Community ecology: is it time to move on? (An American Society of Naturalists presidential address)

Because of the contingency and complexity of its subject matter, community ecology has few general laws. Laws and models in community ecology are highly contingent, and their domain is usually very local. This fact does not mean that community ecology is a weak science; in fact, it is the locus of e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe American naturalist Vol. 163; no. 6; p. 787
Main Author Simberloff, Daniel
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.06.2004
Subjects
Animals
Conservation of Natural Resources
Ecology
Ecosystem
Models, Theoretical
Research - trends
Social Conditions
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ISSN1537-5323
DOI10.1086/420777

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Summary:Because of the contingency and complexity of its subject matter, community ecology has few general laws. Laws and models in community ecology are highly contingent, and their domain is usually very local. This fact does not mean that community ecology is a weak science; in fact, it is the locus of exciting advances, with growing mechanistic understanding of causes, patterns, and processes. Further, traditional community ecological research, often local, experimental, and reductionist, is crucial in understanding and responding to many environmental problems, including those posed by global changes. For both scientific and societal reasons, it is not time to abandon community ecology.
ISSN:1537-5323
DOI:10.1086/420777