A Steady-state Model of Ecological Hierarchy

A Steady-state Model of Ecological Hierarchy
Author: Grant Garrison Thompson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 293
Release: 1984
Genre: Biological control systems
ISBN:

A generalized mathematical model of ecosystems is developed. The model begins with the general class of systems known as state-determined systems, in which the time-derivative of each state variable is a function of some subset of the set of all system state variables and .environmental parameters. A formal basis is presented for considering the steady-state behavior of such systems in terms of isoclines, drawing upon the fields of graph theory, linear algebra, and differential equations. The simplifying capabilities of hierarchy theory are invoked to mitigate the adverse effects of model complexity. Like the theory of isocline analysis, the particular formulation of hierarchy theory presented is phrased in graph-theoretic terms, enabling the model to be developed as a technique for analyzing the steady-state behavior of hierarchical systems. The role of inter-level time scale heterogeneity in hierarchical organization is discussed. As an illustration of its ability to portray the behavior of spatially-nested hierarchies, the model is used to provide a perspective on data from the climax vegetation of the Great Smoky Mountains. The effects of time scale heterogeneity are also illustrated by using the model to organize data sets from several vegetation/avian communities across the United States. The vegetation is taken to behave with a lower characteristic frequency than the relatively rapidly-developing avian subcommunity, thus constraining the latter in a hierarchical fashion. In order to understand in a more general way the role such a model might play in advancing ecological understanding, a broad framework is presented for analyzing the role of conceptual structures in science and the place of models in these structures. A view of models as scientific metaphors is advanced as an alternative to the pictorial/realist interpretation of models. Given this understanding of models in general, the proposed model and its underlying assumptions are compared and contrasted with a set of four partial conceptual structures drawn from the fields of systems ecology, plant ecology, natural resource economics, and organismic systems theory.

Models of the Ecological Hierarchy

Models of the Ecological Hierarchy
Author:
Publisher: Newnes
Total Pages: 595
Release: 2012-12-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0444594051

In the application of statistics to ecological inference problems, hierarchical models combine explicit models of ecological system structure or dynamics with models of how ecological systems are observed. The principles of hierarchical modeling are applied in this book to a wide range of problems ranging from the molecular level, through populations, ecosystems, landscapes, networks, through to the global ecosphere. - Provides an excellent introduction to modelling - Collects together in one source a wide range of modelling techniques - Covers a wide range of topics, from the molecular level to the global ecosphere

Models of the Ecological Hierarchy

Models of the Ecological Hierarchy
Author: Ferenc Jordan
Publisher: Newnes
Total Pages: 596
Release: 2012-11-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0444593969

"Based on selected papers covering the presentations at the 7th European Conference on Ecological Modelling, organized by ISEM and hosted by The Microsoft Research--University of Trento Center for Computational and Systems Biology from 30 May to 2 June, 2011 in Riva del Garde, Italy"--P. xi.

Advanced Modelling Techniques Studying Global Changes in Environmental Sciences

Advanced Modelling Techniques Studying Global Changes in Environmental Sciences
Author:
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 381
Release: 2015-10-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0444635432

Advanced Modelling Techniques Studying Global Changes in Environmental Sciences discusses the need for immediate and effective action, guided by a scientific understanding of ecosystem function, to alleviate current pressures on the environment. Research, especially in Ecological Modeling, is crucial to support the sustainable development paradigm, in which the economy, society, and the environment are integrated and positively reinforce each other. Content from this book is drawn from the 2013 conference of the International Society for Ecological Modeling (ISEM), an important and active research community contributing to this arena. Some progress towards gaining a better understanding of the processes of global change has been achieved, but much more is needed. This conference provides a forum to present current research using models to investigate actions towards mitigating and adapting to change. - Presents state-of-the-art modeling techniques - Drawn from the 2013 conference of the International Society for Ecological Modeling (ISEM), an important and active research community contributing to this arena - Integrates knowledge of advanced modeling techniques in ecological and environmental sciences - Describes new applications for sustainability

Phytoplankton and Equilibrium Concept: The Ecology of Steady-State Assemblages

Phytoplankton and Equilibrium Concept: The Ecology of Steady-State Assemblages
Author: Luigi Naselli-Flores
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 403
Release: 2013-06-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9401726663

This volume summarises the outcome of the 13th Workshop of the International Association of Phytoplankton Taxonomy and Ecology (IAP) on if, and if so under what conditions phytoplankton assemblages reach equilibrium in natural environments. Quite a number of ecological concepts use terms such as: ecological equilibrium, stability, steady-state, climax, stable state, etc. However, these ecological concepts often have been "translations" of scientific theories developed in physics or chemistry but they almost always lack scientific corroboration, the problem being that often these concepts remain vague and they are not formally defined. Here an attempt to formally recognize what "equilibrium" is in phytoplankton ecology is traced. The book also contains papers by leading scientists on the taxonomy of two selected key groups: cryptomonads and filamentous cyanoprokaryotes. This volume is addressed to all those involved in phytoplankton taxonomy and ecology and in ecology itself.

Ecological Microcosms

Ecological Microcosms
Author: Robert J. Beyers
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 566
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1461393442

Ecological Microcosms is a seminal work which reviews the expanding field of enclosed ecosystem research, and relates the results and models of microcosm studies to general concepts in ecology. Microcosms are miniaturized pieces of our biosphere, ranging from streams and lakes to terraria, agroecosystems, and waste systems. The study of these simplified ecosystems is providing provocative insights into ecological principles as well as issues of environmental management and global stability. The authors have used the well-known thermodynamic approach of H.T. Odum and numerous computer simulations. The book also includes an evaluation of alternative mesocosm approaches for the support of humans in space, as well as appendices to aid in the teaching of environmental concepts using student-created microcosms. Ecological Microcosms will be of interest to ecologists, environmental engineers, policy makers and environmental managers, space scientists, and educators. Robert J. Beyers is a Professor of Biology at the University of South Alabama. Howard T. Odum is Graduate Research Professor of Environmental Engineering Sciences at the University of Florida, and was awarded, with Eugene Odum, the 1987 Crafoord Prize in the Biosciences.

Ecology and the Architectural Imagination

Ecology and the Architectural Imagination
Author: Brook Muller
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2014-02-24
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1317812085

By including ecological concerns in the design process from the outset, architecture can enhance life. Author Brook Muller understands how a designer’s predispositions and poetic judgement in dealing with complex and dynamic ecological systems impact the "greenness" of built outcomes. Ecology and the Architectural Imagination offers a series of speculations on architectural possibility when ecology is embedded from conceptual phases onward, how notions of function and structure of ecosystems can inspire ideas of architectural space making and order, and how the architect’s role and contribution can shift through this engagement. As an ecological architect working in increasingly dense urban environments, you can create diverse spaces of inhabitation and connect project scale living systems with those at the neighborhood and region scales. Equipped with ecological literacy, critical thinking and collaboration skills, you are empowered to play important roles in the remaking of our cities.

Ecosystem Ecology

Ecosystem Ecology
Author: Sven Erik Jørgensen
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 537
Release: 2009-07-25
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0444534679

Jorgensen's Ecosystem Ecology provides a thorough and comprehensive overview of the world's aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. This derivative volume based on the best-selling Encyclopedia of Ecology (published 2008) is the only book currently published that provides an overview of the world's ecosystems in a concise format. - Provides an overview of the world's ecosystems in a concise format - Covers aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems - Based on the best-selling Encyclopedia of Ecology - Full-color figures and tables support the text and aid in understanding

A Hierarchical Concept of Ecosystems. (MPB-23), Volume 23

A Hierarchical Concept of Ecosystems. (MPB-23), Volume 23
Author: Robert V. O'Neill
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2021-09-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0691236607

"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.