Lim

output theory, nodal analysis, and loop anal-ysis. In an introductory paper on networkthermodynamics, D. C. Mikulecky empha-sized that at a certain level of abstraction alltypes of networks are isomorphic. In partic-ular, they can all be approached with thesame sort of mathematical formalism, suchas that provided by network thermodynamictheory. Of course, biological and ecologicalsystems are usually nonlinear and the flowsare often active rather than passive, but Mik-ulecky noted that these are not difficult to in-clude within the general formalism. Ideas fromnetwork theory have been applied to ecologyfor the past couple of decades, but Mikuleck-y's overview implies that the most importantcontributions of network theory may be yetto come.

The remaining papers in the session livedup to this optimistic forecast. Drs. K. Kawa-saki and H. Nakajima of Kyoto Universityshowed that sophisticated mathematics canbe used to give important new analytic re-sults for highly complex systems. The ob-jects of their study were Lotka-Volterramodels of species Interacting through inter-ference competition. Kawasaki's analysis en-abled him to consider N species, each with adifferent set of parameter values, and to de-termine which subset of these species will beeliminated and which will persist in equilibri-um. Nakajima focused on the successionalaspects of such systems, that is, on whatsort of community will develop if new specieshaving different characteristics continue toInvade. He found that a particular quantity,resource utilization, increases with succes-sional change in such models. By use of anelegant quasi-stationary technique, reminis-cent of the thermodynamic calculation of workdone in a reversible Camot cycle, Nakajimawas able to calculate analytically the direc-tion of succession toward a system that isrelatively invulnerable to Invasion by newspecies. The powerful techniques of Kawa-saki and Nakajima will have useful applica-tions in the study of the assembly and struc-ture of ecological communities.

The paper of M. Higashi, T. P. Bums, andB. Patten presented a view of trophic net-works that is both revolutionary (I don't thinkthat is too strong a word) and controversial.They argued that the traditional view of suchnetworks (inaccurately following up Linde-man's original intent) has focused too heavily

on the identification of distinct trophic levelsand too little on the importance of energycycles and indirect pathways. These latterfeatures tend to homogenize the trophicstructure, so that the ecosystem Is more ap-propriately viewed as a system with an "age-distribution" of energy bundles, each incor-porated at a different time in the past. Thisnew viewpoint, if corroborated by detailedempirical studies, could lead us to look at foodwebs in a very different way than most of usare used to.

R. Margalef presented a paper titled "Net-work and information biology in prospect"that ranged over topics connected with theflows of energy and information in ecosys-tems. Information at the ecosystem level Isconsidered by Margalef to be related to theproportions and distributions of differentcomponents in the system. Margalef com-mented on the importance of storage in eco-systems. Storage Is a slowing of flow thatincreases both the dissipation of energy andthe information content of local structure. Hesuggested that the noncoincidence of the"centers of gravity" of energy flows and in-formation flows can produce asymmetriesand hierarchy in ecological systems.

Patten gave an effective summary of thesymposium. He noted that most of thespeakers relied heavily on mathematical ma-trices to illustrate their talks, and pointed outthat this approach is suited to a holistic view-point of ecosystems. The approach stressesthe importance of context and of historyworking through indirect effects for everycomponent of an ecosystem. Certainly,whatever one's particular view of the impor-tance of indirect effects and history to thesecomponents, all would agree that these mustbe properly accounted for in ecological the-ory, and that the search for new approachesto ecological networks is a worthwhile pur-suit.

Donald L. DeAngelisOak Ridge National LaboratoryOak Ridge, TN

GEOMORPHOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEMS

Geomorphology and Ecosystem Process-es. A symposium organized by John Pas-tor and David Schimel. ESA-INTECOL An-nual Meeting. Syracuse, NY, August 1986.

55

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The ESA Symposium Geomorphology andEcosystem Processes covered influences oflandforms and geomorphic processes onecosystems ranging from desert to tundraand grasslands to wetlands. Pastor openedthe discussions, pointing out the long historyof effort to bring understanding of geomor-phology to bear on analysis of community andecosystem properties through the work ofCowles, Cooper, Clements, Whittaker, andothers. Pastor called for greater effort inbringing geomorphology into landscape ecol-ogy. His own work on Blackhawk Island inthe Wisconsin River provides a striking ex-ample of how a bedrock-cored landform influ-ences patterns of sediment accumulation, soiltexture and moisture, deposition of seeds bythe river, and ultimately the distribution ofplant communities.

W. H. Schlesinger and K. LaJtha (Duke Uni-versity) described strong Influences of geo-morphology on primary production and nu-trient cycling along a gradient from mountainsto pediment to alluvial fan and playas in adesert environment. Small topographic vari-ation (on the order of a few metres) scaled torooting depth and the depth to relatively Im-permeable soil horizons can strongly affectrunoff and run-on of surface and subsurfacewater. Where water was diverted across analluvial fan surface in the 1930's, vegetationin the area deprived of run-on now has re-duced numbers and biomass of shrubs. OneIs left to wonder if the natural pattern ofchannels on desert fans creates a complexpatchwork of vegetation with different levelsof productivity controlled by the hydrologicInfluence of minor landforms.

Sand dune ecosystems are notably activeenvironments geomorphically and thereforeexhibit a strong tension between their livingand physical elements, in the terms of J. S.Olson (Global Pattern Associates). Olsonprovided numerous examples of plant—land-form—geomorphic process interactions fromthe scale of sand plumes in the aerodynamicwake of individual grass clumps to foreststands in the wet bottoms of blowouts.

C. Yonker and D. S. Schimel (Colorado StateUniversity) backed up their contention that"grasslands are not flat" with a broad arrayof examples of landform effects on primaryproduction and on soil processes and prop-erties in landscapes with low to moderateslope gradients and only 10-20 m of relief.

Some patterns of soil properties and produc-tivity strongly reflect landscape position alonga catena. However, the presence of buriedsoils and fine-textured deposits indicates thateolian erosion, transport, and deposition havebeen important disturbance mechanisms andinfluence the distribution of carbon and nu-trients across the landscape. Wind, water,and animals sense landforms differently,leading to complex patterns of ecosystemproperties.

J. Vane presented a paper coauthored withK. Van Cleve, C. T. Dyrness, and L. A. Vier-eck (University of Alaska and U.S. ForestService) concerning geomorphology and for-est ecosystems of interior Alaska. Thicknessof organic matter on the ground surface andmineral soil temperature are strongly nega-tively related and reflect, in part, effects ofslope gradient and aspect on microclimate. Inuplands, fire is a dominant disturbancemechanism, and soil parent materials are ofeolian origin. Valley floor ecosystems are re-set by river channel changes and alluvium Isthe principal substrate type for primarysuccession. These geomorphic influences onparent material, microclimate, disturbance,and other factors determine the spatial ar-rangement of plant communities and theirproductivity.

Even farther north, in the tundra ecosys-tem of the Alaskan North Slope, K. Nadel-hoffer, G. Shaver, A. Giblin, and J. Laundre(Woods Hole) are in the early stages of astudy of many ecosystem properties acrossa toposequence from ridge to streamside.Along this topographic continuum they iden-tify discrete plant communities and associ-ated soils. Primarily through influences onhydrology and thermal regime, landscape po-sition strongly influences primary production,organic matter quality and turnover, nitrogenfixation, and other characteristics of the in-dividual communities, and the flux of mate-rials among them. This research group iscombining field and laboratory studies in aneffort to isolate the effects of landform posi-tion.

C. A. Johnston and R. J. Naiman (Univer-sity of Minnesota) examined effects of land-scape position of measures of productivityand other properties of streams and wet-lands. Using stream order to broadly scalelandscape position in streams and rivers, theydescribed examples of systematic down-

56

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stream patterns in autotrophic and detritalrespiration, standing stock of C In fine andcoarse woody debris, total C Inputs, and oth-er ecosystem properties. Landscape positionis not so easily scaled for wetlands. Geo-graphic patterns of wetlands range from thedisconnected bogs of glaciated terrains to thehighly connected wetlands along low-gradi-ent rivers on the Coastal Plain of the south-eastern United States. Johnston and Naimansuggested scaling landscape position in re-lation to the balance between streamflow andrainfall as water and nutrient sources. Rain-fall-fed wetlands tend to have lower produc-tivity than wetlands deriving most of theirwater from more nutrient-rich surface andsubsurface sources.

This collection of talks offered a broadspectrum of insights into effects of geomor-phology on ecosystem properties, althoughno examples came for steep, high-reliefmountain landscapes where geomorphic ef-fects might be most pronounced. Emphasisvaried greatly—landform effect on microcli-mate and soil properties is strong in high lat-itudes; influence of landscape position onwater and nutrient flow was highlighted Indesert, wetland, and river environments. Per-haps the richest set of examples of Impor-tant geomorphology–ecosystem interactionscame from the low-relief, shortgrass prairieenvironment, which at first glance appearssimple, but actually involves a complex over-lay of landforrn effects on wind, water, andanimal transfers of soil, carbon, and nutrients.

Fred SwansonForestry Sciences Laboratory3200 Jefferson WayCorvallis, OR 97331

SCALE OF MEASUREMENT IN ECOLOGY

Avian Community Ecology: The Impor-tance of Scale. A symposium organized byBrian A. Maurer. Cooper OrnithologicalSociety Annual Meeting, University of Cal-ifornia, Davis, CA, September 1986.

Brian Maurer (Brigham Young University)introduced this symposium by defining"scale" as a progressive graduated seriesalong some physical (mass, space), tempo-ral, velocity (rate, speed, frequency), or allo-metric dimension. He noted that our simplis-

tic theories do not presently account forprocesses that operate on many scales si-multaneously, and that we need to begin toIncorporate such considerations Into com-munity analyses. The success and stimulat-ing nature of this afternoon symposium couldbe evidenced by the high level of attendance(close to 200) from the beginning to the end,and by the nature of conversations duringbreaks after the symposium took place.

In his overview of the problem of scale Inavian ecology, John Wiens (Colorado StateUniversity) reiterated his published warningsthat the answers to ecological questions willvary with scale of measurement. Later, JamesKarr (Smithsonian Tropical Research Insti-tute) provided Information from his tropicalunderstory bird "community" that attested tothis fact; the richness and temporal variabili-ty associated with his bird species countswere strongly scale-dependent. So, whichscale of measurement is correct? Wiens madeseveral suggestions about how some ques-tions clearly dictate the necessary scale ofmeasurement, and William Calder (Universityof Arizona) outlined how we will need to con-sider such questions from the organism'sperspective because of the relationship be-tween the relative "patchiness" of an envi-ronment and the body size of an organism.

One of Wiens' earlier contentions was thatprocesses operating at one scale of resolu-tion cannot be blindly extrapolated to explainpatterns at another scale of resolution be-cause of the scale-dependent nature of pat-terns and processes. Wiens concluded here,however, that epistemological interdepen-dencies between scales mean that we aregoing to need to use processes at one scaleto answer questions about patterns atanother. The challenge for field ecologists wasclear.

Using data from their long-term study,which comes as close as any to meeting theabove-stated challenge, Tom Sherry (and co- -author R. T. Holmes, Dartmouth College) ar-gued that conditions are more-or-less limitingmost of the time for the birds at HubbardBrook, and that release from competition forfood due to insect outbreaks might actuallybe the rare events (a mirror image of Wiens'"ecological crunch" hypothesis). The popu-lation sizes of birds appear to be products ofboth local-scale events and events far re-moved in space and time, necessitating an

57

BULLETIN OF THE

eco

VOLUME 68, NO. 1

Cover PhotUniversity FThe pasturiyears; on tdogwood ahave been.plement to

SubmitteLaboratory,

Note: Cownote on pac

The Ecological Society of AmericaEXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR 1986-1987

President: Jean H. Langenheim, Division of Natural Science, University of California—SantaCruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064

President-Elect: Margaret B. Davis, Department of Ecology and Behavioral Biology, Uni-versity of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0302

Past-President: Richard B. Root, Section of Ecology and Systematics, Cornell University,Ithaca, NY 14853

Vice-President: H. Ronald Pulliam, Department of Zoology, University of Georgia, Athens,GA 30602

Secretary: Hazel R. De/court, Department of Botany, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN37996

Treasurer: Paul A. Colinvaux, Department of Zoology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH43210

Business Manager: Duncan T. Patten, Ecological Society of America, Center for Environ-mental Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287

AIMSTHE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA was founded in 1915 for the purpose of giving unity to

the study of organisms in relation to environment, as a means of furthering interchange between personswho are approaching widely different groups of organisms from closely related points of view, for thestimulation of ecological research, and to assist the development of the utilities which may be served byecological principles.

MEMBERSHIPMembership is open to persons who are interested in the advancement of ecology or its applications,

and to those who are engaged In any aspect of the study of organisms in relation to environment.

The following classes of membership and their annual dues for 1987 are:Associate Members: $20.00Active Members: $45.00Sustaining Members: $60.00Student Active Members: $35.00Student Sustaining Members: $50.00Emeritus Members: Special rates available (contact the Business Manager for information)Family. $10.00 (Resides in same household as members of another class)

Active, Student Active, Sustaining, and Student Sustaining Members receive the bimonthly JournalECOLOGY. Sustaining and Student Sustaining Members also receive ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS,the quarterly Journal for longer articles. Members In arrears for dues will, on payment, be supplied withback numbers for up to one year, but the Journals do not hold themselves responsible for reserving backnumbers in anticipation of payment of back dues.

All members receive the BULLETIN OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA, issued by theSociety In March, June, September, and December. It contains announcements of meetings of the So-ciety and related organizations, programs, awards, articles, and Items of current interest to members.

Associate Members do not receive ECOLOGY or ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS and are not eligi-ble for office, but may become members in any one of the above classes upon payment of the appro-priate dues.

Application blanks for membership may be obtained from the Business Manager, to whom all cor-respondence concerning membership should be addressed. Checks accompanying membership appli-cation should be made payable to the ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA.

VOLUME

Letters toComment!

ImplemeDavid

A Work!Rober

EDEX: EThom,

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STATEMEN0012-9623)of America.Studies, AhDepartmentof America,bondholdertIs guaranteeUniversity, 1change of a

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Cover Photo: Taligress prairie pastures at the Kansas StateUniversity Range Experiment Station in Manhattan, Kansas.The pasture on the right has been burned annually for 35years; on the left Is an unburned control being invaded bydogwood and red cedar. Extensive nutrient cycling studieshave been conducted at this site for some years as a sup-plement to the management-oriented program.

Submitted by: David S. Schimel, Natural Resource EcologyLaboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.

Note: Cover photographs for future Issues are solicited; seenote on page 4 of this issue.—Ed.

VOLUME 68, NO. 1

Letters to the Editor 2Commentary

Implementing the Transition to a Sustainable AgricultureDavid Ehrenfeld 5

A Worksheet for Authorship of Scientific ArticlesRobert H. Schmidt 8

EDEX: Ecological Data ExchangeThomas G. Siccama 10

Waiting for the Apple to Fall, or Pooling Our BrainpowerEric R. Planka 12

Professional Ecologists and the Education of Small ChildrenPeter Felnsinger 13

ESA Participation in Issues Related to Genetically Engineered OrganismsFrances E. Sharpies and David E. Reichle 15

Response to the Office of Science and Technology Policy Notice "Coordinated Frameworkfor Regulation of Biotechnology"Robert K. Colwell et al. 16

On EcologyDeane Wang 22

(contents continued on inside back cover)

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT. The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America (ISSN0012.9623) is published four times per year, In March, June, September, December, by The Ecological Societyof America. The Office of Publication and General Business Office are located at the Center for EnvironmentalStudies, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287. The Editor Is C. E. Cushing, Environmental SciencesDepartment, Battelle-Pacific Northwest Laboratories, Richland, WA 99352. The Owner is the Ecological Societyof America, the Center for Environmental Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287. There are nobondholders, mortgagees, or other security holders. POSTMASTER: For undeliverable copies, return postageIs guaranteed to The Ecological Society of America, the Center for Environmental Studies, Arizona StateUniversity, Tempe, AZ 85287. Second-class postage paid at Tempe, AZ and additional mailing offices. Sendchange of address notices to the above address. Yearly subscription rate, $15.00.

The Ecological Society of America, BULLETIN EDITOR—C. E. Cushing, Environmental Sciences Department,Battelle-Pacific Northwest Laboratories, Richland, WA 99352; Copy Editor—David A. Gooding, ESA EditorialOffice, 328 E. State, Ithaca, NY 14850.

ila–Santa

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MARCH 1987

0 Copyright 1987 The Ecological Society of America 1

(Continued from page 1)

From the Washington OfficeThe Power of the Pen 24Navigating the Federal Job Maze—Part I 26

Awards for 1986Eminent Ecologist—E. C. Pielou 30Mercer Award—Douglas W. Schemske 31Cooper Award—Edward A. Johnson 32Buell Award—Kate LaJtha 32Distinguished Service Citation—Frank W. Preston 33Honorary Members—Jaroslav Hrbaàek and Makoto Numata 35

Request for Buell Award Judges 38Of Interest to Ecologists 39Meetings 45Technological Tools 50Meeting Reviews 51Society Business 61Recommendations and Procedures for ESA Sponsorship 61Constitution and Bylaws of ESA 65Annual Meeting Announcement and Registration Forms 75Registry of Certified Ecologists 90