In this second of two lectures on ecosystem ecology, Dr. Whendee Silver focuses on specific examples of how to conceptualize and measure complex changes in ecosystems. She notes that ecosystem function will be defined by the availability of the most limiting resource, and that over time, the limiting resource will also change. She presents several examples of ecosystem properties or components that play a different limiting role depending on the spatial and temporal context. She then discusses the data challenges and opportunities associated with combining simulated models with field assessments, and notes the potential scale mismatch between these data and analyses. She also reflects on the contributions that can be made by ecosystem ecology to questions of environmental conservation and restoration, and highlights that ecosystem ecology can help answer questions of how and why a current ecosystem functions as it does.
More information on the Immersion Program and other lectures can be found here: http://www.sesync.org/for-you/educator/programs/immersion.
