The proposed research will accomplish three goals. First, it will continue the Buell Succession Study (BSS) until at least its 38th year. Currently this study is one of the longest, temporally most complete studies of oldfield succession in North America. It consists of 11 fields, each containing 48 permanent plots. Sampling of species composition and cover has been conducted continuously since 1958 in the oldest fields. The BSS data are therefore unique in scope and density, but represent one of the most universal processes in ecology. Second, it will develop a data management system capable of accommodating new data from the BSS as it is collected. A compact, tractable data base will be produced. This will encourage analysis and comparison. Third, in order to ensure utility of the data base, the data will be analyzed. This exercise will serve as a check for refinement of the data base, and will test two key hypotheses about succession. The study will test predictions about community convergence and trends of spatial heterogeneity through time. The principal product of the work will be a reliable and flexible data base and the test of two critical problems in succession theory. Once the data base is operational, other analyses can be undertaken in the future. The study will ultimately be compared to the patterns derived from this succession with those in other long term studies, especially experimental ones. Thus, by ensuring the survival and fruition of the longest and temporally densest study of oldfield succession in North America, a unique opportunity to resolve persistent problems in the area of community dynamics and to discover new patterns in succession will be possible.
