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Conceptualizing communities as natural entities: a philosophical argument with basic and applied implications

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A Commentary to this article was published on 11 February 2019

Abstract

Recent work has suggested that conservation efforts such as restoration ecology and invasive species eradication are largely value-driven pursuits. Concurrently, changes to global climate are forcing ecologists to consider if and how collections of species will migrate, and whether or not we should be assisting such movements. Herein, we propose a philosophical framework which addresses these issues by utilizing ecological and evolutionary interrelationships to delineate individual ecological communities. Specifically, our Evolutionary Community Concept (ECC) recognizes unique collections of species that interact and have co-evolved in a given geographic area. We argue this concept has implications for a number of contemporary global conservation issues. Specifically, our framework allows us to establish a biological and science-driven context for making decisions regarding the restoration of systems and the removal of exotic species. The ECC also has implications for how we view shifts in species assemblages due to climate change and it advances our understanding of various ecological concepts, such as resilience.

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Acknowledgements

C. Murray provided helpful discussion and assisted in conceptualization of figures. K. Smith, L. Smith, M. Conner, N. Chadwick, J. Grand, C. Anderson, J. Maerz, C. Murray, J. Stiles, S. Stiles, D. Alix, C. Romagosa, J. Goessling, D. Laurencio, M. Wines and B. Folt provided comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. E.P. Cox and Auburn University librarians and staff provided assistance obtaining references. K. Barrett received support from Clemson University’s College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences during the preparation of this manuscript.

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  1. David A. Steen and Kyle Barrett have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA

    David A. Steen & Craig Guyer

  2. Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA

    Kyle Barrett

  3. All Souls College, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 4AL, UK

    Ellen Clarke

  4. School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Ellen Clarke

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  1. David A. Steen
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Correspondence to Kyle Barrett.

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Steen, D.A., Barrett, K., Clarke, E. et al. Conceptualizing communities as natural entities: a philosophical argument with basic and applied implications. Biol Philos 32, 1019–1034 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-017-9589-8

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