The Cary Conferences, as we have envisaged them, are different from most scientific meetings in that they provide a forum for major issues in ecology from a more philosophical point of view. It appears to many of us that ecologists have limited opportunities to come together in small groups to address in a more philosophical way some of the major questions and issues that matter very much to the future of humankind and to us as ecologists. Moreover, we hope that the setting ofthe Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum promotes strong interaction and dis­ cussion between Conference participants with a minimum of distraction. We are proud to make our facilities available for such meetings, and we hope that over the years these Conferences might provide direction and leadership for the whole field of ecology. We have the broad goal of attempting to advance the field of ecology by bringing together leading ecologists and other scientists to address major issues. The first Cary Conference, in 1985, considered the status and future of ecosystem science. This first Conference was rather loosely structured but was successful in stimulating discussion, ideas, and enthusiasm (Likens et al. , 1987). The goals for this second Cary Conference in 1987 were: 1. to identify the roles of long-term studies in ecology; 2. to identify the options for study of long-term ecological phenomena; 3.