Towards a conceptual synthesis in ecotoxicology

Systems ecology provides a conceptual synthesis of the sub-disciplines of ecotoxicology and bridges levels of biological and chemical organization. The model proposed here emphasizes the interaction and coevolution between living systems and their physico-chemical environment. The behavior of substances is accounted for by their rarity and complexity, and the response of biological systems by their maturity and their hierarchical position as components of larger biological systems. Using this macroscopic perspective in combination with the detailed ecotoxicological knowledge may yield a powerful explanatory and predictive tool.