The Role of Abiotic Factors in Community Organization

Very few ecological studies have attempted to fully test the integrative role of abiotic and biotic factors in interspecific interactions. There is little if any dispute about the value of such an approach in community ecology. However, there is great disagreement over the present direction of the field; we advocate a reemphasis of the integrative role of abiotic and biotic factors. By using literature examples and data on the role of salinity in reversing the competitive relations between fish of the genus Lucania, we have suggested a reemphasis on these interactions. This represents a blend of the traditional fields of ecology, physiology, and toxicology and could facilitate progress in community ecology. As such it could also be a significant part of the new direction sought for the field of physiological ecology. Finally, we are not arguing that abiotic parameters are necessarily more important than any of a group of multiple factors that may be involved in regulating community structure, only that they must be included as possible controlling variables in any complete study.