Almost as Good as The Exorcist: A Hierarchical Concept of Ecosystems

Head-spinning stuff

...But don't take my word for it, trust the excellent Liam Heneghan. Ecology must deal with reductionism, viz: “In evolutionary debates hierarchy theory has been applied by those looking for a salve to evolutionary perspectives taking a very gene-centric view of the process, since wholes can constrain parts as much as parts contribute to the whole...”