Bridging the gap between aquatic and terrestrial ecology

Although terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems differ in various respects (e.g. Carr et al. 2003), they are also strongly linked (e.g. Polis & Hurd 1995, Gende et al. 2002, Brashares et al. 2004, Knight et al. 2005, Orr et al. 2005). Unfortunately, ecologists working on these 2 eco-domains are, at best, only weakly linked. Steele (1995, p. 16) states: ‘I have emphasized the separation between marine and terrestrial ecological studies because there are major differences in concepts, in organization, and in funding‘. Analyses referring to the ‘conservation’ part of ecology (Irish & Norse 1996, Kochin & Levin 2003, Ormerod 2003) show that Steele’s remark is supported by quantitative evidence. Not only this, but ‘Unfortunately, ecologists who specialize in certain types of ecosystem tend to favor particular hypotheses and observations, and discount hypotheses and observations noted in other ecosystems.‘ (Chase 2000, p. 412). Such barriers to communication, whether real or perceived, undoubtedly slow down progress in ecology as a discipline, and have profound implications for its advancement and effectiveness. Comparisons across eco-domains allow us to (1) identify the need for developing new theories and/or models for particular ecotypes (e.g. marine food webs: Link 2002; epidemiology: McCallum et al. 2004); (2) identify widely applicable ecological processes and develop nomothetic approaches to address critical ecological issues (see also Steele 1991, 1995, Chase 2000); and (3) design conservation plans and policies that