Comments on "the return of information theory"

Abstract

We criticize the article "Quantifying sustainability: Resilience, efficiency and the return of information theory" (Ulanowicz et al., Ecological Complexity, 2009) for its presentation of information theory to an audience of ecologists. We find that the formulation and use of basic IT concepts are unnecessarily obscure, deliberately incompatible with standard terminology, and in places just mathematically wrong. We lift some of the confusion by correcting errors, dissecting ambiguities and using standard terminology wherever possible. We believe that clear and rigorous presentations are necessary in order to enable information theoreticians and ecologists to engage in a fruitful dialogue.