Manipulative field experiments provide a window into the complexity of nature. Yet there is concern that we lack resolution by conducting experiments on a scale that is too small and short to include the relevant complexity of the study system. We addressed this issue by asking how and why the scale (local and global spatial extent, spatial grain, duration) and complexity (number of species, factors, treatment combinations) of experiments performed on marine hard substrata (rocky intertidal, RI; coral reef, CR; rocky subtidal, RS; mangrove root, MR) has changed by assessing 311 total experiments published since 1961 in Ecology and Ecological Monographs and since 1967 in Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. We show that the local spatial extent and all metrics of complexity increased as a positive, log-linear function of time. In contrast, the size of experimental units (spatial grain) decreased with time. Quantile regression analysis revealed that these trends are largely driven by changes in the upper bounds of experimental scale and complexity; most studies are still relatively simple in design and conducted over small areas. A structural equation model (SEM) incorporated the direct and indirect effects of six metrics indicating that the complexity of field experiments has increased both as a direct effect of time and because experiments have become smaller in spatial grain. The SEM also showed longer experiments tended to be more complex. We show striking habitat differences, as subtidal experiments (CR, RS) involved more species and were carried out on the largest global spatial scales. RI experiments were the longest.
Future prospects to incorporate more of the complexity of nature into field experiments include site replication, as only 34.7% of all experiments were conducted at more than one site, open experimental designs monitored by technology, and integrating experimental manipulations with long-term monitoring to achieve mechanistic insight across scales relevant to human alteration of the biosphere. The increasing resolution of remote sensing also creates opportunities to track experiment-driven changes in community structure across large scales. We suggest applying these methods to a wider class of problems to enhance our understanding of marine communities and ecosystems.

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