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The Evolution of Ecosystem Thinking in European Ecology

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Responses of Forest Ecosystems to Environmental Changes

Abstract

Although ecosystem research mainly belongs to the period of development after World War II, there is a long history of attempts to find ruling principles for biological systems. Biology long remained an empirical science; but from the 18th Century, two mainstreams can be distinguished, the one classifying and analysing observations, the other emphasising the need for a holistic view. Some examples of early work on the distribution of biological communities, and on processes in such communities, are reviewed, drawn mainly from the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Not until the 1950s may we speak of ecosystem research as a science in its own right. Three logical steps in this development can be distinguished, marking the beginning of different phases of research strategy: 1. reviews of existing knowledge, but seen from new angles. 2. specially designed projects, aiming at studies of the relations between different components of the ecosystem. 3. large cooperative and interdisciplinary efforts to connect studies such as those under 2. and to apply the results to national and international environmental problems.

Finally, a few problems and concepts are listed, in the hope that they will be further discussed during the meeting.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Environmental Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7072, S-75007, Uppsala, Sweden

    Carl Olof Tamm

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  1. Carl Olof Tamm
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. European Science Foundation, Strasbourg, France

    A. Teller

  2. Commission of the European Communities, Brussels, Belgium

    P. Mathy

  3. Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Grange-over-Sands, UK

    J. N. R. Jeffers

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© 1992 ECSC, EEC, EAEC, Brussels and Luxembourg

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Tamm, C.O. (1992). The Evolution of Ecosystem Thinking in European Ecology. In: Teller, A., Mathy, P., Jeffers, J.N.R. (eds) Responses of Forest Ecosystems to Environmental Changes. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2866-7_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2866-7_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-85166-878-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-2866-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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