Acknowledgments
This book had its intellectual origin during a productive sabbatical leave at Stanford University where most of the editors met and freely discussed ideas about
science in general and ecology in particular. At that time, we realized that there
was a gap in ecology and that a book synthesizing methods in ecosystem science
was badly needed. From the origin of the idea until completion of the book, we
benefited from the help and encouragement of many people and institutions. We
are deeply indebted to Amy Austin for her constant support, encouragement, and
insightful discussions. We are very grateful to the authors for producing such
high-quality chapters and for tolerating our multiple demands. We want to thank
our responsible reviewers who, with their anonymous work, assured the excellent
quality of all the chapters. Janet Slobodien provided excellent guidance and support throughout this project. We specially want to thank Anne Schram, Jazmin
Vrsalovic, and Christian Micieli who contributed in many ways to the completion
of this project. Finally, the Guggenheim and Mellon Foundations, the University
of Buenos Aires, CDNICET, and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change
Research supported DES while the U.S. Department of Energy supported RBJ
during the period when the ideas for this book fermented.
Osvaldo Sala
Roblackson
Hal Mooney
Bob Howarth
vii
This book had its intellectual origin during a productive sabbatical leave at Stanford University where most of the editors met and freely discussed ideas about
science in general and ecology in particular. At that time, we realized that there
was a gap in ecology and that a book synthesizing methods in ecosystem science
was badly needed. From the origin of the idea until completion of the book, we
benefited from the help and encouragement of many people and institutions. We
are deeply indebted to Amy Austin for her constant support, encouragement, and
insightful discussions. We are very grateful to the authors for producing such
high-quality chapters and for tolerating our multiple demands. We want to thank
our responsible reviewers who, with their anonymous work, assured the excellent
quality of all the chapters. Janet Slobodien provided excellent guidance and support throughout this project. We specially want to thank Anne Schram, Jazmin
Vrsalovic, and Christian Micieli who contributed in many ways to the completion
of this project. Finally, the Guggenheim and Mellon Foundations, the University
of Buenos Aires, CDNICET, and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change
Research supported DES while the U.S. Department of Energy supported RBJ
during the period when the ideas for this book fermented.
Osvaldo Sala
Roblackson
Hal Mooney
Bob Howarth
vii