Molecular biological and ecosystems research spans up to 15 

 orders of magnitude, temporally and spatially (Fig. 1) . This 

 biological space-time scale has an analogue in that expanse between 

 particle physics and astrophysics. Here, a fundamental 

 understanding of physical processes on subatomic scales is required 

 to explain the behavior of immense celestial 



vegetation dynamics 

 remote sensing 



partitioning 

 phenology productivity 



metabolic regulation 

 CO, . Oj . H 2 exchange 



hour 



j 



week year century 

 O £> O 



10 10 



Seconds 



Fig. 1. An example of the scales of magnitude differences between 

 systems ecological processes and molecular biological processes. 

 In photosynthesis, light harvesting and primary charge separation, 

 which comprise the actual process, occur on spatial scales of ca. 

 10"^ to 10" 4 microns and time scales of 10" 5 to 10 seconds. These 

 processes are strongly tied to molecular events through the 

 synthesis and assembly of the photosynthetic apparatus. The 

 integration of the photosynthetic apparatus into the overall 

 metabolic processes of higher plant occurs on spatial scales of ca. 

 10 3 microns and time scales of 10 3 seconds, and on plant growth, on 

 scales of ca. 10 6 microns and time scales of 10 6 seconds. The 

 ecosystem scale, of 10 9 microns with a time scale of 10 9 seconds, 

 is, in turn, an integral of the molecular, metabolic, and 

 reproductive processes on a community level. (From Osmond et al., 

 1991) . Associated with each space-time scale are specialized 

 disciplines of biological research; at present, disciplines at the 

 small scales are poorly integrated into ecosystems research. 



