Abstract
Although all science depends on comparison, this chapter uses the term comparative ecology to denote a subsection of the science of ecology. In this sense, comparative ecology is distinguished quantitatively, but not qualitatively, from the rest of the science by the larger scope of its application and the greater degree of aggregation of its variables. These differences enhance problems of scale, causal attribution, imprecision, and comparability, and tend to isolate the models that emerge from comparative ecology. Nevertheless, similar problems occur throughout the science. They could be minimized if all ecological scientists would clearly identify the goals and limitations of their research. The chapter ends with a set of recommendations to help achieve this clarity of purpose and so to promote ecological science in its broadest sense.