Words similar to mesocosm
Example sentences for: mesocosm
How can you use “mesocosm” in a sentence? Here are some example sentences to help you improve your vocabulary:
Varying habitat size affects species and communities living in small aquatic habitats, and many of these species appear to be flexible in their choice of habitat [ 16 23 24 25 ] . However, we need to be able to distinguish between fundamental effects of scale, that is, how habitats of different size affect growth and survival of individual C. pipiens, and artifacts caused by scaling, which may be determined as much by experimental design as by actual differences in habitat scale [ 3 ] . Vertical, or wall, surface area is thought to be the source of artifacts in micro- and mesocosm experiments that are scaled down from actual habitat size and artificially enclose the system in question [ 3 ] . Wall area is an artifact, because as microcosms are scaled down wall area per unit volume increases, which may affect composition of the microbial community and increase dominance of periphyton [ 3 ] . Determining the source of effects is critical for understanding the ecology of scaling and for how microcosm design affects experimental outcomes.
Microcosm and mesocosm studies are commonly used in ecological studies of aquatic and terrestrial habitats [ 1 2 3 ] . Microcosms and mesocosms are generally subsets of communities and abiotic factors of particular ecosystems, with restricted exchange of matter and energy [ 3 ] . These containers are by definition smaller than the organism's actual habitat, and controversy exists about the relevance of these studies because of the scaling of simulated habitats and the lack of replication and complexity [ 1 3 4 5 ] . There is often an implicit, and untested, assumption that scaling doesn't affect experimental outcomes in microcosm studies [ 3 ] .
Loading...