Paradigm refers to the world view and a system of concepts, theories and methods shared and used by a scientific community. Scientific advances are usually accompanied by shift in paradigms. A common assumption historically in ecology is evident in the term "balance of nature". The phrase usually implies that undisturbed nature is ordered and harmonious, and that ecological systems return to a previous equilibrium after disturbances. The more recet concepts of point equilibrium and static stability, which c...