Author: World Catalog reviewer.

World Catalog Review. Ecosystem definition. New Definitions of the Concepts and Terms Ecosystem
and Biogeocenosis.
This text was taken from the web-page of World Catalog:

http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2014/05/review.html
https://www.worldcat.org/title/new-definitions-of-the-concepts-and-terms-ecosystem-and-
biogeocenosis/oclc/95488421
https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/95488421?page=review
This is a fundamental contribution to ecology, a top paper. Prior to this paper no satisfactory
ecosystem definition existed. The ecosystem definitions of ecosystem in many textbooks on ecology
are outdated, vague, naive, and self-contradictory. Usually these definitions included other scientific
terms which in turn required their definitions that usually - in open or hidden form - were based on
the concept of ecosystem. As a result, a vicious circle took place. The creator of the concept and
verbal expression 'ecological system' did not even try to give a definition, in his famous paper
[Tansley, A.G. (1935). "The use and abuse of vegetational terms and concepts"].
The paper under review [New Definitions of the Concepts and Terms Ecosystem and Biogeocenosis, by
S. A. Ostroumov] is absolutely unique, carefully innovative, and totally useful. The author, Fulbright
Award-winning scientist Dr. Sergei A. Ostroumov avoided all of the defects of ecosystem definitions
that were mentioned above.
His definition is clear, modern, in simple words, without oversimplification, without logical self-
contradictions. It is correct, usable and useful.
Dr. Sergei Ostroumov is the author of a series of research papers and books which covered different
areas of ecology. He did his research on both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, on both
autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms. He had experience in organismal biology and in biochemistry
and chemical ecology. Moreover, he had experience in teaching in universities in Russia and the U.S.A.
This broad experience gave him a solid basis for a well-balanced approach to the difficult task of
formulating a modern ecosystem definition.
It is interesting that in the same paper the author modernized another key term which is being often
used in Russian scientific literature and less known in Western Europe and the U.S. This term is
biogeocoenosis (proposed by Prof. Sukachev in the 1940s). This term is - to a degree an analog of
ecosystem. This term have not been modernized since the 1940s so that Dr. Sergei A. Ostroumov did
a really commendable job of updating the both terms (ecosystem and biogeocenosis).
THE CONCLUSION: I would like to give my very strong recommendations to this really useful article.
The need for a modern ecosystem definition will increase with time. The value of this article will
increase. It will be well cited.

ADDENDUM.
More info and links on this paper:

www.researchgate.net/.../200577836_New_definitions_of_the_concepts_an...
Ostroumov S.A. New definitions of the concepts and terms ecosystem and biogeocenosis. - Doklady
Biological Sciences 2002 (March), Volume 383, Numbers ...

5bio5.blogspot.com/2013/01/new-definitions-of-concepts-and-terms.html
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12053565
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Tags: environmental education, ecological education, biological education, ecosystem, definition,
ecology, concepts, terminology,