Abstract
There is a growing realization among scientists and policy makers that an increased understanding of today's environmental issues requires international collaboration and data synthesis. Meta-analyses have served this role in ecology for more than a decade, but the different experimental methodologies researchers use can limit the strength of the meta-analytic approach. Considering the global nature of many environmental issues, a new collaborative approach, which we call coordinated distributed experiments (CDEs), is needed that will control for both spatial and temporal scale, and that encompasses large geographic ranges. Ecological CDEs, involving standardized, controlled protocols, have the potential to advance our understanding of general principles in ecology and environmental science.
Date of this Version
12-14-2012
DOI
10.1890/110279
Recommended Citation
Fraser, Lauchlan H.; Henry, Hugh AL; Carlyle, Cameron N.; White, Shannon R.; Beierkuhnlein, Carl; Cahill, James F. Jr; Casper, Brenda B.; Cleland, Elsa; Collins, Scott L.; Dukes, Jeffrey S.; Knapp, Alan K.; Lind, Eric; Long, Ruijun; Luo, Yiqi; Reich, Peter B.; Smith, Melinda D.; Sternberg, Marcelo; and Turkington, Roy, "Coordinated Distributed Experiments: an Emerging Tool for Testing Global Hypotheses in Ecology and Environmental Science." (2012). Department of Forestry & Natural Resources Faculty Publications. Paper 14.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/110279
Comments
Copyright by the Ecological Society of America, Fraser, L.H., Henry, H.A.L., Carlyle, C.N., White, S.R., Beierkuhnlein, C., Cahill Jr., J.F., Casper, B.B., Cleland, E., Collins, S.L., Dukes, J.S., Knapp, A.K., Lind, E., Long, R., Luo, Y., Reich, P.B., Smith, M.D., Sternberg, M., Turkington, R. 2013. Coordinated Distributed Experiments: an emerging tool for testing global hypotheses in ecology and environmental science. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 11: 147-155.