期刊
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
卷 28, 期 1, 页码 6-17出版社
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/geb.12855
关键词
macroecology; macroevolution; multicausality; philosophy of science; reductionism; transmutation problem
资金
- Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station [1011538]
- NSF [1660000]
Macroecology is a growing and important subdiscipline of ecology, but it is becoming increasingly diffuse, without an organizing principle that is widely agreed upon. I highlight two main current views of macroecology: as the study of large-scale systems and as the study of emergent systems. I trace the history of both these views through the writings of the founders of macroecology. I also highlight the transmutation principle that identifies serious limitations to the study of large-scale systems with reductionist approaches. And I suggest that much of the underlying goal of macroecology is the pursuit of general principles and the escape from contingency. I highlight that there are many intertwined aspects of macroecology, with a number of resulting implications. I propose that returning to a focus on studying assemblages of a large number of particles is a helpful view. I propose defining macroecology as the study at the aggregate level of aggregate ecological entities made up of large numbers of particles for the purposes of pursuing generality.
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