The Luquillo LTER Program

The Luquillo LTER Program (LUQ) focuses on understanding long-term change in tropical ecosystems and the consequences of change for ecosystem services.  LUQ research combines long-term observations, experiments, modeling, and synthesis to predict future changes.  Climate and land use change are the important drivers in tropical ecosystem change. Observations take advantage of "natural experiments" represented by elevation (~climate) in the Luquillo Mountains and the land use gradient extending from protected forests into the city of San Juan.  Field experiments on drivers include experiments simulating selected effects of hurricanes and effects of more variable precipitation on both forest and stream ecosystems.  An integrating theme is the effects of environmental drivers on water in ecosystem processes and on the ecosystem service of providing good water quality and quantity. LUQ education efforts extend from middle school through post-doctoral experiences, and include both students and teachers.