What term describes the practice of testing models that explain and predict ecological systems?

• A. Landscape Ecology
• B. Productivity
• C. Ecological Models
• D. Ecotones

Answer: (C)

Testing models that explain and predict ecological systems centers on ecological models. Ecological models are simplified representations of real ecosystems used to understand processes and forecast how systems might respond to changes. By building these models and comparing their predictions with actual observations, scientists validate and calibrate them, assess their accuracy, and explore how factors like climate, land use, or species interactions could shift outcomes. The other terms describe different concepts: Landscape Ecology studies spatial patterns across environments, productivity is a rate of biomass generation, and ecotones are transitional zones between ecosystems.