THE SYNTHESIS OF LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN THE CONTEXT OF CONCURRENTLY DEVELOPED ECOLOGICAL THEORY - DESIGN OF A RESEARCH STRATEGY FOR THE UPPER RHONE RIVER AND ITS FLOODPLAIN

1. Using sites from the Upper Rhone River, France, as an example, the objective of this paper is to identify the essential elements needed t o test current ecological theories with previously collected data. Pro cedures developed may enable other groups to design comparable researc h strategies for syntheses of long-term studies of ecological systems. 2. Because of the high number (more than 200) and turnover of researc hers, the long study period (about 17 years), the evolution of researc h methods and interests, and the diverse systematic groups that were c onsidered (from micro-organisms to birds), the data available for a sy nthesis were quite heterogeneous. The application of a fuzzy coding' t echnique allowed such disparate information to be structured for analy sis. 3. The habitat templet concept and the patch dynamics concept wer e selected for analysis with existing data on the Upper Rhone because theories, such as these, that link ecological responses to habitat tem plets are a focus of current ecological debate and potentially may ser ve as a general tool for ecologically orientated river management. 4. A preliminary trial to structure the existing knowledge, to identify ( and manage) gaps in it, and to create and apply the analytical tools i n a way that predictions from theory could be tested was an essential element in the design of this project. 5. Predictions derived from the theoretical concepts had to match the format of the available informa tion on the Upper Rhone; potential bias was avoided by having a priori predictions developed by previously uninvolved colleagues. 6. Synthes is of the long-term study of the Upper Rhone in the context of concurr ently developed ecological theory required, at times, an unconventiona l research strategy. Hence, the generation of hypotheses and methods, the presentation of results, and consequently the discussions in paper s of this special issue of Freshwater Biology (Statzner, Resh & Dolede c, 1994) represent an innovative approach to testing ecological theory .