- Are natural microcosms useful model systems for ecology?
Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 19, Issue 7, 1 July 2004, Pages 379-384
Diane S. Srivastava, Jurek Kolasa, Jan Bengtsson, Andrew Gonzalez, Sharon P. Lawler, Thomas E. Miller, Pablo Munguia, Tamara Romanuk, David C. Schneider and M.Kurtis Trzcinski
AbstractSeveral recent, high-impact ecological studies feature natural microcosms as tools for testing effects of fragmentation, metacommunity theory or links between biodiversity and ecosystem processes. These studies combine the microcosm advantages of small size, short generation times, contained structure and hierarchical spatial arrangement with advantages of field studies: natural environmental variance, ‘openness’ and realistic species combinations with shared evolutionary histories. This enables tests of theory pertaining to spatial and temporal dynamics, for example, the effects of neighboring communities on local diversity, or the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem function. Using examples, we comment on the position of natural microcosms in the roster of ecological research strategies and tools. We conclude that natural microcosms are as versatile as artificial microcosms, but as complex and biologically realistic as other natural systems. Research to date combined with inherent attributes of natural microcosms make them strong candidate model systems for ecology.
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- Microcosm experiments can inform global ecological problems
Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 22, Issue 10, 1 October 2007, Pages 516-521
Tim G. Benton, Martin Solan, Justin M.J. Travis and Steven M. Sait
AbstractGlobal-scale environmental problems are rarely regarded as amenable to traditional scientific experiment. We argue here that small-scale experiments using ‘model organisms’ in microcosms or mesocosms can be a useful approach for apparently intractable global problems, such as ecosystem responses to climate change or managing biodiversity through the design of nature reserves. An experimental, small-scale research programme can easily be coupled with the development of theory and act as a stimulus to further research, thereby hastening both understanding of the issues and development of practical solutions. This process – from microcosm experiment to the development of practical application – has previously been influential but also has a long time lag. We suggest short-cuts in an attempt to stimulate the use of small-scale experiments to address globally urgent issues with meaningful policy implications.
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- The long and short of food-chain length
Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 17, Issue 6, 1 June 2002, Pages 269-277
David M. Post
AbstractFood-chain length is a central characteristic of ecological communities that has attracted considerable attention for over 75 years because it strongly affects community structure, ecosystem processes and contaminant concentrations. Conventional wisdom holds that either resource availability or dynamical stability limit food-chain length; however, new studies and new techniques challenge the conventional wisdom and broaden the discourse on food-chain length. Recent results suggest that resource availability limits food-chain length only in systems with very low resource availability, and call into question the theoretical basis for dynamical stability as a determinant of food-chain length. Evidence currently points towards a complex and contingent framework of interacting constraints that includes the history of community organization, resource availability, the type of predator–prey interactions, disturbance and ecosystem size. Within this framework, the debate has shifted from a search for singular explanations to a search for when and where different constraints operate to determine food-chain length.
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Copyright © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd All rights reserved.
Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 16, Issue 6, 322, 1 June 2001
Microcosm food webs
Food Webs and Container Habitats: The Natural History and Ecology of Phytotelmata