Marine Macroecology

Pioneered in the late 1980s, the concept of macroecology – a framework for studying ecological communities with a focus on patterns and processes – revolutionized the field. Although this approach has been applied mainly to terrestrial ecosystems, there is increasing interest in quantifying macroecological patterns in the sea and understanding the processes that generate them. Taking stock of the current work in the field and advocating a research agenda for the decades ahead, “Marine Macroecology” draws together insights and approaches from a diverse group of scientists to show how marine ecology can benefit from the adoption of macroecological approaches. Divided into three parts, “Marine Macroecology” first provides an overview of marine diversity patterns and offers case studies of specific habitats and taxonomic groups. In the second part, contributors focus on process-based explanations for marine ecological patterns. The third part presents new approaches to understanding processes driving the macroecological patterns in the sea. Uniting unique insights from different perspectives with the common goal of identifying and understanding large-scale biodiversity patterns, “Marine Macroecology” will inspire the next wave of marine ecologists to approach their research from a macroecological perspective.