Abstract |
Long-term records of biological data are extremely valuable for documenting ecosystems changes, for differentiating natural changes from those caused by humans, and for generating and analyzing testable hypotheses. Long-term sampling, however, is generally discouraged by a variety of institutional disincentives, so that today such records are uncommon. Approaches for overcoming these disincentives through improved research planning and design are discussed, including clearer a priori definition of management and regulatory actions and information needs, more rigorous adherence to hypothesis formulation and testing, and proper spatial and temporal scaling in sampling. Prospective study design, in which the foregoing elements are essential for cost-effectiveness, and retrospective analysis, which relies on reconstruction of long-term records from existing data sets are delineated. |