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Ecological Units: Definitions and Application

Jax, Kurt

The Quarterly Review of Biology, 2006-09, Vol.81 (3), p.237-258 [同儕審閱期刊]

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題名:
Ecological Units: Definitions and Application
著者: Jax, Kurt
主題: Animal ecology ; Animals ; Biology ; Communities ; Community ; Definitions ; Ecology ; Ecology - methods ; Ecosystems ; Forest ecosystems ; Freshwater ecosystems ; Humans ; Marine ecology ; Philosophy ; Population ; Population Dynamics ; Population ecology ; Species ; Synecology ; Terminology as Topic
所屬期刊: The Quarterly Review of Biology, 2006-09, Vol.81 (3), p.237-258
描述: Concepts of ecological units, such as population, community, and ecosystem, are at the basis of ecological theory and research and have increasingly become the focus of conservation strategies. Concepts of these units still suffer from inconsistencies and confusions over terminology. The different concepts are treated here together as a common “conceptual cluster,” with similar ecological functions (roles) and similar problems in their definition and use. An analysis of the multitude of existing terms and concepts that have been developed for these units reveals that they differ with respect to at least four basic criteria: (i) the questions as to whether they are defined statistically or via a network of interactions; (ii) if their boundaries are drawn by topographical or process‐related criteria; (iii) how high the required internal relationships are; and (iv) if they are perceived as “real” entities or abstractions by an observer. The various definitions cannot be easily sorted into just a few types, but they can be characterized by several independent criteria. I argue that serious problems arise if the different possibilities of defining ecological units are not recognized and if the concepts are perceived as self‐evident. The different concepts of ecological units should be defined and used in a philosophically informed manner. I propose a dual approach to the use of ecological units. Generic meanings of the main concepts (especially population, community, and ecosystem) should be retained only as heuristically useful perspectives, while specific and “operational” definitions of the concepts as units should be developed, depending on specific purposes of their use. Some thoughts on the basic requirements for such definitions and the domains of their uses are briefly explained.
出版者: United States: The University of Chicago Press
語言: 英文
識別號: ISSN: 0033-5770
EISSN: 1539-7718
DOI: 10.1086/506237
PMID: 17051830
CODEN: QRBIAK
資源來源: Academic Search Premier

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Ecological Units: Definitions and Application

Jax, Kurt

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