In 1987 a Long-Term Ecological Research Project in Agricultural Ecology was initiated to examine basic ecological relationships in row crop ecosystems typical of the U.S. Midwest. The project's original goal was to test the basic, long-term hypothesis that agronomic management based on knowledge of ecological interactions in cropping systems can effectively replace management based on chemical subsidies. The same overall goal guides the project today. In order to test this hypothesis an experimental site was established in which different cropping systems, corresponding to different levels of agronomic/ecological disturbance, are used to test a series of working hypotheses. Working hypotheses are built around the general topic areas of nutrient availability/ retention, plant competition, and consumer (insect, pathogen) dynamics. Over the initial award period substantial progress has been made towards meeting the short-term goals of establishing a secure agricultural research site with long-term potential, of putting in place an integrated sampling program to address important long-term questions in both ecology and agronomy, and most importantly, of testing and refining the initial hypotheses. In this new project period the aim is to extend plot-based research to the regional landscape and to address seven basic ecological hypotheses that are critical for understanding the ecological underpinnings of modern agriculture and for providing the knowledge needed to sustain future agricultural production.
