FCE LTER Journal Articles
Title
Spatial variation in the accumulation of POPs and mercury in bottlenose dolphins of the Lower Florida Keys and the coastal Everglades (South Florida)
Abstract
With an overarching goal of addressing global and regional sustainability challenges, Long Term Socio-Ecological Research Platforms (LTSER) aim to conduct place-based research, to collect and synthesize both environmental and socio-economic data, and to involve a broader stakeholder pool to set the research agenda. To date there have been few studies examining the output from LTSER platforms. In this study we enquire if the socio-ecological research from 25 self-selected LTSER platforms of the International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network has produced research products which fulfil the aims and ambitions of the paradigm shift from ecological to socio-ecological research envisaged at the turn of the century. In total we assessed 4983 publically available publications, of which 1112 were deemed relevant to the socio-ecological objectives of the platform. A series of 22 questions were scored for each publication, assessing relevance of responses in terms of the disciplinary focus of research, consideration of human health and well-being, degree of stakeholder engagement, and other relevant variables. The results reflected the diverse origins of the individual platforms and revealed a wide range in foci, temporal periods and quantity of output from participating platforms, supporting the premise that there is a growing trend in socio-ecological research at long-term monitoring platforms. Our review highlights the challenges of realizing the top-down goal to harmonize international network activities and objectives and the need for bottom-up, self-definition for research platforms. This provides support for increasing the consistency of LTSER research while preserving the diversity of regional experiences.
Recommended Citation
Jan, Dick; Orenstein, Daniel E.; Holzer, Jennifer M.; Wohner, Christopher; Achard, Anne-Laure; Andrews, Christopher; Avirel-Avni, Noa; Beja, Pedro; Blond, Nadege; Cabello, Javier; Chen, Chilling; Diaz-Delgado, Ricardo; Giannakis, Georgios V.; Gingrich, Simone; Izakovicova, Zita; Krauze, Kinga; Lamouroux, Nicolas; Leca, Stefan; Melecis, Viesturs; Miklos, Kertesz; Mimikou, Maria; Niedrist, Georg; Piscart, Christophe; Postolache, Carmen; Psomas, Alexander; Santos-Reis, Margarida; Tappeiner, Ulrike; Vanderbilt, Kristin; and Van Ryckegem, Gunther, "Spatial variation in the accumulation of POPs and mercury in bottlenose dolphins of the Lower Florida Keys and the coastal Everglades (South Florida)" (2017). FCE LTER Journal Articles. 469.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/fce_lter_journal_articles/469
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Comments
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation through the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research program under Cooperative Agreements #DEB-1237517, #DBI-0620409, and #DEB-9910514. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.