Laura F. Huenneke – författare

The Jornada Basin LTER is located in the Chihuahuan Desert, the largest in North America. This region of south central New Mexico has a history of nearly 100 years as the basis for scientific research. This work gives a thorough, encompassing review of the tremendous array of observations resulting from experiments conducted in this ecosystem. Beginning with thorough descriptions of the most salient features of the region, the book then reviews a wide range of archived and active data sets on a diversity of biotic and abiotic features. It next presents a syntheses of important topics including livestock grazing and remediation efforts. A concluding chapter provides a synthesis of the principles that have emerged from this body of work, and how these relate to the broader fields of ecology and natural resource management. It concludes with recommendations for future research directions. The insightful views expressed in this volume should guide management of arid landscapes globally. This is the sixth volume in the Long Term Ecological Network Series.

For nearly 100 years in the USA federal scientists, university faculty, agriculturalists, natural resource managers, and the interested public have collaborated on research to understand basic ecological principles and their application to arid land management in the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico. This book is a synthesis of what has been learned from this unique history of scientific collaborations, with lessons applicable to analogous biomes around the world.