The Merging of Metapopulation Theory and Marine Ecology: Establishing the Historical Context

The goal here is to examine the use of metapopulation concepts and theory in marine systems. The authors consider three general explanations for the pattern of use of metapopulation ideas in marine ecology: examine whether there are fundamental differences between marine and terrestrial systems, explore whether the slow adaptation of a metapopulation paradigm in marine ecology might have a direct consequence of the pattern of development of ideas and questions in marine ecology, and examine the extent to which marine environmental management and conservation may have helped initiate and now continue to drive the application of metapopulation theory.