Scaling in Ecology with a Model System

Scaling in Ecology with a Model System provides a groundbreaking approach to scale and scaling in ecological theory and practice, synthesizing nearly three decades of research on the ecology of Sarracenia purpurea. It demonstrates how the Sarracenia microecosystem has emerged as a model system for experimental ecology, allowing researchers to study wetlands throughout the US and Canada.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 03 August 2021
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Ecology is a complex field that requires a thorough understanding of scale, which is one of its most important concepts. However, researchers often struggle to find ecological systems that lend themselves to the study of scale. This is where "Scaling in Ecology with a Model System" comes in. This groundbreaking book synthesizes nearly three decades of research on the ecology of Sarracenia purpurea, a carnivorous plant known as the northern pitcher plant. By examining the Sarracenia microecosystem, Aaron Ellison and Nicholas Gotelli demonstrate how this plant and its associated food web of microbes and macrobes can inform the challenging question of scaling in ecology.

Ellison and Gotelli explore Sarracenia at various spatial scales, including individual pitchers within plants, plants within bogs, and bogs within landscapes. They show how pitcher plants can serve as replicate miniature ecosystems that can be studied in wetlands throughout the United States and Canada. This approach allows for more rapid research than studies of larger, more slowly changing ecosystems, such as forests, grasslands, lakes, or streams.

One of the key insights offered by "Scaling in Ecology with a Model System" is the importance of considering ecophysiology and stoichiometry in scaling studies. The authors demonstrate how the Sarracenia microecosystem can be used to study the effects of environmental stressors on plant physiology and nutrient cycling. They also explore the role of demographic processes, such as population growth and mortality, in shaping ecological systems.

Furthermore, the book provides new insights into extinction risk and species distribution models, food webs and trophic dynamics, and tipping points and regime shifts. By studying the Sarracenia microecosystem, researchers can gain a better understanding of the factors that contribute to ecosystem stability and collapse.

Overall, "Scaling in Ecology with a Model System" is a valuable resource for researchers and students interested in ecology, environmental science, and conservation. It offers new insights into the complex processes that shape ecological systems and provides a framework for studying scale in a variety of contexts.

Weight: 676g
Dimension: 163 x 242 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691172705