Given the remarkable diversity of wetland types and the complexities of their processes and composition that we have seen in the first nine chapters, how might we begin systematic scientific study? This is an important issue not only for those of us concerned with wetland ecology, but also for practitioners of ecology in general. Where and how do we start? One is reminded of the old Buddhist story about the blind scholars and the elephant. Asked to describe the elephant, the first scholar, touching the massive side, states “It is like a wall.” The second scholar, holding the tail, says “No, it is like a piece of rope.” The third, holding the trunk, insists “You're both wrong. It is a kind of snake.” And so on. We constantly risk that scholarly understanding of the phenomenon will be distorted by our starting point, or by our own limited frames of reference. Yet, we must start somewhere. Wetlands provide one feature that may assist us in scientific study: they are often arranged along gradients.

The search for fundamental principles

Anyone who has visited a wetland is likely to have been struck by the power of gradients to produce rapid changes in composition. Whether it is a northern lakeshore, a tree island in the Everglades, a delta on the coast of Louisiana, or a tropical floodplain, minor changes in water depth often produce profound changes in the types of plants and animals that we see.