The future of macroecology

Hi all,

The paper for today is actually the first paper of our book - the 1989 paper by Brown and Maurer that gave macroecology its name. Since that time, much has happened with the approach ..

and it has become more widely employed in science - and even in disciplines outside of ecology ...


So why is this so? And, how might you employ this approach to science in your own work?

Comments

Oona said…
I think the reason macroecology has become so popular is that it deals with large datasets and big concepts, from which we can understand begin to understand broad patterns in biology. Especially in this age of big data and increasingly greater computing power, it makes sense that macroecology would be a subfield that continues to grow.

After taking this class, I'm very interested in applying a macroecological approach to understanding how body size and diet played a role in selective extinctions within bird communities in the Pleistocene and today.
May 7, 2020 at 11:02 AM
liz said…
I think that as the field of ecology advances along with technology, researchers now more than ever are able to study large processes because huge amounts of data are available. This kind of work wasn't really feasible before the last decade or two when powerful computers weren't as common as they are now. Additionally, I think researchers are more interested in macroecological concepts as we are faced with global issues such as anthropogenic climate change. In my own work, I'm interested in applying macroecology to my research in the field of plant ecology. I'm interested in investigating the spatial distribution of plants, and after taking GIS and spatial statistics classes this past year, I'm better-equipped to look for broad spatial patterns.
May 11, 2020 at 10:27 AM
Brian said…
I agree with Liz, the more ability we have to analyze larger and larger data sets the more people are able to explore macroecological concepts in more fields. In terms of my own research, macroecology is essential as I work with large species ranges and at least one of my chapters is going to focus on the ecology of my study organism through thousands of years in time. Having access to technology that allows me to process large data sets is esssential given the amount of samples and the genetic data involved with each. I'm curious how many papers aren't mentioned in these figures that focus on macro concepts because I'm sure thoses numbers would be much higher
May 13, 2020 at 3:05 PM
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