The changing place of theory in 20th century ecology: from universal laws to array of methodologies

Abstract

From the beginning of the 20th century ecologists have tried to do self‐sufficient hard science that possesses real theory and laws. Early mathematical models were partly borrowed from physics and chemistry. For a long time they were the characteristic feature of theoretical ecology despite the striking absence of supporting empirical data. In the late 1960s a growing disappointment in “classical” theoretical foundations of ecology forced some researchers to propose “pattern‐oriented” models that were derived from observation of real populations, communities and ecosystems, rather than from common sense written in mathematical language. However, this view had its own shortcomings, and in the 1980s it was supplemented by a “mechanistic” approach aimed at understanding basic processes and constraints. This shift of attention from general “laws” to “patterns” and later to “mechanisms” corresponds to an evident weakening of demands for theoretical rigour. Although there are great doubts about the existence of universal laws in ecology, ecologists continue to search for generalities. This search has resulted in an elaboration of methodologies that describe post hoc changes in populations, communities and ecosystems, with limited predictive ability.

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