Approaches to advance scientific understanding of macrosystems ecology

Abstract

The emergence of macrosystems ecology (MSE), which focuses on regional‐ to continental‐scale ecological patterns and processes, builds upon a history of long‐term and broad‐scale studies in ecology. Scientists face the difficulty of integrating the many elements that make up macrosystems, which consist of hierarchical processes at interacting spatial and temporal scales. Researchers must also identify the most relevant scales and variables to be considered, the required data resources, and the appropriate study design to provide the proper inferences. The large volumes of multi‐thematic data often associated with macrosystem studies typically require validation, standardization, and assimilation. Finally, analytical approaches need to describe how cross‐scale and hierarchical dynamics and interactions relate to macroscale phenomena. Here, we elaborate on some key methodological challenges of MSE research and discuss existing and novel approaches to meet them.

Quantifying the influences of various ecological factors on land surface temperature of urban forests

“…More importantly, the indirect effect between patch area and multiple ecological factors has a stronger influence on urban forest LST than direct effects. In fact, when a strong interaction exists between ecological factors, statistical significance does not have true ecological significance when only considering the impact of dominant factors (Levy et al, 2014).…”

Predicting Effects of Climate Change on Habitat Suitability of Red Spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of the USA: Understanding Complex Systems Mechanisms through Modeling

“…Failing to explain interactions across scales results in misunderstanding of controlling factors, which can lead to ineffective or erroneous management decisions [31]. Hierarchical models, such as Bayesian statistical models, have been used to quantify interactions across scales [31][32][33], but still, only a few studies have quantified such interactions [34].…”

NEON and STREON: opportunities and challenges for the aquatic sciences

“…Dealing with these large data sets successfully will require use of analytical tools that are new for many aquatic ecologists (Levy et al 2014). Some fields of environmental science (particularly remote sensing) have long dealt with very large data sets, as have life scientists studying molecular biology.…”