Robert Ulanowicz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert E. Ulanowicz (b. 1943) is a theoretical ecologist who is best known for his search for a "unified theory of ecology". He is Professor of Theoretical Ecology at the University of Maryland's Chesapeake Biological Laboratory. Ulanowicz received both his BS and PhD in chemical engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 1964 and 68, respectively.
[edit] Overview
Ulanowicz uses techniques from information theory and thermodynamics in order to study the organization of the flows of energy and nutrients within ecosystems. Although his work is not well known, it has widespread applications in fields as diverse as ecology, economics, and complexity theory.
Although Ulanowicz initially began his career with some substantial successes in modeling of ecological systems using differential equations, he soon began to reach the limits of this approach. Realizing that any ecosystem is a Complex system, he decided to move away from what he saw as a reductionist approach, and instead work towards development of theoretical measures of the ecosystem as a whole.
[edit] Works
Ulanowicz is the author of several books and has authored or co-authored over a hundred articles in theoretical ecology and related fields.
- Ecology: The Ascendant Perspective, an introduction to Theoretical Ecology,
- Growth and Development - Ecosystems phenomenology, 1986
