Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T01:20:12.309Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

1 - The evolution of ecosystem ecology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

By
David G. Raffaelli  and
Christopher L. J. Frid
Edited by
David G. Raffaelli  and
Christopher L. J. Frid
David G. Raffaelli
Affiliation:
Environment, University of York
Christopher L. J. Frid
Affiliation:
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool
David G. Raffaelli
Affiliation:
University of York
Christopher L. J. Frid
Affiliation:
Griffith University, Queensland
Get access

Summary

Introduction

The sustainable use, management and conservation of ecosystems, as promoted by the Convention on Biological Diversity's Ecosystem Approach (United Nations 1992), and recent initiatives such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (United Nations 2005), emphasise the inter-dependence between ecological systems and human well-being. Healthy social systems demand healthy ecosystems and vice versa. This emergent world view is compelling and persuasive to conservationists, policy makers and managers alike, because it implies win-win solutions for nature conservation and for human development which relies on the continued provision of ecosystem goods and services. Ecosystem management within this context requires a holistic approach that acknowledges the need to work with and across a broad range of natural, physical, social and economic sciences. Whilst there are many successful programmes which have achieved this, mainstream ecologists who have so much to bring to the table have been slow to embrace such approaches. Jones and Paramor (this volume) consider many of the important cultural challenges. The view that humans are part of, not apart from, the biophysical system in which they are embedded has not always sat comfortably with academic researchers, who have traditionally seen their prime focus on, and responsibility to, either the natural system or to broader societal goals, but rarely both. In addition, there are misunderstandings and fears about what holistic ecosystem approaches really are, in turn due to the divergent pathways along which different sections of the ecological community have developed.

Type
Chapter
Information
Ecosystem Ecology
A New Synthesis
 , pp. 1 - 18
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Boffey, PM (1968). International Biological Programme: U.S. effort stands on shaky ground. Science 159: 1331–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boffey, PM (1976). International Biological Programme: was it worth the cost and effort?Science 193: 866–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, MT, Hall, CAS and Jorgensen, SE (2004). Eulogy. Ecological Modelling 178: 1–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cherrett, JM (1989). Ecological Concepts: the contribution of ecology to an understanding of the natural world. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.Google Scholar
Christensen, V (1995). Ecosystem maturity – towards quantification. Ecological Modelling 77: 3–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collins, KJ and Weiner, JS (1977). Human Adaptability. A history and compendium of research. Taylor & Francis Ltd, London, St Martin's Press Inc., New York.Google Scholar
,Convention on Biological Diversity (2009). http:/www.cbd.int/ecosystem/ (sourced January 2009).
Costanza, R (1980). Embodied energy and economic valuation. Science 210: 1219–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eleftheriou, A. and McIntyre, AD (2005). Methods for the Study of Marine Benthos. Blackwell Publishing Limited, Oxford.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elton, C (1927). Animal Ecology. Sidgwick & Jackson, London.Google Scholar
Fath, BD and Patten, BC (1999). Review of the foundations of network environ analysis. Ecosystems 2: 167–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Groffman, PM, Baron, JS, Blett, T, Gold, AJ, Goodman, I, Gunderson, JH, Levinson, BM, Palmer, MA, Paerl, HW, Peterson, GD, Poff, NL, Rejeski, DW, Reynolds, JF, Turner, MG, Weathers, KC and Weins, J (2006). Ecological thresholds: the key to successful environmental management or an important concept with no practical application?Ecosystems 9: 1–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grubb, PJ and Whittaker, JB (1989). Toward a More Exact Ecology. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.Google Scholar
Gunderson, LH and Holling, CS (2002). Panarchy: understanding transformations in human and natural systems. Island Press, Washington DC.Google Scholar
Jax, K (2007). Can we define Ecosystems? On the confusion between definition and description of ecological concepts. Acta Biotheoretica 55, 4: 341–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jorgensen, SE, Fath, BD, Bastianoni, S, Marques, JC, Muller, F, Nielson, SN, Patten, BC, Tiezzi, E and Ulanowicz, RE (2007). A New Ecology. Systems Perspective. Elsevier, Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Lindeman, RL (1942). The trophic-dynamic concept of ecology. Ecology 23: 399–418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lutkehaus, NC (2008). Margaret Mead: the making of an American icon. Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Mansson, BA and McGlade, JM (1993). Ecology thermodynamics and Odum's conjectures. Oecologia 93: 582–96.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
,National Academy of Sciences (2004). Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research. National Academy of Sciences.Google Scholar
Odum, EP (1953). Fundamentals of Ecology, 1st edn. W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia.Google Scholar
Odum, EP and Odum, HT (1959). Fundamentals of Ecology, 2nd edn. W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia.Google Scholar
Odum, HT (1983). Systems ecology. Wiley, New York.Google Scholar
Odum, HT (1996). Environmental Accounting. EMERGY and environmental decision making. John Wiley & Sons, New York.Google Scholar
Odum, HT and Odum, EP (2000). The energetic basis for valuation of ecosystem services. Ecosystems 3: 21–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patten, BC, Bosserman, RW, Finn, JT and Cale, WG (1976). Propagation of cause in ecosystems. In Patten, BC (ed.), Systems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology, Vol. 4. Academic Press, New York, pp. 457–9.Google Scholar
Paul, EA (1989). Soils as components and controllers of ecosystem processes. In Grubb, PJ and Whittaker, JB (eds.). Toward a More Exact Ecology. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, pp. 327–52.Google Scholar
Pauly, D (1995). Anecdotes and the shifting baseline syndrome of fisheries. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 10(10): 430.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Piorr, H-P (2003). Environmental policy, agri-environmental indicators and landscape indicators. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 98 (1–3): 17–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raffaelli, D (2006). RELU: The International Context. Final report. http://www.relu.ac.uk/research/projects/EOASummaries/RaffaelliEOASummary.pdf
Scheffer, M, Carpenter, SR, Foley, JA, Folke, C and Walker, B (2001). Catastrophic shifts in ecosystems. Nature 413: 591–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scheffer, M and Jeppesen, E (2007). Regime shifts in shallow lakes. Ecosystems 10: 1–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sheail, J (1987). Seventy-Five Years in Ecology: The British Ecological Society. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.Google Scholar
Steele, JH (1996). Regime shifts in fisheries management. Fisheries Research 25: 19–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tansley, AG (1914). Presidential Address. Journal of Ecology 2: 194–203.Google Scholar
Tansley, AG (1935). The use and abuse of vegetational concepts and terms. Ecology 16: 284–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ulanowicz, RE (1986). Growth and development: ecosystems phenomenology. Springer Verlag, New York, p. 203.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ulanowicz, RE (1989). Energy flow and productivity in the oceans. In Grubb, PJ and Whittaker, JB (eds.). Toward a More Exact Ecology. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, pp. 327–52.Google Scholar
Ulanowicz, RE (1997). Ecology, the Ascendent Perspective. Columbia University Press, New York.Google Scholar
Ulanowicz, RE (2000). Ascendancy: a measure of ecosystem performance. In Jørgensen, SE and Miller, F (eds.). Handbook of ecosystem theories and management. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, pp. 303–16.Google Scholar
,United Nations (1992). Convention on Biological Diversity. UN, New York.Google Scholar
,United Nations (2005). Millennium Assessment. Living beyond our means: natural assets and human well-being. UN, New York.Google Scholar
Walker, B and Salt, D (2006). Resilience Thinking. Sustaining ecosystems and people in a changing world. Island Press, Washington DC.Google Scholar
Waring, RH (1989). Ecosystems: fluxes of matter and energy. In Ecological Concepts: the contribution of ecology to an understanding of the natural world. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, pp. 17–41.Google Scholar
Weiner, JS and Lourie, JA (1969). Human Biology: a guide to field methods. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.Google Scholar
White, PCL, Cinderby, S, Raffaelli, D, Bruin, A, Holt, A and Huby, M (2009). Enhancing the effectiveness of policy-relevant integrative research in rural areas. Area 41: 414–424.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willis, A J (1997). The ecosystem: an evolving concept viewed historically. Functional Ecology 11: 268–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Worthington, EB (1965). The International Biological Programme. Nature, 208, 223–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Worthington, EB (1975). The Evolution of the IBP. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Worthington, EB, Fogg, GE, Waddington, CH, Clymo, RS, Newbould, PJ, Holdgate, MW and Clarke, C (1976). General Discussion. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B 274: 499–507.Google Scholar
Worthington, EB (1983). The Ecological Century. A Personal Appraisal. Clarendon Press, Oxford.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×