Article
Review: Quantitative ecology: spatial and temporal scaling
Ecology
(1995)
Abstract
This book takes a very different approach to quantitative
ecology than is customary. Unlike other books with titles
containing "quantitative ecology" or "statistical ecology,"
this is not a book of statistical techniques for species diversity
measures, ordination, or spatial analysis. Quantitative ecology
is defined here as "the use of scaled quantities in understanding
ecological patterns and processes." The thesis of
this book is that the units (e.g., number/km) used to describe
ecological quantities are important, because the choice of
units implies a specific spatial and temporal scaling. This
concept is explored in fourteen chapters. Two chapters introduce
scaled quantities and their use in multi-scale analysis.
Four chapters then define different aspects of scaled quantities,
including converting between spatial or temporal
scales. The concept of scope is introduced as a description
of the scale of either a set of measurements or a theory. Six
chapters then discuss various operations on scaled quantities,
including rates of change, fluxes, averages, and deviances.
Two concluding chapters discuss allometric and spatial rescaling.
Throughout the book, the author emphasizes the need
for consistent notation, explicit units, and biological interpretation
of quantities.
Disciplines
Publication Date
1995
DOI
10.2307/1938173
Publisher Statement
This is a book review from Ecology 76 (1995): 1687, doi:10.2307/1938173
Posted with permission. Copyright 1995 by the Ecological Society of Anerica
Citation Information
Philip Dixon. "Review: Quantitative ecology: spatial and temporal scaling" Ecology Vol. 76 Iss. 5 (1995) p. 1687 - 1687 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/philip-dixon/43/