Ecosystem Ecology: A New Synthesis (Ecological Reviews)

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 4
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Contributors......Page 8
Preface......Page 9
Introduction......Page 13
Origins of the concept of the ecosystem......Page 14
Holistic frameworks for exploring complex, interacting systems: the contributions of Lindeman and Elton......Page 16
The International Biological Programme......Page 17
Systems-analysis approaches......Page 20
Resilience thinking......Page 23
A move towards more inclusive approaches to ecosystem ecology......Page 24
Acknowledgements......Page 28
References......Page 29
Introduction......Page 31
An overview of population-, community- and ecosystem-level modelling approaches......Page 32
Population-level models......Page 33
Community-level models......Page 34
Ecosystem-level models......Page 35
How do ecologists evaluate models?......Page 37
Statistical evaluation of models......Page 39
Linearised, equilibrium approaches......Page 40
Aggregating state variables......Page 42
Aggregating parameters......Page 43
Isolated models for components of a complex community......Page 44
Final thoughts and remaining challenges......Page 45
References......Page 47
Historical development and motivation......Page 52
Systems science......Page 54
Classical thermodynamics......Page 55
Statistical thermodynamics (statistical mechanics)......Page 56
Information theory......Page 57
The Strategy of Ecosystem Development (SED)......Page 59
Ascendancy......Page 60
Critique of the Strategy of Ecosystem Development......Page 61
Critique of ascendancy......Page 65
Critique of the Ecological Law of Thermodynamics......Page 66
Reconciling system and individual perspectives: ecological statistical mechanics......Page 67
Application: global forest management......Page 69
References......Page 72
Introduction: origins and development of the ecosystem health concept......Page 77
Ecological indicators......Page 78
Multimetric indices......Page 82
Using models to assess ecosystem health......Page 83
Adaptive cycles and resilience......Page 84
System-level metrics from mass-balance models......Page 86
The HEHI approach......Page 91
MEHTA (Monitoring of Ecosystem Health by Trends Analysis): an alternative interdisciplinary indicator......Page 92
Application of the MEHTA approach: Ythan catchment case study......Page 95
Operational approaches to assessing ecosystem health......Page 98
Gaps in knowledge......Page 99
References......Page 100
Introduction......Page 106
Being interdisciplinary – rationales and definitions......Page 107
Multi-, inter- and trans-disciplinarity......Page 109
Science and society: developing social robustness in ecosystems research......Page 110
Contextualising ecology......Page 111
Ecology and the public......Page 114
Conclusions......Page 117
References......Page 118
Introduction: managing ecosystems for people......Page 122
Ecosystems services and the Ecosystem Approach......Page 123
Ecosystem service typologies......Page 124
Service cascades......Page 127
Evolving service typologies......Page 129
Biodiversity, ecosystem function and service output......Page 132
Species complementarity......Page 134
The importance of functional groups and functional traits......Page 136
Alien vs. native species......Page 139
The insurance value of biodiversity......Page 141
Biodiversity and social–ecological ecosystems......Page 142
Conclusions......Page 144
References......Page 145
Introduction......Page 152
Environmental management, biodiversity and ecosystem sustainability......Page 153
Recognising Darwin’s Tangled Bank......Page 156
Sustainability and the balance of nature......Page 158
An ecosystem-based approach......Page 161
Concluding remarks......Page 167
References......Page 168
Index......Page 171