Introduction

Autecology and its place in ecological interpretation is only poorly understood. It has consequently been edged out of consideration as a valid ecological theory. The term “autecology” is used relatively infrequently in the ecological literature and seldom, if ever, in evolutionary biology. The understanding of autecology is confounded further because it is perceived in several fundamentally different ways. The various background perceptions of autecology therefore need to be disentangled to help establish its limits and thus determine what autecology really is. This aspect is covered in section 2. The place of autecology relative to other branches of ecology can thus be established.

The foundation statements (basic assumptions or fundamental premises) that define the basis and scope of autecology are expanded in section 3. At this stage it is sufficient to state that autecology deals with the species-specific adaptations of organisms, as they change through the various stages of the species’ life cycle, and how these are involved in interactions that impact on individual organisms in nature. The consequences for interpreting the local presence and geographical distribution of species and their changing intensity of occurrence (or abundance) across space and through time can thus be determined. In this way, autecology provides a mutually exclusive alternative perspective on these issues of central concern to ecology. Clearly, other branches of ecology also deal with these central issues, including population, community and landscape ecology. Teasing apart these alternative perceptions of ecology to justify that autecology is, indeed, a true alternative begins in section 2, but is returned to periodically through the chapter.