Are natural microcosms useful model systems for ecology?

Diane S. Srivastava, Jurek Kolasa, Jan Bengtsson, Andrew Gonzalez, Sharon P. Lawler, Thomas E. Miller, Pablo Munguia, Tamara Romanuk, David C. Schneider, M. Kurtis Trzcinski

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

278 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Several 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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)379-384
Number of pages6
JournalTrends in Ecology and Evolution
Volume19
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2004
Externally publishedYes

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