The what, how and why of doing macroecology

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Global ecology and biogeography 2019-01, Vol.28 (1), p.6-17
Main Author: McGill, Brian J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Contingency
Ecological monitoring
Macroecology
MACROECOLOGY 30TH ANNIVERSARY
macroevolution
multicausality
philosophy of science
reductionism
Transmutation
transmutation problem
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Summary: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”.
ISSN:1466-822X
1466-8238
DOI:10.1111/geb.12855