Function in Ecology: Concepts, Values, and Management

This dissertation develops accounts of functional explanations in ecosystem ecology. My arguments emphasize the following two themes: (1) Ecological change, whether “natural” or anthropogenic, is the status quo. Both philosophical and management work pertaining to ecosystems should reflect the ways in which ecosystems are expected to continue changing. (2) Human value judgments play important roles in ecological research, concepts, and explanations. As such, ecology presents many important and understudied cases for considering philosophical issues related to values in science and value-laden concepts. I develop accounts of functional concepts at multiple scales. First, I develop a new causal-role theory of ecological role functions, which are the functions of species within ecosystems. Next, I characterize the concept of ecosystem functioning. I argue that conclusions within the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning research program are value laden because ecosystem functioning is a positive evaluative concept much like wellbeing. Then, I develop a constructivist account of ecosystem health. I argue that specific anthropocentric values, in conjunction with natural properties of ecosystems, inform contemporary judgments about the health of ecosystems. Finally, I consider the values of biodiversity at the ecosystem and global scales. I argue that global biodiversity may not have instrumental value to humans due to the lack of a causal connection between global-scale species richness and the functions of ecosystems. In view of this, I survey alternative types of value which might be attributed to global biodiversity