ABSTRACT
CHAPTER 2 It is natural to start this volume with a contribution by Ramon Margalef. He has used energy considerations on ecosystems for almost 50 years, and has as professor emeritus produced this chapter. He recently (1997) published a book named: Our Biosphere in the series Excellence in Ecology. This book and this chapter give a clear message to the readers: there is a long way. to go before we have the integrated but urgently needed ecological theory, which would make it possible to understand the nature and the reactions of ecosystems. However, Margalef has many ideas which can be used to develop the present ecosystem theories or maybe rather the fragments of ecosystem theories in the right direction.
