ARS | Publication request: RESEARCH APPLICATION OF ECOLOGICAL SITES AND THEIR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT

Submitted to: Society for Range Management Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: January 15, 2005
Publication Date: February 5, 2005
Citation: Havstad, K.M. 2005. Research application of ecological sites and their further development [abstract]. Society for Range Management, 58th Annual Meeting and Trade Show, February 5-11, 2005, Fort Worth, Texas. Paper No. 162.

Technical Abstract: A general science paradigm for rangeland research includes three basic elements: (1) identification of key basic principles of the biophysical world, (2) development of testable explanations (e.g.,models) of the biophysical world based on those principles, and (3) experimentally gathered georeferenced information to expand and apply explanations to management relevant problems at scales that operate in real time. Within this paradigm is the recognition of three key properties of rangelands relevant to current research questions: rangelands (1) exhibit threshold behaviors in response to various drivers, (2) exhibit temporal and spatial variability in these responses, and (3) exhibit these responses within a landscape context. An ecological site basis for field research provides a useful framework for both acknowledging the importance of these principles and adhering to this paradigm. Spatially relevant and ecologically robust site descriptions of a research landscape provide a clear and repeatable basis for evaluating measured responses and a means to extrapolate those responses to similar conditions and landscapes in other areas.