Abstract
Whether curse or blessing, scientists and managers have developed a multitude of approaches to the assessment of patterns in the biota of freshwater ecosystems. Several rather independent traditions in aquatic ecology have focused on the relationship of ecological pattern to physical pattern and process. Approaches that focus on broad-scale, regional patterns may completely miss aspects of the ecosystem that are critical to the survival of rare taxa in special habitats, just as approaches that focus on rare species or endangered populations may provide little information about the broader biotic community and its response to an ecological change (Table 26.1). Today’s natural resource laws, societal expectations, limited fiscal resources, and declining biotic resources demand that these once separate strands converge in a more holistic approach to ecological assessment. This brief review cannot aspire to map a clear path toward meeting that major challenge, but is intended only to till the ground for future synthesis.
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Frissell, C.A., Poff, N.L., Jensen, M.E. (2001). Assessment of Biotic Patterns in Freshwater Ecosystems. In: Jensen, M.E., Bourgeron, P.S. (eds) A Guidebook for Integrated Ecological Assessments. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8620-7_27
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