ABSTRACT
Studies on the Partridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 The Case Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
The Character of the Landscape before Farming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 The Value of Predator Control in Relation to “Compensatory Mortality” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 The Trophic Pyramid and Intra-guild Predation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Interactions of Food Supply and Predation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 The Functional Relationship between Biodiversity and Sustainable Productivity. . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Assessment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
This review aims to investigate some links between theory and practice in conservation ecology and then to assess whether the linkages have been useful. From the outset, let us be clear; management can be successful in the complete absence of a link with theory. Just think about the farmers and fanciers who quickly bred and genetically fixed the many spectacular domesticated varieties without any knowledge of natural selection. In this case, there was a link, but it was in the opposite direction; Darwin developed his theory of natural selection in part from the practice of selection by the stockbreeders. So, given that theory can evolve from practice, is the reverse possible — can practice evolve from theory? Put another way, do we have the equivalent of a reference library of useful theory to help in management, or is it better to rely on the experience of a manager? A question asked (Maynard-Smith 1978) but not yet answered. Suppose, for example, that we are modeling energy flow through an ecosystem, we may need the metabolic rate of a large number of species, a laborious and expensive task. Fortunately, because the theory is well established in this case, all it is necessary to know is the weight of the individual animals concerned and whether they are single-celled or warm-blooded, or not, as the case may be. The equations of Kleiber’s Law will then provide us the precise information we need. A similar approach is possible in plants (Reich et al. 2006). How often can we parallel such downloading in biodiversity management?
