ABSTRACT
Although the earliest mathematical models in ecology were, by necessity, simple and avoided spatial complexity, ecologists gradually realized that, without taking into account spatial heterogeneity, models could not explain many of the empirical observations of ecology. A current view is that “the problem of pattern and scale is the central problem in ecology, unifying population biology and ecosystems science, and marrying basic and applied ecology.”
The topic of scale in aquatic systems (marine and freshwater) has received a great deal of attention. Several books
emphasize spatial scale in, respectively, phytoplankton communities, the geography of Þsheries, Þsh recruitment, and coral communities. Edited volumes have been devoted to patterns and processes in aquatic systems
and a classic ecological text is largely concerned with modeling such patterns.
