The synthesis of long‐term ecological research in the context of concurrently developed ecological theory: design of a research strategy for the Upper Rhône River and its floodplain

Abstract

SUMMARY Using sites from the Upper Rhône River, France, as an example, the objective of this paper is to identify the essential elements needed to test current ecological theories with previously collected data. Procedures developed may enable other groups to design comparable research strategies for syntheses of long‐term studies of ecological systems. Because of the high number (more than 200) and turnover of researchers, the long study period (about 17 years), the evolution of research methods and interests, and the diverse systematic groups that were considered (from micro‐organisms to birds), the data available for a synthesis were quite heterogeneous. The application of a ‘fuzzy coding’ technique allowed such disparate information to be structured for analysis. The habitat templet concept and the patch dynamics concept were selected for analysis with existing data on the Upper Rhône because theories, such as these, that link ecological responses to habitat templets are a focus of current ecological debate and potentially may serve as a general tool for ecologically orientated river management. A preliminary trial to structure the existing knowledge, to identify (and manage) gaps in it, and to create and apply the analytical tools in a way that predictions from theory could be tested was an essential element in the design of this project. Predictions derived from the theoretical concepts had to match the format of the available information on the Upper Rhône; potential bias was avoided by having a priori predictions developed by previously uninvolved colleagues. Synthesis of the long‐term study of the Upper Rhône in the context of concurrently developed ecological theory required, at times, an unconventional research strategy. Hence, the generation of hypotheses and methods, the presentation of results, and consequently the discussions in papers of this special issue of Freshwater Biology (Statzner, Resh & Dolédec, 1994) represent an innovative approach to testing ecological theory.