shared conceptual frameworks. Collective thinking, in a cross-disciplinary setting, depends on the facility with which collaborators are able to learn and understand each others' perspectives. This paper applies three perspectives on learning to the problem of enabling cross-disciplinary collaboration: Maslow's hierarchy of needs, constructivism, and organizational learning. Application of learning frameworks to collaboration provides insights regarding receptive environments for collaboration, and processes that facilitate cross-disciplinary interactions. These environments and interactions need time to develop and require a long phase of idea generation preceding any focused research effort. The findings highlight that collaboration is itself a complex system of people, scientific theory, and tools that must be intentionally managed. Effective management of the system requires leaders who are facilitators and are capable of orchestrating effective environments and interactions.

The abundance–adaptation hypothesis argues that taxa with more individuals and faster generation times will have more evolutionary ‘experiments’ allowing expansion into, and diversification within, novel habitats. Thus, as older taxa have produced more individuals over time, and smaller taxa have higher population sizes and faster generation times, the Latitudinal Diversity Gradients (LDGs) of these clades should show shallower slopes. We describe the LDGs for archaea, bacteria, fungi, invertebrates and trees from six North American forests. For three focal groups – bacteria, ants, and trees – older taxa had shallower LDG slopes than the more recent, terminal taxa. Across 12 orders of magnitude of body mass, LDG slopes were steeper in larger taxa. The slopes of LDGs vary systematically with body size and clade age, underscoring the non‐canonical nature of LDGs. The steepest LDG slopes were found for the largest organisms while the smallest, from bacteria to small litter‐soil invertebrates, have shallower‐ to zero‐slope LDGs. If tropical niche conservatism is the failure of clades to adapt to, and diversify in temperate habitats, then the steep LDGs of chordates and plants likely arise from the decreased ability of clades with large individuals to adapt to the multiple challenges of extra‐tropical life.

Abstract Based on a series of working assumptions about men who batter. this article suggests a model of group treatment to effect change in their violent behavior. The model stresses sequential phases and calls attention to thc responsibility to employ safety checks throughout the treatment process in the group.

Gopher tortoises spend most of their time in burrows from which they emerge to forage and perform behaviors such as courtship and mating. Previous literature is divided regarding the mating system of this species; some assert that gopher tortoises conform to female defense polygyny, and others assert that scramble competition polygyny is more likely. Here, telemetry data were used to record the frequency with which pairs of tortoises shared burrows and the frequency with which they apparently chased each other from burrows. Additionally, telemetry locations were used to estimate patterns of dispersion of individuals. If gopher tortoises conformed to female defense polygyny, then males should have: (1) moved frequently to share burrows with females, (2) rarely shared burrows with males, (3) infrequently displaced females from burrows, and (4) frequently displaced males from burrows. Similarly, females should have: (1) infrequently moved to share burrows with either sex, and (2) infrequently chased either sex. Also, females should have shown an aggregated dispersion relative to other females. On the contrary, we found that males moved equally frequently to share burrows with adults of both sexes and chased females from burrows more frequently than they chased other males. Females moved more frequently to share burrows with males than with females and chased males more often than they chased other females. Females did not have an aggregated pattern of dispersion relative to other females. These data were most consistent with scramble competition polygyny.

The therapeutic community (TC) and methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) have individually demonstrated consistent positive outcomes yet rarely have been combined. This article describes how a well-established residential therapeutic community integrated methadone maintenance treatment into its activities. Practical recommendations regarding how to incorporate MMT in a residential program are provided including topics for staff (training, coordination with the methadone service provider agency), patients (education, confronting stigma about methadone maintenance), and potential therapeutic activities (methadone group therapy). The implementation of these staff, patient, and therapeutic adaptations can assist residential substance abuse treatment programs in integrating these two addiction treatment modalities.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: While molecular approaches can often accurately reconstruct species relationships, taxa that are incompletely differentiated pose a challenge even with extensive data. Such taxa are functionally differentiated, but may be genetically differentiated only at small and/or patchy regions of the genome. This issue is considered here in Poa tussock grass species that dominate grassland and herbfields in the Australian alpine zone. METHODS: Previously reported tetraploidy was confirmed in all species by sequencing seven nuclear regions and five microsatellite markers. A Bayesian approach was used to co-estimate nuclear and chloroplast gene trees with an overall dated species tree. The resulting species tree was used to examine species structure and recent hybridization, and intertaxon fertility was tested by experimental crosses. KEY RESULTS: Species tree estimation revealed Poa gunnii, a Tasmanian endemic species, as sister to the rest of the Australian alpine Poa. The taxa have radiated in the last 0·5-1·2 million years and the non-gunnii taxa are not supported as genetically distinct. Recent hybridization following past species divergence was also not supported. Ongoing gene flow is suggested, with some broad-scale geographic structure within the group. CONCLUSIONS: The Australian alpine Poa species are not genetically distinct despite being distinguishable phenotypically, suggesting recent adaptive divergence with ongoing intertaxon gene flow. This highlights challenges in using conventional molecular taxonomy to infer species relationships in recent, rapid radiations.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This article describes therapeutic community (TC) services modified to support methadone residents and their service utilization in a study of TC patients (N = 231) receiving versus not receiving methadone. METHODS: Service utilization data are reported from providers (i.e., methadone support group counselor, acupuncturist, and consulting psychiatrist) for 12 months after admission. Descriptive statistics are used to report methadone residents use of methadone support group and acupuncture services. Pearson chi-square tests are used to compare methadone and non-methadone participants use of psychiatrist services. Additionally, such tests were used to compare both groups DSM-IV diagnoses. RESULTS: Ninety-seven percent of methadone patients attended at least one methadone support group; 52% used acupuncture services. Proportionally more non-methadone residents used psychiatric services (p < .05). CONCLUSION AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Services tailored to methadone residents were accessed by this group. However, while 32% of all participants met diagnostic criteria for a current psychiatric disorder, only 22% received onsite psychiatric care, which questions whether integrated care is being provided adequately for participants with co-occurring disorders.

Geospatial processing often involves complex and complicated geospatial data types. It is extremely inefficient if not infeasible to require scientist users maintain type compatibility of the ports of Web services that are connecting to each other. This study proposes to extend the type checking system of Kepler scientific workflow system to help scientist users composite geospatial Web services more effectively.

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The challenges posed by climate and land use change are increasingly complex, with rising and accelerating impacts on the global environmental system. Novel environmental and ecosystem research needs to properly interpret system changes and derive management recommendations across scales. This largely depends on advances in the establishment of an internationally harmonised, long-term operating and representative infrastructure for environmental observation. One example for such an infrastructure for environmental observation is the International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network. ILTER is a global network of networks consisting of research sites in a wide array of ecosystems that focuses on long-term, site-based research, and builds on a &amp;amp;#8220;bottom-up&amp;amp;#8221; governance structure. To assess the biogeographical and socio-ecological representativeness of the ILTER site network, we analysed all of the 743 formally accredited sites in 47 countries with regard to their spatial distribution. So-called &amp;amp;#8220;Representedness&amp;amp;#8221; values were computed from six global datasets. The analysis revealed a dense coverage of Northern temperate regions and anthropogenic zones most notably in the US, Europe and East Asia. Notable gaps are present in economically less developed and anthropogenically less impacted hot and barren regions like Northern and Central Africa and inner-continental parts of South America. These findings provide the arguments for our recommendations regarding the geographic expansion for the further development of the ILTER network, most notably in inner continental parts of South America, the Arctic region and Western and Central Africa.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;

This repository includes wrangling/quality control code for butterfly and nectar-resource plant communities from 2007 to 2018 in the Grand River Grasslands (GRG) of south-central Iowa and north-central Missouri. All data were entered into Microsoft Access so the wrangling scripts in this repository process each of the three relational tables separately.

In synthesis science, collaboration on code products is often integral to the productivity of the group. However, learning to use the software and graphical user interfaces that support this kind of teamwork can be a significant hurdle for teams that are already experts in their subject areas. This workshop is aimed at helping participants gain an understanding of the fundamental purpose and functioning of "version control"" systems–specifically GitHub–to help teams code collaboratively more effectively and confidently. Changes from the preceding version include: Added Zenodo DOI and full workshop citation to README and homepage of workshop Clarified GitHub 'by itself' versus 'with an IDE' and made minor edits to both original topics in service of making this distinction clear Tweaked sidebar to make a new 'background' section to house the workflows module and some of the Git-specific background that previously was the start of what is now called the 'GitHub by itself' module Overhauled all IDE-related tutorials to use new, more clear images and explanatory text for both RStudio and Positron

Natural history collections (NHCs) preserve critical information about biodiversity, including specimen records, taxonomic classifications, and collection locations. However, attributing contributions to specific individuals remains a challenge due to inconsistencies in name formatting, name duplication, and the absence of standardized identifiers. These limitations hinder clear attribution and perpetuate inequities in crediting those who have collected and described specimens. Additionally, biases can influence whose contributions are recognized within biodiversity databases. To address these challenges, freely available tools such as ORCID, Bionomia, and Wikidata provide mechanisms to link individual contributions to biodiversity data. These platforms allow for the enhancement and correction of historical and contemporary records, ensuring more equitable recognition of contributors. The Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) presented here introduces students to the concept of ”hidden figures” in science, emphasizing the importance of attribution within the context of NHCs. Through interdisciplinary and open-source tools such as Bionomia and Wikidata, students engage with collections data, learn about the contributions of historically marginalized individuals in science, and document their own involvement in biodiversity research. The CURE consists of four structured modules designed as a progressive learning experience over the course of a semester but can also be implemented as standalone units.

The Committee is responsible for supervising the collection and preservation of records to be deposited in the Society Archives. These records include important documents, papers of the officers, and other appropriate memorabilia. Attached as the second page of this report, find the report of the ESA Archive, provided by Gilbert Head, Archival Associate, UGA/ESA Archives. We remind ESA officers that the records of their official activities with the Society are required to be submitted to and stored by the ESA Archives. The Committee also coordinates the solicitation, and approves the publication in the ESA Bulletin, of Resolutions of Respect and Obituaries of deceased members and other distinguished ecologists. Thanks to the continuing efforts of committee members Jane Bain and Robert Peet, along with Lee Miller, the ESA history web page has been updated and in-filled. It now presents not only a new look, but contains many more documents, and a new photo gallery (are you in it? Better check!), now found at: 〈http://esa.org/history/〉. The Historical Records Committee will hold its annual meeting in conjunction with the ESA Meeting in Milwaukee on 7 August in the Hilton Milwaukee City Center. The agenda will include a discussion of potential events and documents to be created for the 100th Anniversary celebration of the founding of ESA (only 7 years from now!), the development and publication of written and oral histories collections for ESA including enhanced collection of presidential biographies, and a web page containing a high density of links to other sources, as an outline of the history of ecology. Additional topics can be added to the agenda by interested ESA members, by contacting the Chair by 31 July.

This repository includes wrangling/quality control code for butterfly and nectar-resource plant communities from 2007 to 2018 in the Grand River Grasslands (GRG) of south-central Iowa and north-central Missouri. All data were entered into Microsoft Access so the wrangling scripts in this repository process each of the three relational tables separately.