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The Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTER) consists of a group of over 1800 scientists and students studying ecological processes over extended temporal and spatial scales. Twenty-eight LTER sites cover a diverse set of ecosystems. It is part of the International Long Term Ecological Research Network (ILTER). The project was established in 1980 and is funded by the National Science Foundation.

Early History of Long-Term Research
Although the LTER project was not established until 1980, the concept of long-term research is not a new idea. One of the earliest recorded experiments occurred in 1843 on a farm in Rothamsted, England, and is known as the Broadbalk experiment. The experiment tested how plants derive nitrogen from their surroundings, and ultimately found nitrogen to be a limiting element within the environment.

In the 1960's, the United States Forest Service began large-scale projects, studying specific responses of the environment to various human interactions. The Hubbard Brook site in New Hampshire in particular began studying nutrient cycling and ecosystem function at a larger scale. This paved the way for the International Biological Program, or IBP, a 5-year long study which took place in 1970-1975. The study encompassed multiple biomes and collected data on the cycling of various nutrients within the environment, as well as helped create ecosystem models which are still in use today. After the success of the IBP program, the National Science Foundation established the LTER project in 1980.

Mission of the LTER Network
According to the LTER website their mission is, "to provide the scientific community, policy makers, and society with the knowledge and predictive understanding necessary to conserve, protect, and manage the nation’s ecosystems, their biodiversity, and the services they provide." By studying biomes around the globe, and through the use of centralized databases, and cross-site syntheses, the LTER Network is able to provide information about long-term patterns and processes at multiple scales, from local responses to ecosystem level changes. This information can be used to answer a number of research questions.

The LTER Network has six main goals they outline. These goals are; to increase the understanding of ecosystems at multiple levels; the synthesis of knowledge through long-term research; outreach to the broader community, be it policymakers or community members; an emphasis on education and connection with teachers and students; providing information through the LTER databases; and finally, to create a legacy of information for future generations.

Although each site develops specific projects, they are required to conduct research within a few core areas. This is a key component of the LTER Network, as this provides the database with consistent data across a number of sites. Originally, there were five core areas of research; primary production, population studies, movement of organic matter, movement of inorganic matter, and disturbance patterns. As more LTER sites began studying urban environments, land use and land cover change, and human-environment interactions are two other themes that have been added to the core areas of research.

Key Scientific Findings
Long-Term Findings:

An important aspect of LTER is the ability to understand the ecosystem at larger scales, and the ability to compare data from a number of locations, over a length of time. While initially LTER sites focused on biogeoscience and ecosystem science, more recent studies have shown the potential to study biodiversity, environmental change, and the feedback society has on the environment.

There are a few reasons why LTER is important, and has various advantages over short-term studies. One is that the ecosystem processes that we observe today often cannot be understood without looking back and understanding the history of the site. Short-term studies allow us to understand how manipulations can immediately affect a system, but does not allow us to understand the long-term implications.

Cross-Site Syntheses:

LTER sites have become data hubs, with scientists all across the globe asking similar questions. The framework of the LTER network and the core research goals provide a way for scientists to collect data in a consistent manner, and to easily share with fellow scientists. A number of synthesis projects have been developed as a result, such as the Variance in North American Ecosystems, the Long-Term Intersite Decomposition Experiment Team, and The Biodiversity/Productivity Project.

International LTER
The International network of LTER sites (ILTER) was established in 1993, and was supported by the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the UN Convention on Biodiversity. By 2018, 44 countries established LTER programs, with over 800 sites. Other long-term research projects have been established since then such as NEON in the United States, TERN in Australia, SAEON in South Africa, and CERN in China, which are are linked to the ILTER Network. The establishment of the ILTER furthers the original goals of the LTER Network, by increasing the scale and scope at which data is collected and shared among scientists and communities around the globe. These efforts also allow us to study global responses to human-environment interactions, such as climate change, changing ocean temperatures and composition, biodiversity, and the spread of non-native species.

LTER sites
There are 28 sites within the LTER Network across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Antarctica, each conducting research on different ecosystems. LTER sites are both physical places and communities of researchers. Some of the physical places are remote or protected from development, others are deliberately located in cities or agricultural areas. Either way, the program of research for each LTER is tailored to the most pressing and promising questions for that location and the program of research determines the group of researchers with the skills and interests to pursue those questions.

While each LTER site has a unique situation—with different organizational partners and different scientific challenges—the members of the Network apply several common approaches to understanding long-term ecological phenomena. These include observation, large-scale experiments, modeling, synthesis science and partnerships.
 * Andrews Forest (AND)
 * Arctic LTER (ARC)
 * Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES)
 * Beaufort Lagoon Ecosystem (BLE)
 * Bonanza Creek LTER (BNZ)
 * Central Arizona - Phoenix (CAP)
 * Central Plains Experimental Range
 * California Current Ecosystem (CCE)
 * Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve (CDR)
 * Coweeta LTER (CWT)
 * Florida Coastal Everglades (FCE)
 * Georgia Coastal Ecosystems (GCE)
 * Harvard Forest (HFR)
 * Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest LTER (HBR)
 * Jornada Basin LTER (JRN)
 * Kellogg Biological Station (KBS)
 * Konza Prairie (KNZ)
 * Luquillo Experimental Forest (LUQ)
 * McMurdo Dry Valleys (MCM)
 * Mo'orea Coral Reef (MCR)
 * Niwot Ridge LTER (NWT)
 * North Temperate Lakes (NTL)
 * Northeast U.S. Shelf LTER (NES)
 * Northern Gulf of Alaska LTER(NGA)
 * Palmer Station Antarctica (PAL)
 * Plum Island Ecosystem (PIE)
 * Santa Barbara Coastal (SBC)
 * Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (SEV)
 * Virginia Coast Reserve Long-Term Ecological Research (VCR)