O. L. LANGE, P. S. NOBEL, C. B. OSMOND, and H. ZIEGLER In the last
volume of the series 'Physiological Plant Ecology' we have asked
contributors to address the bases of ecosystem processes in terms of key
plant physiological properties. It has often been suggested that it is
not profitable to attempt analysis of complex living systems in terms of
the properties of component individuals or populations, i. e., the whole
is more than the sum of its parts. Nevertheless, assessments of
ecological research over the last century show that other approaches are
seldom more helpful. Although it is possible to describe complex systems
of living organisms in holistic terms, the most useful descriptions are
found in terms of the birth, growth and death of individ- uals. This
allows analysis of performance of the parts of the whole considering
their synergistic and antagonistic interrelationships and is the basis
for a synthe- sis which elucidates the specific properties of a system.
Thus it seems that the description of ecosystem processes is inevitably
anchored in physiological under- standing. If enquiry into complex
living systems is to remain a scientific exercise, it must retain
tangible links with physiology. Of course, as was emphasized in Vol.
12A, not all of our physiological understanding is required to explore
ecosystem processes. For pragmatic purposes, the whole may be
adequantely represented as a good deal less than the sum of its parts.