Virginia Coast Reserve Long-Term Ecological Research

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Table of Contents

The name of the site
The type of ecosystem
Researchers involved
The types of research being done
Area of interest
Description of ecological sampling techniques used
Results and conclusions presented by the researchers
Works Cited

The name of the site

The Virginia Coast Reserve (VCR) long-term ecological research (LTER) site was established in 1987, and is financed by the National Science Foundation. It is among the 26 LTER sites that were established in the United States to form the LTER sites network.

The type of ecosystem

The coastal ecosystem consists of mainland and barrier-island located in the Shore of Virginia, the eastern part. Features in the ecosystem are water, marine animals, and microbes, water bays, marshes and coastal plants. In this type of ecosystem living things inhabiting the islands, the lagoons and the mainland interact with the non-living things via the linkages of nutrients and energy. The non-living things include air, soil, water and sunlight. The landscapes at the site have been described as being very dynamic due to constant storms and waves.

Researchers involved

There are many researchers and graduate students who carry out long-term research at the Virginia Coast Reserve LTER site. The dynamic landscapes at the site require sophisticated research designs by experienced researchers. The researchers are well trained specialists in the areas of botany, zoology, geophysics, hydrology, marine science and natural resources. Research activities at the site are multidisciplinary. Thus, a research study will involve researchers from different fields who contribute towards its success. The lead researchers define the problem to study, and design research studies which are carried out with the assistance of graduate students. The current researchers at the site are Karen McGlathery (principal investigator), John Porter, Bruce Hayden, Arthur Schwarzschild, Jill Greiner (graduate student) and David Smith.

The types of research being done

Research activities at the site are conducted in phases. However, two or more research activities can be carried out simultaneously. The site focused on geophysical events on ecosystems near the coast from 1992 to 1997. Interactions between surfaces that are far from each other were studied from 1992 to 2000. Hypsometric research was conducted from 2000 to 2006. The influence of organisms and materials on the ecosystem balance was studied from the 2006 to 2012. The researchers carry out research on transformation and steady-condition features that make up the natural environment of the coastal site (Fenster and Bruce 979). Organisms studied include birds and marine invertebrates. The research activities revolve around understanding how changes in the natural phenomena would affect the ecosystem. For instance, how rise in sea-level would affect the niches of marine invertebrates. Through these research studies, the researchers are able to design strategies to maintain the ecosystem.

Area of interest

Among all the 26 LTER sites, I chose to study Virginia Coast Reserve LTER site. I wanted to understand the interaction between coastal living things and non-living things in their natural environment. In addition, I wanted to know how loss due to dynamic events at the coastal landscapes is compensated by nature. Furthermore, I wanted to know the types of livings things in a coastal ecosystem, and the researchers who would carry out long-term research in such ecological systems.

Description of ecological sampling techniques used

It is vital to design a research study with elaborate ecological sampling techniques. Results from such a study are objective and are relied upon. Researchers at the Virginia Coast Reserve LTER site use various methods of sampling, depending on the study design and the study goals. All sampling techniques rely on the use of a sample from a population. The use of a sample from a population saves on time, human resources, financial resources and equipment. A sample is a representative of the population. Thus, the results from a sample can be used to make general inferences on the population (Tschirhart 15).

Random, systematic and stratified sampling techniques are used to collect data by the researchers at Virginia Coast Reserve LTER site. Random sampling involves selecting subjects to be incorporated in research by chances. Random sampling is divided into random line sampling, random area sampling and random point sampling. In systematic sampling, samples are selected in a regular way. This technique is quite subjective and it is easy to manipulate the study samples.

The sampling technique is divided into systematic point sampling, systematic line sampling and systematic area sampling. Stratified sampling is used when the study population is composed of components of known size. This technique is flexible and is accommodated in many geographical locations. It is less subjective than the systematic sampling technique. It is divided into stratified random sampling and stratified systematic sampling techniques. Thus, it can either be used in random sampling or systematic sampling in ecological research studies.

Results and conclusions presented by the researchers

Virginia Coast Reserve LTER site researchers have attempted to understand various phenomena in the coastal ecosystem. As a result, they have published several papers in referred journals. In one of their studies, the researchers attempted to understand the importance of bottom dwellers in the lands near the coastal region. They concluded that when the rate of nutrient loading on the coastal lands is high, then the rate of erosion from the adjacent lands is also high. The nutrient loading was attributed to movements which moved matter downwards to the lowland coastal landscapes. The researchers also concluded that high rate of nutrient loading would be used to forecast, and possibly prevent, infertility in the lands near the coastal regions.

The Virginia Coastal Reserve LTER site scientists also studied the coastal landscapes to predict climate on the coastal regions. They studied plants in two dimensions. That is, how far they were from the shoreline and how high they were from the water surface. They analyzed the barrier components of the plants over time. They concluded that interactions among lagoons, plants and shorelines affect the weather and the climate, after many years. The researchers have also found out that the coastal landscapes are very dynamic. Through their rigorous study methods, they have concluded that the dynamism is due to the constant storms and winds experienced on the coastal landscapes (Fenster and Bruce 978). They also concluded that the dynamism makes the coastal ecosystems unstable because there are frequent disturbances.

In another study, the researchers at the Virginia Coastal Reserve LTER site conducted research on the significance of marshes on the habitats of organisms in the events of rising sea levels. Marshes are important in sieving nutrients into the sea and lake waters. They also provide habitat to thousands of organisms living in the coastal ecosystem. The researchers analyzed data from marshes, when the sea level was subjected to rise, and the number of living organisms observed. They concluded that if marshes are not able to elevate as the sea level rises, then so many organisms lose habitants and die.

Works Cited

Fenster, Michael S., and Bruce P. Hayden. Ecotone Displacement Trends on a Highly Dynamic Barrier Island: Hog Island, Virginia. Estuaries and Coasts 30.6 (2007): 978-988. Print.

Tschirhart, John. General Equilibrium of an Ecosystem. Journal of Theoretical Biology 203.1 (2000): 13-32. Print.

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