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Flowers as Food Sources and the Cost of Outcrossing

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Potentials and Limitations of Ecosystem Analysis

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 61))

Abstract

Function and structure are dual aspects of ecosystems. A structural approach emphasizes the components, examining their nature, number, distribution, and pattern. A functional approach, on the other hand, focuses on interactions and on the dynamics and stability of the system. The mutual dependence of structure and function permeates biological thinking at every level, and much of biological research attempts to understand living systems by elucidation of the interdependence of structure and function. Ecology, in particular, has been defined as the study of the structure and function of ecosystems (Odum 1962).

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Authors
  1. A. Bertsch
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lehrstuhl für Pflanzenökologie, Universität Bayreuth, Postfach 101251, D-8580, Bayreuth, Germany

    Ernst-Detlef Schulze

  2. Lehrstuhl für Tierökologie, Universität Bayreuth, Postfach 101251, D-8580, Bayreuth, Germany

    Helmut Zwölfer

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© 1987 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Bertsch, A. (1987). Flowers as Food Sources and the Cost of Outcrossing. In: Schulze, ED., Zwölfer, H. (eds) Potentials and Limitations of Ecosystem Analysis. Ecological Studies, vol 61. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71630-0_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71630-0_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-71632-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-71630-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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