Review Ecophisiology

Revista Brasil. Bot., V.27, n.1, p.1-10, jan.-mar. 2004

Review paper/Artigo de revisão

Ecophysiology
ULRICH LÜTTGE1,3 and FABIO R. SCARANO2
(received: July 26, 2003; accepted: November 27, 2003)

ABSTRACT – (Ecophysiology). An attempt to delineate rather than to precisely define what we mean by ”ecophysiology“ is
based on a brief historical overview of what eventually led todevelopment of instrumentation and sampling strategies for
analyses that allow description of physiological performance in the field. These techniques are surveyed. Ecophysiology
originally is aut-ecology dedicated to the behaviour of individual plants, species or higher taxa, viz. “physiotypes”, in particular
habitats. Examples of ecophysiological diversity are developed, which illustrate gradualmerging with more integrative
considerations of functions and dynamics of habitats or ecosystems, i.e. a trend of research towards physiological synecology. The latter is exemplified by studies with comparisons of a variety of morphotypes and physiotypes within a given
habitat or ecosystem and across a range of habitats or ecosystems. The high demand and complexity as well as the excitement
ofecology and ecophysiology arise from the quest to cover all conditions of the existence of organisms according to Ernst
Haeckel´s original definition of “ecology”.
Key words - ecological history, ecological integration, ecophysiology, physiological syn-ecology
RESUMO – (Ecofisiologia). Esta revisão procura delinear ao invés de precisamente definir o significado do termo “ecofisiologia”,
com base emum breve apanhado histórico do desenvolvimento da instrumentação e de estratégias de amostragem para
análises que permitam a descrição de desempenho fisiológico em condições de campo. Ecofisiologia originariamente é autoecologia dedicada ao comportamento de plantas individuais, espécies ou táxons superiores, viz. “fisiotipos”, em determinados
habitats. Exemplos de diversidade ecofisiológica sãotratados e ilustram a gradual integração desta disciplina com aspectos
referentes ao funcionamento e dinâmica de habitats ou ecossistemas, i.e., uma tendência de pesquisas voltadas para uma
“sinecologia fisiológica”. Estudos que comparam uma gama de morfotipos e fisiotipos dentro de um dado habitat ou ecossistema
ou entre habitats ou ecossistemas são exemplos deste caso. A complexidade e oencantamento da ecologia e da ecofisiologia
emergem justamente da necessidade de cobrir todas as condições de existência dos organismos, de acordo com a definição
original de “ecologia” de Ernst Haeckel.
Palavras-chaves - ecofisiologia, história da ecologia, integração ecológica, sinecologia fisiológica

Introduction:
historical reminiscence and definitions
ECOLOGY is:

STEPHEN JAY GOULD“The entire science of the relations of the
organism to its surrounding environment,
comprising in a broader sense all conditions
of its existence.”
ERNST HAECKEL
(“Die gesamte Wissenschaft von den Beziehungen des
Organismus zur umgebenden Außenwelt, wohin wir im
weiteren Sinne alle Existenzbedingungen rechnen können.”)

1.
2.
3.

“…… a label for anything good that happens
far fromcities or anything that does not have
synthetic chemicals in it.”

Darmstadt University of Technology, Institute of Botany,
Schittspahnstr. 3-5, D-64289, Darmstadt, Germany
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, IB, Dept
Ecologia, Caixa Postal 68020, 21941-970 Rio de Janeiro, RJ
Corresponding author: luettge@bio.tu-darmstadt.de

What is “ecophysiology”? Are we sure what we
mean by“ecology”? The original definition is by Ernst
Haeckel (1834-1919), who coined the term in 1866, about
which Stephen Jay Gould (1977) writes as follows:
“Ernst Haeckel, the great popularizer of
evolutionary theory in Germany, loved to coin
words. The vast majority of his creations died
with him half a century ago, but among the
survivors are ‘ontogeny’, ‘phylogeny’, and
‘ecology’. The last...