information is a challenge for molecular biologists, but the 

 realization of that goal will provide systems ecologists with a 

 more complete understanding of biological processes and how they 

 will be affected by environmental changes. Ultimately, to 

 effectively integrate molecular biology into ecological research, 

 molecular biologists will need to develop an understanding of 

 crucial ecological processes and transfer their laboratory based 

 skills and techniques to the field. A major goal of this 

 initiative is to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, thereby 

 promoting the transfer of those skills and providing a means to 

 integrate scientific disciplines. 



Current Themes and Issues in Systems Ecology 



A goal of ecosystems research is to quantify the fluxes of 

 materials and energy between trophic levels. Many key elements in 

 biogeochemical cycles undergo reduction and oxidation as a result 

 of biological processes. Oxidation-reduction reactions fuel all 

 biological processes and are the major classes of biochemical 

 reactions affecting or affected by the composition of the 

 atmosphere. A major biological reduction process is 

 photosynthesis, in which carbon dioxide is biochemically reduced to 

 organic carbon. The major reductant is water. A major oxidation 

 reaction is aerobic respiration, in which organic carbon is 

 chemically oxidized, providing energy and liberating inorganic 

 carbon. The oxidant is molecular oxygen. Other key elements, such 

 as nitrogen, sulfur, iron, and manganese, also undergo biologically 

 mediated oxidation-reduction. The cycles of these elements, and 

 others, such as phosphorus (which is not oxidized or reduced by 

 biological activity), ultimately regulate the carbon cycle. 



The workshop participants identified three basic areas of 

 ecological uncertainty in understanding the regulation and function 

 of biogeochemical cycles: 



(1) The characterization of external, rate-limiting processes 

 in natural ecosystems. 



(2) The characterization of inherently imposed energetic 

 constraints on the ability of organisms to grow and function. 



(3) The characterization of the relationships between 

 community structure and environmental perturbation. 



