A Hierarchical Concept Of Ecosystems Mpb 23 Volume 23

Author : Robert V. O'Neill,Donald Lee Deangelis,J. B. Waide,Timothy F.H. Allen
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 266 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2021-09-14
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691236605

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A Hierarchical Concept of Ecosystems. (MPB-23), Volume 23 by Robert V. O'Neill,Donald Lee Deangelis,J. B. Waide,Timothy F.H. Allen Pdf

"Ecosystem" is an intuitively appealing concept to most ecologists, but, in spite of its widespread use, the term remains diffuse and ambiguous. The authors of this book argue that previous attempts to define the concept have been derived from particular viewpoints to the exclusion of others equally possible. They offer instead a more general line of thought based on hierarchy theory. Their contribution should help to counteract the present separation of subdisciplines in ecology and to bring functional and population/community ecologists closer to a common approach. Developed as a way of understanding highly complex organized systems, hierarchy theory has at its center the idea that organization results from differences in process rates. To the authors the theory suggests an objective way of decomposing ecosystems into their component parts. The results thus obtained offer a rewarding method for integrating various schools of ecology.

Author : Robert V. O'Neill
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 262 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2024-06-26
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 060820160X

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A Hierarchical Concept of Ecosystems by Robert V. O'Neill Pdf

Author : Soeren Nors Nielsen,Brian Fath,Simone Bastianoni,Joao C. Marques,Felix Muller,Bernard D. Patten,Robert E. Ulanowicz,Enzo Tiezzi
Publisher : Elsevier
Page : 270 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2019-08-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780444637642

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A New Ecology by Soeren Nors Nielsen,Brian Fath,Simone Bastianoni,Joao C. Marques,Felix Muller,Bernard D. Patten,Robert E. Ulanowicz,Enzo Tiezzi Pdf

A New Ecology: Systems Perspective, Second Edition, gives an overview of the commonalities of all ecosystems from a variety of properties, including physical openness, ontic openness, directionality, connectivity, a complex dynamic for growth and development, and a complex dynamic response to disturbances. Each chapter details basic and characteristic properties that help the reader understand how they can be applied to explain a wide spectrum of current ecological research and environmental management applications. Contains revised, updated or redeveloped chapters that include the most current research and technology Reviews universal traits of ecosystems from multiple perspectives, giving the reader a complete overview of the systems perspective of ecology Offers broad examples of ecology as a systems science, from the history of science, to philosophy and the arts Brings together the systems perspective in a framework of four columns for greater understanding, including thermodynamics, network theory, hierarchy theory and biochemistry Contains new chapter on the application of the theory to environmental management

Author : Walter D. Koenig,Ronald L. Mumme
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 458 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2020-03-31
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691209623

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Population Ecology of the Cooperatively Breeding Acorn Woodpecker. (MPB-24), Volume 24 by Walter D. Koenig,Ronald L. Mumme Pdf

Ever since the acorn woodpecker was observed and described by Spanish explorers, its behavior--particularly the unique habit of caching acorns in specialized storage trees or granaries--has impressed observers. Acorn woodpeckers are also one of the few temperate zone species in which young are reared communally in family groups. This demographic study investigates the complexities of acorn storage and group living in acorn woodpeckers at Hastings Reservation in central coastal California. It is one of the most thorough studies of any avian social system to date.

Author : Adam Lomnicki
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 242 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2020-03-31
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691209616

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Population Ecology of Individuals. (MPB-25), Volume 25 by Adam Lomnicki Pdf

A common tendency in the field of population ecology has been to overlook individual differences by treating populations as homogeneous units; conversely, in behavioral ecology the tendency has been to concentrate on how individual behavior is shaped by evolutionary forces, but not on how this behavior affects population dynamics. Adam Lomnicki and others aim to remedy this one-sidedness by showing that the overall dynamical behavior of populations must ultimately be understood in terms of the behavior of individuals. Professor Lomnicki's wide-ranging presentation of this approach includes simple mathematical models aimed at describing both the origin and consequences of individual variation among plants and animals. The author contends that further progress in population ecology will require taking into account individual differences other than sex, age, and taxonomic affiliation--unequal access to resources, for instance. Population ecologists who adopt this viewpoint may discover new answers to classical questions of population ecology. Partly because it uses a variety of examples from many taxonomic groups, this work will appeal not only to population ecologists but to ecologists in general.

Author : Wayne M. Getz,Robert G. Haight
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 414 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2020-03-31
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691209630

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Population Harvesting (MPB-27), Volume 27 by Wayne M. Getz,Robert G. Haight Pdf

Whether in felling trees for wood, rearing insects for biological control, or culling animals for conservation purposes, efficient management of biological systems requires quantitative analysis of population growth and harvesting policies. Aiming to encourage the exchange of ideas among scientists involved in the management of fisheries, wildlife, forest stands, and pest control, the authors of this work present a general framework for modeling populations that reproduce seasonally and that have age or stage structure as an essential component of management strategy. The book represents the first time that examples from such diverse areas of biological resource management have been brought together in a unified modeling framework using the standard notation of mathematical systems theory. In addition, the authors combine a nonlinear extension of Leslie matrix theory and certain linear elements, thereby permitting interesting analytical results and the creation of compact, realistic simulation models of resource systems.

Author : David Tilman
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 376 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2020-03-31
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691209593

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Plant Strategies and the Dynamics and Structure of Plant Communities. (MPB-26), Volume 26 by David Tilman Pdf

Although ecologists have long considered morphology and life history to be important determinants of the distribution, abundance, and dynamics of plants in nature, this book contains the first theory to predict explicitly both the evolution of plant traits and the effects of these traits on plant community structure and dynamics. David Tilman focuses on the universal requirement of terrestrial plants for both below-ground and above-ground resources. The physical separation of these resources means that plants face an unavoidable tradeoff. To obtain a higher proportion of one resource, a plant must allocate more of its growth to the structures involved in its acquisition, and thus necessarily obtain a lower proportion of another resource. Professor Tilman presents a simple theory that includes this constraint and tradeoff, and uses the theory to explore the evolution of plant life histories and morphologies along productivity and disturbance gradients. The book shows that relative growth rate, which is predicted to be strongly influenced by a plant's proportional allocation to leaves, is a major determinant of the transient dynamics of competition. These dynamics may explain the differences between successions on poor versus rich soils and suggest that most field experiments performed to date have been of too short a duration to allow unambiguous interpretation of their results.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 1186 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 1986
Category : American literature
ISBN : UOM:39015020249101

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The Publishers' Trade List Annual by Anonim Pdf

Author : Fred Jopp,Hauke Reuter,Broder Breckling
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 400 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2011-02-11
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783642050299

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Modelling Complex Ecological Dynamics by Fred Jopp,Hauke Reuter,Broder Breckling Pdf

Model development is of vital importance for understanding and management of ecological processes. Identifying the complex relationships between ecological patterns and processes is a crucial task. Ecological modelling—both qualitatively and quantitatively—plays a vital role in analysing ecological phenomena and for ecological theory. This textbook provides a unique overview of modelling approaches. Representing the state-of-the-art in modern ecology, it shows how to construct and work with various different model types. It introduces the background of each approach and its application in ecology. Differential equations, matrix approaches, individual-based models and many other relevant modelling techniques are explained and demonstrated with their use. The authors provide links to software tools and course materials. With chapters written by leading specialists, “Modelling Complex Ecological Dynamics” is an essential contribution to expand the qualification of students, teachers and scientists alike.

Author : Jianguo Wu,K. Bruce Jones,Harbin Li,Orie L. Loucks
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 354 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2006-07-02
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781402046636

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Scaling and Uncertainty Analysis in Ecology by Jianguo Wu,K. Bruce Jones,Harbin Li,Orie L. Loucks Pdf

This is the first book of its kind – explicitly considering uncertainty and error analysis as an integral part of scaling. The book draws together a series of important case studies to provide a comprehensive review and synthesis of the most recent concepts, theories and methods in scaling and uncertainty analysis. It includes case studies illustrating how scaling and uncertainty analysis are being conducted in ecology and environmental science.

Author : Donald L. DeAngelis
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 285 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 9789401123426

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Dynamics of Nutrient Cycling and Food Webs by Donald L. DeAngelis Pdf

In all fields of science today, data are collected and theories are developed and published faster than scientists can keep up with, let alone thoroughly digest. In ecology the fact that practitioners tend to be divided between such subdisciplines as aquatic and terrestrial ecology, as well as between popula tion, community, and ecosystem ecology, makes it even harder for them to keep up with all relevant research. Ecologists specializing in one sub discipline are not always aware of progress in another subdiscipline that relates to their own. Syntheses are frequently needed that pull together large bodies of information and organize them in ways that makes them more coherent, and thus more understandable. I have tried to perform this task of integration for the subject area that encompasses the interrelationships between the dynamics of ecological food webs and the cycling of nutrients. I believe this area cuts across many of the subdisciplines of ecology and is pivotal to our progress in understanding ecosystems and in dealing with human impacts on the environment. Many current ecological problems involve human disturbances of both food webs and the nutrients that cycle through them. Little progress can be made towards elucidating the complex feedback relations inherent in the study of nutrient cycles in ecological systems without the tools of mathematics and computer modelling. These tools are therefore liberally used throughout the book.

Author : Donald L. DeAngelis,Wilfried M. Post,Curtis C. Travis
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 292 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Mathematics
ISBN : 9783642826252

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Positive Feedback in Natural Systems by Donald L. DeAngelis,Wilfried M. Post,Curtis C. Travis Pdf

Cybernetics, a science concerned with understanding how systems are regulated, has reflected the preoccupations of the century in which it was born. Regulation is important in twentieth century society, where both machines and social organizations are complex. Cybernetics focused on and became primarily associated with the homeostasis or stability of system behavior and with the negative feedbacks that stabilize systems. It paid less attention to the processes opposite to negative feedback, the positive feedback processes that act to change systems. We attempt to redress the balance here by illustrating the enormous importance of positive feedbacks in natural systems. In an article in the American Scientist in 1963, Maruyama called for increased attention to this topic, noting that processes of change could occur when a "deviation in anyone component of the system caused deviations in other components that acted back on the first component to reinforce of amplify the initial deviation." The deviation amplification is the result of positive feedback among system components. Maruyama demonstrated by numerous examples that the neglect of such processes was unjustified and suggested that a new branch of cybernetics, "the second cybernetics," be devoted to their study.

Author : Stephen P. Hubbell
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 390 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2011-06-27
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781400837526

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The Unified Neutral Theory of Biodiversity and Biogeography (MPB-32) by Stephen P. Hubbell Pdf

Despite its supreme importance and the threat of its global crash, biodiversity remains poorly understood both empirically and theoretically. This ambitious book presents a new, general neutral theory to explain the origin, maintenance, and loss of biodiversity in a biogeographic context. Until now biogeography (the study of the geographic distribution of species) and biodiversity (the study of species richness and relative species abundance) have had largely disjunct intellectual histories. In this book, Stephen Hubbell develops a formal mathematical theory that unifies these two fields. When a speciation process is incorporated into Robert H. MacArthur and Edward O. Wilson's now classical theory of island biogeography, the generalized theory predicts the existence of a universal, dimensionless biodiversity number. In the theory, this fundamental biodiversity number, together with the migration or dispersal rate, completely determines the steady-state distribution of species richness and relative species abundance on local to large geographic spatial scales and short-term to evolutionary time scales. Although neutral, Hubbell's theory is nevertheless able to generate many nonobvious, testable, and remarkably accurate quantitative predictions about biodiversity and biogeography. In many ways Hubbell's theory is the ecological analog to the neutral theory of genetic drift in genetics. The unified neutral theory of biogeography and biodiversity should stimulate research in new theoretical and empirical directions by ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and biogeographers.

Author : M. Tokeshi
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 464 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2009-06-22
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781444313352

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Species Coexistence by M. Tokeshi Pdf

As a novel endeavour in ecological science, this book focuses on amajor issue in organismal life on Earth:species coexistence. Thebook crosses the usual disciplinary boundaries betweenpalaeobiology, ecology and evolutionary biology and provides atimely overview of the patterns and processes of species diversityand coexistence on a range of spatio-temporal scales. In thisunique synthesis, the author offers a critical and penetratingexamination of the concepts and models of coexistence and communitystructure, thus making a valuable contribution to the field ofcommunity ecology. There is an emphasis on clarity andaccessibility without sacrificing scientific rigour, making thisbook suitable for both advanced students and individual researchersin ecology, palaeobiology and environmental and evolutionarybiology. Comprehensive and contemporary synthesis. Pulls together the aggregate influence of evolution and ecologyon patterns in communities. Balanced mix of theory and empirical work. Clearly structured chapters with short introduction andsummary.

Author : A. Townsend Peterson
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 330 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2011-11-20
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691136882

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Ecological Niches and Geographic Distributions (MPB-49) by A. Townsend Peterson Pdf

Terminology, conceptual overview, biogeography, modeling.