摘 要 ：生物通过非同化——异化过程影响环境的事实普遍存在，生态学家对此也开展了大量的研究，但缺乏相应理论框架的指导，使得这些工作的潜在价值未能得到充分的体现。学者Clive G. Jones等提出的“生态系统工程师”概念，概括了此类生态学现象的一般特征，为认识生物对环境的影响提供了一种新的理论框架。介绍了生态系统工程师概念及相关的理论体系，包括3个术语、2类生态系统工程师、5种生态系统工程概念模型以及工程效应的测定方法。同时，论述了该概念在入侵生态学、保护生物学、恢复生态学等领域的应用前景。最后，讨论了未来的研究方向。可以预料，生态系统工程师概念及相关理论的不断发展将有助于对生态学本质的认识，并为生态系统管理提供新的思路。
Abstract:“Ecosystem engineers” concept advocated by C.G. Jones generalizes the ecological phenomena that organisms can affect environments through non-assimilatory/dissimilatory processes. The conceptual framework defines ecosystem engineers as organisms that directly or indirectly control the availability of resources to other organisms by causing state changes in biotic or abiotic materials, and consists of 3 terms: ecosystem engineers; ecosystem engineering and ecosystem engineering effects. Ecosystem engineers can be divided into autogenic and allogenic ones. The concept provides insight into the nature of ecological science. This paper reviews the recent developments surrounding this concept and discusses its applications to various fields of ecology, e.g., disturbance ecology, invasion ecology, conservation biology and restoration ecology. We also discuss the future research directions surrounding ecosystem engineers.