The Unique Contribution of Rothamsted to Ecological Research at Large Temporal Scales

Storkey, J.; Macdonald, A.J.; Bell, J.R.; Clark, I.M.; Gregory, A.S.; Hawkins, N.J.; Hirsch, P.R.; Todman, L.C.; Whitmore, A.P.

Abstract

The Rothamsted Estate in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, is home to the longest running ecological and agricultural experiments in the world that have generated unique data sets on the assembly and functioning of ecosystems that stretch back more than 170 years. In addition, the Rothamsted Sample Archive contains over 300,000 samples of dried soil, herbage, straw and grain dating back to the start of the first experiments. Additional long-term experiments were set up in the mid-1900s and the systematic sampling of invertebrates at Rothamsted started in 1964, which continues to this day in the form of the Rothamsted Insect Survey. Here, we introduce the resources available at Rothamsted for research on ecological processes that can only be understood using data over long time periods. Rather than cataloguing all the work that has been done using the data, we focus on new advances made in the last decade in areas of environmental monitoring, community ecology, evolutionary biology, ecosystem stability and resilience and microbial ecology. The combination of long-term data sets with archived plant and soil samples together with new analytical techniques mean that the Rothamsted long-term experiments and insect collections continue to be as relevant and valuable to scientists today as when they were originally set up.

Citation

Storkey, J., Macdonald, A., Bell, J., Clark, I., Gregory, A., Hawkins, N., Hirsch, P., Todman, L., & Whitmore, A. (2016). The Unique Contribution of Rothamsted to Ecological Research at Large Temporal Scales. In Advances in Ecological Research (3-42). (55). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aecr.2016.08.002

• Online Publication Date: Sep 19, 2016
• Publication Date: 2016
• Deposit Date: Feb 9, 2024
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Pages: 3-42
• Edition: 55
• Book Title: Advances in Ecological Research
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aecr.2016.08.002
• Public URL: https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/722525
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0065250416300174?via%3Dihub