A dryland ecologist’s mid-career retrospective on LTER and the science-management interface

Authors: Bestelmeyer, Brandon

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/8/2015
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: My association with the LTER Program has encouraged a multidisciplinary scientific approach emphasizing broad spatial scales and site-based knowledge. It also provides a solid basis from which to link science and management. In my position as a federal research scientist, I do not teach university classes. When I teach in other venues and advise graduate students, my LTER experiences facilitate my ability to draw connections among disciplines that bear on particular ecological problems. Multidisciplinary breadth alongside site-specific depth afforded by the LTER Program is especially useful for communicating to the public. It is important to know a lot about somewhere (place-based knowledge), in addition to something. Collaboration is especially important for scientists working together at an LTER site and is also important for cross-site LTER efforts addressing regional to global problems. Within-group collaboration comes rather easily when there are healthy interpersonal relationships. Cross-site collaboration requires greater effort and network-level leadership.

Technical Abstract: My association with the LTER Program has encouraged a multidisciplinary scientific approach emphasizing broad spatial scales and site-based knowledge. It also provides a solid basis from which to link science and management. In my position as a federal research scientist, I do not teach university classes. When I teach in other venues and advise graduate students, my LTER experiences facilitate my ability to draw connections among disciplines that bear on particular ecological problems. Multidisciplinary breadth alongside site-specific depth afforded by the LTER Program is especially useful for communicating to the public. It is important to know a lot about somewhere (place-based knowledge), in addition to something. Collaboration is especially important for scientists working together at an LTER site and is also important for cross-site LTER efforts addressing regional to global problems. Within-group collaboration comes rather easily when there are healthy interpersonal relationships. Cross-site collaboration requires greater effort and network-level leadership.