ABSTRACT
Previous chapters have provided a glimpse into the complexity of the biosphere. As study progresses many apparently simple questions about plants, animals or the soil become exceedingly difficult to answer. Ecologists have sought concepts capable of handling the degree of complexity they observe in the field. They have long recognized the holocoenotic nature of the environment. But, as in all sciences, much of the twentieth century has seen the rise of specialization within ecology and the consequent study in detail of minute sections of the biosphere. In recent decades, however, an attempt has been made to study ecology within a single conceptual framework. This framework is provided by the ecosystem concept.
