生态学报2018，Vol.38Issue(1)：31-40,10.DOI:10.5846/stxb201609271950
生态系统生态学研究的关键问题及趋势——从“整体论与还原论的争论”看
Key problems and trends in the study of ecosystem ecology based on the debate of holism and reductionism
摘要
Abstract
The debate of holism and reductionism regarding the ecosystem suggests that ecosystem holism requires further understanding.Tansley created the term "ecosystem" and regarded it as "quasi organisms" including the biotic and abiotic associations and human interventions.Thereafter,Lindeman,Eugene,and Howard Odum were fundamental in the development of a systemic-holistic approach.Specifically,Lindeman submitted a chapter of his thesis for publication in the journal Ecology that outlined the Ten Percent Law (namely,the trophodynamics of ecology).Odum brothers adopted the term "ecosystem" and developed it further.The two brothers worked closely together-they were both committed to promoting Lindeman's functional-systemic approach.Because of their efforts,ecosystem was seen as the fundamental functional unit for ecology,which brought together biotic and abiotic components to form circular paths of energy flow.However,the system ecology of Odum brothers was inappropriate based on material-energy,which was viewed as "reductionist holism".Patten et al.proposed the ecological network theory to avoid the reductionism dilemma of the holism of Odum brothers.The ecological network was not only the description of trophic relationships in food webs,but also a representation of the biotic interactions in an ecosystem,in which species were connected by pairwise interactions or links.These interactions can be trophic or symbiotic.Patten et al.considered entities as networks of interrelated factors and defined them as ecosystems.The ecosystem was an entirety formed by an organic or an inorganic entity as well as its featured environment,and constituted an analyzable unit.In this way,Patten et al.attempted to improve the theory of Odum brothers to moderate holism to strengthen the ontological ecosystem holism,and tried to make the context of ecosystem have more wholeness.Patten et al.adopted the "network environ analysis" to consider the emergence of ecosystem on the physical level,and proposed that more attention should be paid to biological phenomena.However,in ecosystems,there are random quantification problems regarding qualitative ecosystem processes,resulting in the study of semiotic phenomena to fall into reductionism dilemma.Jφrgensen et al.proposed the "system theory" of ecosystem ecology and declared their intention not only to just repeat what was already known but also to introduce some new perspectives about ecosystems.They attempted to boost ecosystem research to an integrated framework including material-energy-information-network and asserted that ecosystems have seven attributes.Their efforts were of importance because they were from not only an epistemological viewpoint but also a scientific viewpoint.However,their tasks still have issues on how to balance energy and biogeochemistry.From the above argument,it can be implied that the trend of ecosystem ecology research is a progressive transformation from "material entity"-" energy flow""information network",and finally to "open system".The key challenge of ecosystem ecology is how to better understand the wholeness of ecosystem by adopting a method that appropriately reflects the wholeness of ecosystem.关键词
生态系统/有机体/能量/信息/网络/系统/整体论/还原论Key words
ecosystem/organism/energy/information/network/system/holism/reductionism引用本文复制引用
肖显静,何进..生态系统生态学研究的关键问题及趋势——从“整体论与还原论的争论”看[J].生态学报,2018,38(1):31-40,10.基金项目
2014年度国家社会科学基金重点项目(14AZX008) （14AZX008）
