Information theory in ecology

The application of information theory (IT) to ecology has occurred along two separate lines: (1) it has been used to quantify the distribution of stocks and numbers of organisms; and (2) it has been employed to quantify the pattern of interactions of trophic processes. By and large, the first endeavor has resulted in relatively few insights into ecosystem dynamics and has generated much ambiguity and disappointment, so that most ecologists remain highly skeptical about the advisability of applying IT to ecology. By contrast, the second, and less well-known application has shed light on the possibility that ecosystem behavior is the most palpable example of a purely natural 'infodynamics' that transcends classical dynamics, but remains well within the realm of quantitative description. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.