PARENT SESSION
Symposium #3: Ecological Theory and Restoration Ecology.
Organized by: MA Palmer, D Falk, and J Zedler
Monday, August 5. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Leo Rich Theatre.
Ecological theory and restoration ecology: Past and present.
Palmer, Margaret*,1, Falk, Don2, Zedler, Joy3, 1 Department of Biology, College Park, MD2 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tuscon, AZ3 Department of Botany, Madison, WI
ABSTRACT- Ecological restoration offers many opportunities for ecologists to conduct large-scale experiments and test basic ecological theory. While the scientific underpinnings of ecological restoration can be found in both empirical and theoretical ecology, the integration of science and restoration has historically been weak. Restoration is typically based largely on practical experience and on static, deterministic models of community structure and species composition, in which dynamic processes play little role. Theoretical perspectives from areas as diverse as metapopulation biology, competition theory, and the biodiversity-ecosystem function linkages should help to advance the science of restoration ecology. The challenge is to test theory while attempting to accomplish specific restoration objectives. A long-term program of restoration research at the Tijuana Estuary (southern California) illustrates both the theory of diversity x function and the practice of restoring salt marsh vegetation. We review other experiments that have tested the influence of topographic heterogeneity on the development of ecosystem functions, and the importance of natural range of variability in determining reference conditions. We have challenged leading ecologists well versed in ecological theory and/or experimentation to add to these examples and to present their most creative ideas on the linkage (existing or potential) between ecological theory and restoration.
KEY WORDS: restoration , theory, experimentation