Download or read book Interpretation and Implications of Variability in Ecological Systems written by Robert Klinger and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2024-07-22 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain the dynamics in abundance of individual species, how species interact, how communities assemble, and how interactions between biotic and abiotic processes shape ecosystem stability. Many if not most of these hypotheses find some degree of support, but often only within relatively narrow spatial and temporal ranges. This is because conditions vary over time and from place to place, and so the strength and extent of processes that were the focus of a given a hypothesis become altered by other forces. Ecologists have confronted variability from two perspectives; conceptual and statistical. Conceptually, spatial and temporal variability are now recognized as being scale dependent and hierarchical. Statistically, there are many models that ecologists readily use that account for the hierarchical and scale-dependence of variability present in many datasets. But linking the two perspectives into a meaningful understanding of what variability means in real systems has been much less successful. For example, it is common to see studies where the fixed effects of a generalized linear mixed model are reported, but very often random effects are completely ignored or, at best, given scant attention. The likelihood of this being a significant problem increases greatly in what are rapidly becoming more common studies that utilize datasets spanning long temporal and/or large spatial scales, or when extreme and often unpredictable events (gray and black swans) occur.
Download or read book Handbook of Trait Based Ecology written by Francesco de Bello and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2021-03-11 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Trait-based ecology is rapidly expanding. This comprehensive and accessible guide covers the main concepts and tools in functional ecology.
Download or read book The Impact of Environmental Variability on Ecological Systems written by D.A. Vasseur and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-05-08 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fluctuations in the environmental conditions impacting life are ubiquitous. This book brings together contributions to provide readers with a comprehensive look at the challenges for ecological systems and ecological research alike. It offers a comprehensive range of topics, from environmental variability itself to its ecosystem-level impact.
Download or read book ECOtoxicology Ecological Dimensions written by D.J. Baird and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-13 with total page 99 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecotoxicology is a relatively new scientific discipline. Indeed, it might be argued that it is only during the last 5-10 years that it has come to merit being regarded as a true science, rather than a collection of procedures for protecting the environment through management and monitoring of pollutant discharges into the environment. The term 'ecotoxicology' was first coined in the late sixties by Prof. Truhaut, a toxicologist who had the vision to recognize the importance of investigating the fate and effects of chemicals in ecosystems. At that time, ecotoxicology was considered a sub-discipline of medical toxicology. Subsequently, several attempts have been made to portray ecotoxicology in a more realistic light. Notably, both Moriarty (1988) and F. Ramade (1987) emphasized in their books the broad basis of ecotoxicology, encompassing chemical and radiation effects on all components of ecosystems. In doing so, they and others have shifted concern from direct chemical toxicity to humans, to the far more subtle effects that pollutant chemicals exert on natural biota. Such effects potentially threaten the existence of all life on earth. Although I have identified the sixties as the era when ecotoxicology was first conceived as a coherent subject area, it is important to acknowledge that studies that would now be regarded as ecotoxicological are much older.
Download or read book In Situ Evaluation of Biological Hazards of Environmental Pollutants written by Shabeg S. Sandhu and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-08 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of the relationship between environmental pollution and human health is in its infancy. The number of substances and mixtures that have been identified in uncontrolled hazardous waste sites or that have been in advertently released into the environment is large and data on how thes~ substances are modified as they interact with one another as they migrate through soil, air, and water are limited. There are also limits on our un derstanding of how these substances may be ingested, inhaled, or absorbed by people. The complexity of possible interactions between biological, chemical, and physical components in a given environment makes it virtually impossible to evaluate the potential for adverse biological effects ade quately in the laboratory. Other, more comprehensive methods which provide realistic and interpretable results must be used. Many scientists believe that humans represent the ultimate sentinel species of a toxic exposure re sUlting from environmental pollution, however such exposures may also se verely impact environmental health. There exists a wide variety of organ isms in the natural environment that could be used to provide an early warning for potential human health effects as well as to indicate adverse ecological effects. The issue of effective utilization of sentinel species for environment al monitoring is a rapidly developing area of research which has grown in importance during the last decade.
Download or read book Antarctic Ecosystems written by Alex D. Rogers and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-02-28 with total page 585 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since its discovery Antarctica has held a deep fascination for biologists. Extreme environmental conditions, seasonality and isolation have lead to some of the most striking examples of natural selection and adaptation on Earth. Paradoxically, some of these adaptations may pose constraints on the ability of the Antarctic biota to respond to climate change. Parts of Antarctica are showing some of the largest changes in temperature and other environmental conditions in the world. In this volume, published in association with the Royal Society, leading polar scientists present a synthesis of the latest research on the biological systems in Antarctica, covering organisms from microbes to vertebrate higher predators. This book comes at a time when new technologies and approaches allow the implications of climate change and other direct human impacts on Antarctica to be viewed at a range of scales; across entire regions, whole ecosystems and down to the level of species and variation within their genomes. Chapters address both Antarctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and the scientific and management challenges of the future are explored.
Download or read book Sustainability Appraisal written by Barry Dalal-Clayton and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-03-26 with total page 960 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainability Appraisal is a sourcebook of the state-of-the-art of this rapidly emerging and diversifying area. It draws on a wealth of international experiences and approaches to illustrate the status and scope of Sustainability Appraisal/Assessment (SA) This comprehensive guide highlights how SA can be used to analyse and integrate the key environmental, social and economic pillars of sustainability into decision-making at all levels, from policy to project to investment, by government, business and industry, or international organizations. Distilling both published and unpublished materials, and with contributions from a range of leading experts, organizations and agencies, this book will be of significant value to professionals everywhere who are in need of a solid, reference guide to what constitutes SA practice and, more importantly, how and when it can be applied.
Download or read book Population Level Ecological Risk Assessment written by Lawrence W. Barnthouse and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2007-09-25 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most ecological risk assessments consider the risk to individual organisms or organism-level attributes. From a management perspective, however, risks to population-level attributes and processes are often more relevant. Despite many published calls for population risk assessment and the abundance of available scientific research and technical tool
Download or read book Evolution of Nervous Systems written by Georg F. Striedter and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2016-11-23 with total page 2064 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evolution of Nervous Systems, Second Edition, Four Volume Set is a unique, major reference which offers the gold standard for those interested both in evolution and nervous systems. All biology only makes sense when seen in the light of evolution, and this is especially true for the nervous system. All animals have nervous systems that mediate their behaviors, many of them species specific, yet these nervous systems all evolved from the simple nervous system of a common ancestor. To understand these nervous systems, we need to know how they vary and how this variation emerged in evolution. In the first edition of this important reference work, over 100 distinguished neuroscientists assembled the current state-of-the-art knowledge on how nervous systems have evolved throughout the animal kingdom. This second edition remains rich in detail and broad in scope, outlining the changes in brain and nervous system organization that occurred from the first invertebrates and vertebrates, to present day fishes, reptiles, birds, mammals, and especially primates, including humans. The book also includes wholly new content, fully updating the chapters in the previous edition and offering brand new content on current developments in the field. Each of the volumes has been carefully restructured to offer expanded coverage of non-mammalian taxa, mammals, primates, and the human nervous system. The basic principles of brain evolution are discussed, as are mechanisms of change. The reader can select from chapters on highly specific topics or those that provide an overview of current thinking and approaches, making this an indispensable work for students and researchers alike. Presents a broad range of topics, ranging from genetic control of development in invertebrates, to human cognition, offering a one-stop resource for the evolution of nervous systems throughout the animal kingdom Incorporates the expertise of over 100 outstanding investigators who provide their conclusions in the context of the latest experimental results Presents areas of disagreement and consensus views that provide a holistic view of the subjects under discussion
Download or read book 108 2 Hearings Department of The Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations for 2005 Part 2 2004 written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 2492 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations for 2005 written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Department of the Interior and Related Agencies and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 1286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations for 2005 written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Dept. of the Interior and Related Agencies and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 2398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book U S Geological Survey Minerals Management Service etc written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Department of the Interior and Related Agencies and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 2406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Paleoclimate Global Change and the Future written by Keith D. Alverson and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-04-17 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a synthesis of the past decade of research into global changes that occurred in the earth system in the past. Focus is achieved by concentrating on those changes in the Earth's past environment that best inform our evaluation of current and future global changes and their consequences for human populations. The book stands as a ten year milestone in the operation of the Past Global Changes (PAGES) Project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP). It seeks to provide a quantitative understanding of the Earth’s environment in the geologically recent past and to define the envelope of natural environmental variability against which anthropogenic impacts on the Earth System may be assessed. A set of color overhead transparencies based on the figures in the book is available free on the PAGES website (www.pages-igbp.org) for use in teaching and lecturing.
Download or read book 40 Years of Evolution written by Peter R. Grant and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2024-11-12 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A new, revised edition of Peter and Rosemary Grant's synthesis of their decades of research on Daphne Island"--
Download or read book Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The protocol described in this technical reference is designed to: be used only by knowledgeable, experienced people; provide a preliminary evaluation of soil/site stability, hydrologic function, and biotic integrity (at the ecological site level); be used to communicate fundamental ecological concepts to a wide variety of audiences; improve communication among interest groups by focusing discussion on critical ecosystem properties and processes; select monitoring sites in the development of monitoring programs; provide early warnings of potential problems and opportunities by helping land managers identify areas that are potentially at risk of degradation or where resource problems currently exist"--P. 1.
Download or read book Experiments in Ecology written by A. J. Underwood and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1997 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1996, this book is a logical and consistent approach to experimental design using statistical principles.
