Prairie Dogs

Prairie Dogs
Author: C. N. Slobodchikoff
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2009-02-02
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780674031814

The authors synthesize the results of their long-running study of Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni), one of the keystone species of the short-grass prairie ecosystem. By examining the complex factors behind prairie dog decline, we can begin to understand the problems inherent in our adversarial relationship with the natural world.

Spatial Optimization in Ecological Applications

Spatial Optimization in Ecological Applications
Author: John Hof
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2002-05-23
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0231500734

Whether discussing habitat placement for the northern spotted owl or black-tailed prairie dog or strategies for controlling exotic pests, this book explains how capturing ecological relationships across a landscape with pragmatic optimization models can be applied to real world problems. Using linear programming, Hof and Bevers show how it is possible for the researcher to include many thousands of choice variables and many thousands of constraints and still be quite confident of being able to solve the problem in hand with widely available software. The authors' emphasis is to preserve optimality and explore how much ecosystem function can be captured, stressing the solvability of large problems such as those in real world case studies.