ABSTRACT
Microecosystems or microcosms are relatively small, closed or semi-closed ecosystems used primarily for experimental purposes. As such, they are living tools used by scientists to understand nature. Microcosms literally means “small world,” and it is their small size and isolation which make them useful tools for studying larger systems or issues. However, although they are small, as noted by Lawler (1998),
microcosms should share enough features with larger, more natural systems so that studying them can provide insight into processes acting at larger scales, or better yet, into general processes acting at most scales. Of course, some processes may operate only at large scales, and big, long-lived organisms may possess qualities that are distinct from those of small organisms (and vice versa). Because large and small organisms differ biologically, it will not be feasible to study some questions using microcosms. However, to the extent that some ecological principles transcend scale, microcosms can be a valuable investigative tool.
