River science—What has it contributed to general ecological theory?

Abstract

A special session of the 56th Annual Meeting of the North American Benthological Society in Utah in 2008 explored the contribution riverine benthic science has made to general concepts of ecological theory. Advances in general ecological theory have been made by riverine science in many areas, including metabolic theory, decomposition, reciprocal subsidies between ecosystems, ecotonal patterns and processes, secondary production and biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (B-EF). However in many cases these advances have not been taken up by other ecologists in their publications. In this special issue, we explore these contributions and examine reasons for the lack of uptake and suggest possible ways forward so that riverine benthic science can make a greater overall contribution to general ecological theory.