Bridging the gap in marine and terrestrial studies

Abstract

Ecologists are interested in understanding natural phenomena and strive to make comparisons across systems to better understand broad ecological processes and patterns. Recent reviews showcased how marine and terrestrial ecologists (as an example of two isolated disciplines) can benefit from sharing information. Here, a literature review shows that marine studies often lack the generality needed to bridge the often observed gap between theory developed in marine and terrestrial systems. In order to stimulate constructive comparisons across systems, we discuss potential reasons for this lower generality, with the goal of more broadly understanding ecological processes and patterns.