Abstract
Measurements in ecology are made in standard, though arbitrary, units. However, some ecological processes occur at spatial and temporal extents that are best measured in nonstandard units. Rescaling the units of measurement to scales that are characteristic of the process being studied helps simplify the description of a complex ecological system. Based on the units of measurement, two different types of ecological processes are ecological kinetics and ecological energetics. Each type of process may contribute to patterns observed in a complex system. Most ecological systems can be described as hierarchically constructed systems. Levels in hierarchical descriptions may be either nested or non-nested. Multiscale models, that is, models that incorporate measurements taken on different spatial or temporal scales, best describe hierarchical systems. If a multiscale model is to be useful, it is necessary to develop techniques to recognize and measure boundaries among different entities at each postulated level in the hierarchy. A special class of hierarchical models describes scaling patterns in ecological systems. Scaling patterns imply the existence of processes that operate in similar ways at different levels of a hierarchy.
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