One direction for improving ecosystem modeling

Simulation modeling of ecological systems has been more heavily emphasized as a part of the U.S. contribution to the International Biological Program, IBP. Research pursued by the biomes, major components of the USIBP effort, has developed some of the strengths and identified some of the weaknesses of simulation modeling as adopted from the physical sciences. This paper describes a new direction for ecosystem simulation which has been suggested by these earlier efforts. The proposed system would organize models in the way ecosystems organize themselves. It would take, as inputs, environmental information and modeling objectives and would produce, as output, a model of the system appropriate to the given objectives. While such a system is years away, intermediate systems will provide direction to the larger task and be useful in themselves.