Boundaries (ecotones) are transition zones between ecological systems. (communities, ecosystems, biomes), having a set of characteristics uniquely defined by space and time scales and by the strength of the interactions between adjacent ecological systems. Recently there has been increasing recognition of the importance of patch boundaries. This importance is based on several suppositions: the potential significance of boundaries for prudently managing the biosphere; the number of putative characteristics of boundaries that are significant in understanding ecological systems in general; and the recognized relative paucity of data from boundaries. This award funds United States participation at an international symposium on the "Role of Ecotones in Aquatic Landscape Management and Restoration." The workshop will be held in Sopron, Hungary, 23-27 May 1988. The funds will be used for travel of U.S. scientists actively participating in the workshop as plenary speakers or discussion group leaders, for defraying some local (U.S.) costs for planning, and for partial salary support for the principal investigator while editing the workshop proceedings to be published by Cambridge University Press.
