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Resolving Ecosystem Complexity (MPB-47)

Author : Oswald J. Schmitz
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 193 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2010-07-01
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781400834174

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Resolving Ecosystem Complexity (MPB-47) by Oswald J. Schmitz Pdf

An ecosystem's complexity develops from the vast numbers of species interacting in ecological communities. The nature of these interactions, in turn, depends on environmental context. How do these components together influence an ecosystem's behavior as a whole? Can ecologists resolve an ecosystem's complexity in order to predict its response to disturbances? Resolving Ecosystem Complexity develops a framework for anticipating the ways environmental context determines the functioning of ecosystems. Oswald Schmitz addresses the critical questions of contemporary ecology: How should an ecosystem be conceptualized to blend its biotic and biophysical components? How should evolutionary ecological principles be used to derive an operational understanding of complex, adaptive ecosystems? How should the relationship between the functional biotic diversity of ecosystems and their properties be understood? Schmitz begins with the universal concept that ecosystems are comprised of species that consume resources and which are then resources for other consumers. From this, he deduces a fundamental rule or evolutionary ecological mechanism for explaining context dependency: individuals within a species trade off foraging gains against the risk of being consumed by predators. Through empirical examples, Schmitz illustrates how species use evolutionary ecological strategies to negotiate a predator-eat-predator world, and he suggests that the implications of species trade-offs are critical to making ecology a predictive science. Bridging the traditional divides between individuals, populations, and communities in ecology, Resolving Ecosystem Complexity builds a systematic foundation for thinking about natural systems.

Resolving Ecosystem Complexity

Author : Oswald J. Schmitz
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 173 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2010-01-01
Category : Nature
ISBN : 1282641735

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Resolving Ecosystem Complexity by Oswald J. Schmitz Pdf

An ecosystem's complexity develops from the vast numbers of species interacting in ecological communities. The nature of these interactions, in turn, depends on environmental context. How do these components together influence an ecosystem's behavior as a whole? Can ecologists resolve an ecosystem's complexity in order to predict its response to disturbances? "Resolving Ecosystem Complexity" develops a framework for anticipating the ways environmental context determines the functioning of ecosystems. Oswald Schmitz addresses the critical questions of contemporary ecology: How should an ecosystem be conceptualized to blend its biotic and biophysical components? How should evolutionary ecological principles be used to derive an operational understanding of complex, adaptive ecosystems? How should the relationship between the functional biotic diversity of ecosystems and their properties be understood? Schmitz begins with the universal concept that ecosystems are comprised of species that consume resources and which are then resources for other consumers. From this, he deduces a fundamental rule or evolutionary ecological mechanism for explaining context dependency: individuals within a species trade off foraging gains against the risk of being consumed by predators. Through empirical examples, Schmitz illustrates how species use evolutionary ecological strategies to negotiate a predator-eat-predator world, and he suggests that the implications of species trade-offs are critical to making ecology a predictive science. Bridging the traditional divides between individuals, populations, and communities in ecology, "Resolving Ecosystem Complexity" builds a systematic foundation for thinking about natural systems.

Global Resources and the Environment

Author : Chadwick Dearing Oliver,Fatma Arf Oliver
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 547 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2018-06-21
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781107172937

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Global Resources and the Environment by Chadwick Dearing Oliver,Fatma Arf Oliver Pdf

An illustrated overview of the sustainability of natural resources and the social and environmental issues surrounding their distribution and demand.

Ecological Niches and Geographic Distributions (MPB-49)

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.

The Theory of Ecological Communities (MPB-57)

Author : Mark Vellend
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 246 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2020-09-15
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691208992

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The Theory of Ecological Communities (MPB-57) by Mark Vellend Pdf

A plethora of different theories, models, and concepts make up the field of community ecology. Amid this vast body of work, is it possible to build one general theory of ecological communities? What other scientific areas might serve as a guiding framework? As it turns out, the core focus of community ecology—understanding patterns of diversity and composition of biological variants across space and time—is shared by evolutionary biology and its very coherent conceptual framework, population genetics theory. The Theory of Ecological Communities takes this as a starting point to pull together community ecology's various perspectives into a more unified whole. Mark Vellend builds a theory of ecological communities based on four overarching processes: selection among species, drift, dispersal, and speciation. These are analogues of the four central processes in population genetics theory—selection within species, drift, gene flow, and mutation—and together they subsume almost all of the many dozens of more specific models built to describe the dynamics of communities of interacting species. The result is a theory that allows the effects of many low-level processes, such as competition, facilitation, predation, disturbance, stress, succession, colonization, and local extinction to be understood as the underpinnings of high-level processes with widely applicable consequences for ecological communities. Reframing the numerous existing ideas in community ecology, The Theory of Ecological Communities provides a new way for thinking about biological composition and diversity.

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 : 41,5 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.

Food Webs (MPB-50)

Author : Kevin S. McCann
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 255 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691134185

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Food Webs (MPB-50) by Kevin S. McCann Pdf

This book synthesizes and reconciles modern and classical perspectives into a general unified theory.

Self-Organization in Complex Ecosystems. (MPB-42)

Author : Ricard Solé,Jordi Bascompte
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 384 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2012-01-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781400842933

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Self-Organization in Complex Ecosystems. (MPB-42) by Ricard Solé,Jordi Bascompte Pdf

Can physics be an appropriate framework for the understanding of ecological science? Most ecologists would probably agree that there is little relation between the complexity of natural ecosystems and the simplicity of any example derived from Newtonian physics. Though ecologists have long been interested in concepts originally developed by statistical physicists and later applied to explain everything from why stock markets crash to why rivers develop particular branching patterns, applying such concepts to ecosystems has remained a challenge. Self-Organization in Complex Ecosystems is the first book to clearly synthesize what we have learned about the usefulness of tools from statistical physics in ecology. Ricard Solé and Jordi Bascompte provide a comprehensive introduction to complex systems theory, and ask: do universal laws shape the structure of ecosystems, at least at some scales? They offer the most compelling array of theoretical evidence to date of the potential of nonlinear ecological interactions to generate nonrandom, self-organized patterns at all levels. Tackling classic ecological questions--from population dynamics to biodiversity to macroevolution--the book's novel presentation of theories and data shows the power of statistical physics and complexity in ecology. Self-Organization in Complex Ecosystems will be a staple resource for years to come for ecologists interested in complex systems theory as well as mathematicians and physicists interested in ecology.

A Theory of Global Biodiversity (MPB-60)

Author : Boris Worm,Derek P. Tittensor
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 229 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2018-06-12
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691154831

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A Theory of Global Biodiversity (MPB-60) by Boris Worm,Derek P. Tittensor Pdf

The number of species found at a given point on the planet varies by orders of magnitude, yet large-scale gradients in biodiversity appear to follow some very general patterns. Little mechanistic theory has been formulated to explain the emergence of observed gradients of biodiversity both on land and in the oceans. Based on a comprehensive empirical synthesis of global patterns of species diversity and their drivers, A Theory of Global Biodiversity develops and applies a new theory that can predict such patterns from few underlying processes. The authors show that global patterns of biodiversity fall into four consistent categories, according to where species live: on land or in coastal, pelagic, and deep ocean habitats. The fact that most species groups, from bacteria to whales, appear to follow similar biogeographic patterns of richness within these habitats points toward some underlying structuring principles. Based on empirical analyses of environmental correlates across these habitats, the authors combine aspects of neutral, metabolic, and niche theory into one unifying framework. Applying it to model terrestrial and marine realms, the authors demonstrate that a relatively simple theory that incorporates temperature and community size as driving variables is able to explain divergent patterns of species richness at a global scale. Integrating ecological and evolutionary perspectives, A Theory of Global Biodiversity yields surprising insights into the fundamental mechanisms that shape the distribution of life on our planet.

The Ecosystem Approach

Author : David Waltner-Toews,James J. Kay,Nina-Marie E. Lister
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Page : 402 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780231132503

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The Ecosystem Approach by David Waltner-Toews,James J. Kay,Nina-Marie E. Lister Pdf

Is sustainable development a workable solution for today's environmental problems? Is it scientifically defensible? Best known for applying ecological theory to the engineering problems of everyday life, the late scholar James J. Kay was a leader in the study of social and ecological complexity and the thermodynamics of ecosystems. Drawing from his immensely important work, as well as the research of his students and colleagues, The Ecosystem Approach is a guide to the aspects of complex systems theories relevant to social-ecological management. Advancing a methodology that is rooted in good theory and practice, this book features case studies conducted in the Arctic and Africa, in Canada and Kathmandu, and in the Peruvian Amazon, Chesapeake Bay, and Chennai, India. Applying a systems approach to concrete environmental issues, this volume is geared toward scientists, engineers, and sustainable development scholars and practitioners who are attuned to the ideas of the Resilience Alliance-an international group of scientists who take a more holistic view of ecology and environmental problem-solving. Chapters cover the origins and rebirth of the ecosystem approach in ecology; the bridging of science and values; the challenge of governance in complex systems; systemic and participatory approaches to management; and the place for cultural diversity in the quest for global sustainability.

Time in Ecology

Author : Eric Post
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 244 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2019-02-26
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691185491

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Time in Ecology by Eric Post Pdf

Ecologists traditionally regard time as part of the background against which ecological interactions play out. In this book, Eric Post argues that time should be treated as a resource used by organisms for growth, maintenance, and offspring production. Post uses insights from phenology—the study of the timing of life-cycle events—to present a theoretical framework of time in ecology that casts long-standing observations in the field in an entirely new light. Combining conceptual models with field data, he demonstrates how phenological advances, delays, and stasis, documented in an array of taxa, can all be viewed as adaptive components of an organism’s strategic use of time. Post shows how the allocation of time by individual organisms to critical life history stages is not only a response to environmental cues but also an important driver of interactions at the population, species, and community levels. To demonstrate the applications of this exciting new conceptual framework, Time in Ecology uses meta-analyses of previous studies as well as Post’s original data on the phenological dynamics of plants, caribou, and muskoxen in Greenland.

The New Ecology

Author : Oswald J. Schmitz
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 252 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2018-12-18
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780691182827

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The New Ecology by Oswald J. Schmitz Pdf

Our species has transitioned from being one among millions on Earth to the species that is single-handedly transforming the entire planet to suit its own needs. In order to meet the daunting challenges of environmental sustainability in this epoch of human domination--known as the Anthropocene--ecologists have begun to think differently about the interdependencies between humans and the natural world. This concise and accessible book provides the best available introduction to what this new ecology is all about--and why it matters more than ever before. Oswald Schmitz describes how the science of ecology is evolving to provide a better understanding of how human agency is shaping the natural world, often in never-before-seen ways. The new ecology emphasizes the importance of conserving species diversity, because it can offer a portfolio of options to keep our ecosystems resilient in the face of environmental change. It envisions humans taking on new roles as thoughtful stewards of the environment to ensure that ecosystems have the enduring capacity to supply the environmental services on which our economic well-being--and our very existence--depend. It offers the ecological know-how to maintain and enhance our planet's environmental performance and ecosystem production for the benefit of current and future generations. Informative and engaging, The New Ecology shows how today's ecology can provide the insights we need to appreciate the crucial role we play in this era of unprecedented global environmental transition. -- Provided by publisher.

Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Academic Press
Page : 392 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2014-08-12
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780128014332

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Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics by Anonim Pdf

The theme of this volume is to discuss Eco-evolutionary Dynamics. Updates and informs the reader on the latest research findings Written by leading experts in the field Highlights areas for future investigation

Causes and Consequences of Species Diversity in Forest Ecosystems

Author : Aaron M. Ellison,Frank S. Gilliam
Publisher : MDPI
Page : 274 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2019-07-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783039213092

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Causes and Consequences of Species Diversity in Forest Ecosystems by Aaron M. Ellison,Frank S. Gilliam Pdf

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue Causes and Consequences of Species Diversity in Forest Ecosystems that was published in Forests

Trophic Ecology

Author : Torrance C. Hanley,Kimberly J. La Pierre
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 427 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2015-05-07
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781107077324

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Trophic Ecology by Torrance C. Hanley,Kimberly J. La Pierre Pdf

Examining the interaction of bottom-up and top-down forces, it presents a unique synthesis of trophic interactions within and across ecosystems.