benthic bionomy (Bionomie Benthique) is the discipline interested in
identifying benthic biocoenoses and describing them (which species are
exclusive of a given biocoenosis, which are characteristic, and so on).
Biology, even the sole "bentic biology" is ... well it is something more,
actually more. Organism interactions, dynamics, the study of life cycles,
of organism functioning, all this has nothing or little to do with bionomy
and IS biology. That's partly why I don't like bionomy, even in the
Mediterranean context. It is the attempt to describe biotic communities
(which are dynamic entities) with static models, as if the were based on a
single photograph of the environment. Instead the communities change,
evolve and this is the intimate reason of their existing, yet it is the
aspect not dealt with by bionomy.
There have been attempt in the past to export the "bionomie benthique" to
other geographic areas (South  America, Antarctica etc...) with little
success. I would prefer the study of benthic ecology be focused on the
importance of the dynamics rather that simply describing "instantaneous
photographs" of the communities.

..... maybe I'm too critical ....

cheers
Marco


=========================================================
Marco Oliverio - Evolutionary Biology PhD
Research Scientist

Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell'Uomo
Viale dell'Universita' 32
I-00185 Roma   ITALY

phone  +39.06.49914307
FAX    +39.06.4958259
e-mail: [log in to unmask]

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