Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS36 Dealing With Scales in Aquatic Ecology: Structure and Function in Aquatic Ecosystems (Spatial and Temporal Connections)

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2001, Time: 9:45:00 AM

Location: San Miguel

Seuront, L, J, CNRS - Station Marine de Wimereux, Wimereux, France, laurent@tokyo-u-fish.ac.jp

Yamazaki, H, , Tokyo University of Fisheries, Tokyo, Japan, hide@tokyo-u-fish.ac.jp

Keiyu-Yamazaki, A, , Nippon Institute of Technology, Saitama, Japan, atsuko@sainet.or.jp

Schmitt, F, , Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium, francois@stro.vub.ac.be

Strutton, P, G, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, USA, stpe@mbari.org

Understanding nonlinear scaling and multiscaling properties of aquatic ecosystems: from direct to reverse cascade concepts

Since the introduction of nonlinear concepts related to fractals and deterministic chaos in ecology, the nonlinear scaling and/or multiscaling properties exhibited both in space and time by terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are well known. In aquatic ecology empirical and theoretical studies devoted to these topics are nevertheless still scarce, despite the increasing interest in the effects of the precise structure of ecosystems on the estimates of key fluxes which are still disputed to within several orders of magnitude. Thus, after a brief review of previous studies which investigated aquatic ecosystem space-time structure, several recent and novel techniques dealing with both the precise properties of ecosystem structure and the couplings between physical and biological processes (and between trophic levels) will be presented. Their implications in the general frame of our understanding of structures and functions in aquatic ecosystems will be discussed on the basis of several case studies from various marine environments, and individual-based adaptive modeling. Finally, we will show how the well known concept of energy/variance cascade, can be conveniently complemented by an emerging reverse cascade concept.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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