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

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

Author: Ricard Solé

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2012-01-06

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 140084293X

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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.


Book Synopsis Self-Organization in Complex Ecosystems. (MPB-42) by : Ricard Solé

Download or read book Self-Organization in Complex Ecosystems. (MPB-42) written by Ricard Solé and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2012-01-06 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Air Pollution Calculations

Air Pollution Calculations

Author: Daniel A. Vallero

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2023-09-17

Total Pages: 674

ISBN-13: 0443139881

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Air Pollution Calculations: Quantifying Pollutant Formation, Transport, Transformation, Fate and Risks, Second Edition enhances the systems science aspects of air pollution, including transformation reactions in soil, water, sediment and biota that contribute to air pollution. This second edition will be an update based on research and actions taken since 2019 that affect air pollution calculations, including new control technologies, emissions measurement, and air quality modeling. Recent court cases, regulatory decisions, and advances in technology are discussed and, where necessary, calculations have been revised to reflect these updates. Sections discuss pollutant characterization, pollutant transformation, and environmental partitioning. Air partitioning, physical transport of air pollutants, air pollution biogeochemistry, and thermal reactions are also thoroughly explored. The author then carefully examines air pollution risk calculations, control technologies and dispersion models. The text wraps with discussions of economics and project management, reliability and failure, and air pollution decision-making. Provides real-life current cases as examples of quantitation of emerging air pollution problems Includes straightforward derivation of equations, giving practitioners and instructors a direct link between first principles of science and applications of technologies Presents example calculations that make scientific theory real for the student and practitioner


Book Synopsis Air Pollution Calculations by : Daniel A. Vallero

Download or read book Air Pollution Calculations written by Daniel A. Vallero and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2023-09-17 with total page 674 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Air Pollution Calculations: Quantifying Pollutant Formation, Transport, Transformation, Fate and Risks, Second Edition enhances the systems science aspects of air pollution, including transformation reactions in soil, water, sediment and biota that contribute to air pollution. This second edition will be an update based on research and actions taken since 2019 that affect air pollution calculations, including new control technologies, emissions measurement, and air quality modeling. Recent court cases, regulatory decisions, and advances in technology are discussed and, where necessary, calculations have been revised to reflect these updates. Sections discuss pollutant characterization, pollutant transformation, and environmental partitioning. Air partitioning, physical transport of air pollutants, air pollution biogeochemistry, and thermal reactions are also thoroughly explored. The author then carefully examines air pollution risk calculations, control technologies and dispersion models. The text wraps with discussions of economics and project management, reliability and failure, and air pollution decision-making. Provides real-life current cases as examples of quantitation of emerging air pollution problems Includes straightforward derivation of equations, giving practitioners and instructors a direct link between first principles of science and applications of technologies Presents example calculations that make scientific theory real for the student and practitioner

Frontiers in Ecology, Evolution and Complexity

Frontiers in Ecology, Evolution and Complexity

Author: Mariana Benítez

Publisher: CopIt ArXives

Published: 2014-07-08

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 1938128052

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Advances in molecular biology, remote sensing, systems biology, bioinformatics, non-linear science, the physics of complex systems and other fields have rendered a great amount of data that remain to be integrated into models and theories that are capable of accounting for the complexity of ecological systems and the evolutionary dynamics of life. It is thus necessary to provide a solid basis to discuss and reflect on these and other challenges both at the local and global scales. This volume aims to delineate an integrative and interdisciplinary view that suggests new avenues in research and teaching, critically discusses the scope of the diverse methods in the study of complex systems, and points at key open questions. Finally, this book will provide students and specialists with a collection of high quality open access essays that will contribute to integrate Ecology, Evolution and Complexity in the context of basic research and in the field of Sustainability Sciences.


Book Synopsis Frontiers in Ecology, Evolution and Complexity by : Mariana Benítez

Download or read book Frontiers in Ecology, Evolution and Complexity written by Mariana Benítez and published by CopIt ArXives. This book was released on 2014-07-08 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Advances in molecular biology, remote sensing, systems biology, bioinformatics, non-linear science, the physics of complex systems and other fields have rendered a great amount of data that remain to be integrated into models and theories that are capable of accounting for the complexity of ecological systems and the evolutionary dynamics of life. It is thus necessary to provide a solid basis to discuss and reflect on these and other challenges both at the local and global scales. This volume aims to delineate an integrative and interdisciplinary view that suggests new avenues in research and teaching, critically discusses the scope of the diverse methods in the study of complex systems, and points at key open questions. Finally, this book will provide students and specialists with a collection of high quality open access essays that will contribute to integrate Ecology, Evolution and Complexity in the context of basic research and in the field of Sustainability Sciences.

Agent-Based Business Process Simulation

Agent-Based Business Process Simulation

Author: Emilio Sulis

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-07-27

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 3030988163

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This book provides a conceptual clarification of the interconnections between agent-based modeling and business process management (BPM) and presents practical examples of agent-based models dealing with BPM and simulation in NetLogo. The book is structured in three parts. Part I starts with the motivation for the work and introduces the general structure of the book. Next, chapter 2 provides a brief introduction to main BPM concepts including the business process lifecycle, which describes the analysis of an organization by means of modeling and simulation, business process performance indicators, and the automatic extraction of information from event data. Chapter 3 then offers a summary of the concept of agent and the studies concerning agent-based approaches that involve business process analysis and management studies. Part II of the book introduces in chapter 4 the NetLogo tool adopted throughout the remaining book. After that, chapter 5 focuses on agent-oriented modeling as a problem domain analysis and design approach for creating decision-support systems based on agent-based simulations. Chapter 6 further describes the topic of agent-based modeling and simulation for business process analysis. The final part III starts with chapter 7 that reviews some BPM applications by introducing programs enabling to manage models represented in standard formats, such as BPMN, Petri nets, and the eXtensible Event Stream standard language. Subsequently, chapter 8 describes a number of case studies from different areas, and eventually, chapter 9 introduces some examples of advanced topics of process mining and agent-based simulation with process discovery, conformance checking, and agent-based applications utilizing Petri nets. The book is primarily written for researchers and advanced graduate and PhD students who look for an introduction to the fruitful exploitation of agent-based modeling to business process management. The book is also useful for industry practitioners who are interested in supporting their business decisions with computational simulations. The book is complemented by a dedicated web site with lots of additional details and models in NetLogo for further evaluation by the reader.


Book Synopsis Agent-Based Business Process Simulation by : Emilio Sulis

Download or read book Agent-Based Business Process Simulation written by Emilio Sulis and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-07-27 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a conceptual clarification of the interconnections between agent-based modeling and business process management (BPM) and presents practical examples of agent-based models dealing with BPM and simulation in NetLogo. The book is structured in three parts. Part I starts with the motivation for the work and introduces the general structure of the book. Next, chapter 2 provides a brief introduction to main BPM concepts including the business process lifecycle, which describes the analysis of an organization by means of modeling and simulation, business process performance indicators, and the automatic extraction of information from event data. Chapter 3 then offers a summary of the concept of agent and the studies concerning agent-based approaches that involve business process analysis and management studies. Part II of the book introduces in chapter 4 the NetLogo tool adopted throughout the remaining book. After that, chapter 5 focuses on agent-oriented modeling as a problem domain analysis and design approach for creating decision-support systems based on agent-based simulations. Chapter 6 further describes the topic of agent-based modeling and simulation for business process analysis. The final part III starts with chapter 7 that reviews some BPM applications by introducing programs enabling to manage models represented in standard formats, such as BPMN, Petri nets, and the eXtensible Event Stream standard language. Subsequently, chapter 8 describes a number of case studies from different areas, and eventually, chapter 9 introduces some examples of advanced topics of process mining and agent-based simulation with process discovery, conformance checking, and agent-based applications utilizing Petri nets. The book is primarily written for researchers and advanced graduate and PhD students who look for an introduction to the fruitful exploitation of agent-based modeling to business process management. The book is also useful for industry practitioners who are interested in supporting their business decisions with computational simulations. The book is complemented by a dedicated web site with lots of additional details and models in NetLogo for further evaluation by the reader.

Multicellularity

Multicellularity

Author: Karl J. Niklas

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2022-06-07

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 0262545853

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Scholars consider the origins and consequences of the evolution of multicellularity, addressing a range of organisms, experimental protocols, theoretical concepts, and philosophical issues. The evolution of multicellularity raises questions regarding genomic and developmental commonalities and discordances, selective advantages and disadvantages, physical determinants of development, and the origins of morphological novelties. It also represents a change in the definition of individuality, because a new organism emerges from interactions among single cells. This volume considers these and other questions, with contributions that explore the origins and consequences of the evolution of multicellularity, addressing a range of topics, organisms, and experimental protocols. Each section focuses on selected topics or particular lineages that present a significant insight or challenge. The contributors consider the fossil record of the paleontological circumstances in which animal multicellularity evolved; cooptation, recurrent patterns, modularity, and plausible pathways for multicellular evolution in plants; theoretical approaches to the amoebozoa and fungi (cellular slime molds having long provided a robust model system for exploring the evolution of multicellularity), plants, and animals; genomic toolkits of metazoan multicellularity; and philosophical aspects of the meaning of individuality in light of multicellular evolution. Contributors Maja Adamska, Argyris Arnellos, Juan A. Arias, Eugenio Azpeitia, Mariana Benítez, Adriano Bonforti, John Tyler Bonner, Peter L. Conlin, A. Keith Dunker, Salva Duran-Nebreda, Ana E. Escalante, Valeria Hernández-Hernández, Kunihiko Kaneko, Andrew H. Knoll, Stephan G. König, Daniel J. G. Lahr, Ottoline Leyser, Alan C. Love, Raul Montañez, Emilio Mora van Cauwelaert, Alvaro Moreno, Vidyanand Nanjundiah, Aurora M. Nedelcu, Stuart A. Newman, Karl J. Niklas, William C. Ratcliff, Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo, Ricard Solé


Book Synopsis Multicellularity by : Karl J. Niklas

Download or read book Multicellularity written by Karl J. Niklas and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2022-06-07 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scholars consider the origins and consequences of the evolution of multicellularity, addressing a range of organisms, experimental protocols, theoretical concepts, and philosophical issues. The evolution of multicellularity raises questions regarding genomic and developmental commonalities and discordances, selective advantages and disadvantages, physical determinants of development, and the origins of morphological novelties. It also represents a change in the definition of individuality, because a new organism emerges from interactions among single cells. This volume considers these and other questions, with contributions that explore the origins and consequences of the evolution of multicellularity, addressing a range of topics, organisms, and experimental protocols. Each section focuses on selected topics or particular lineages that present a significant insight or challenge. The contributors consider the fossil record of the paleontological circumstances in which animal multicellularity evolved; cooptation, recurrent patterns, modularity, and plausible pathways for multicellular evolution in plants; theoretical approaches to the amoebozoa and fungi (cellular slime molds having long provided a robust model system for exploring the evolution of multicellularity), plants, and animals; genomic toolkits of metazoan multicellularity; and philosophical aspects of the meaning of individuality in light of multicellular evolution. Contributors Maja Adamska, Argyris Arnellos, Juan A. Arias, Eugenio Azpeitia, Mariana Benítez, Adriano Bonforti, John Tyler Bonner, Peter L. Conlin, A. Keith Dunker, Salva Duran-Nebreda, Ana E. Escalante, Valeria Hernández-Hernández, Kunihiko Kaneko, Andrew H. Knoll, Stephan G. König, Daniel J. G. Lahr, Ottoline Leyser, Alan C. Love, Raul Montañez, Emilio Mora van Cauwelaert, Alvaro Moreno, Vidyanand Nanjundiah, Aurora M. Nedelcu, Stuart A. Newman, Karl J. Niklas, William C. Ratcliff, Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo, Ricard Solé

The Theory of Ecological Communities (MPB-57)

The Theory of Ecological Communities (MPB-57)

Author: Mark Vellend

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2020-09-15

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 0691208999

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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.


Book Synopsis The Theory of Ecological Communities (MPB-57) by : Mark Vellend

Download or read book The Theory of Ecological Communities (MPB-57) written by Mark Vellend and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-09-15 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Ecological Niches and Geographic Distributions (MPB-49)

Ecological Niches and Geographic Distributions (MPB-49)

Author: A. Townsend Peterson

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2011-11-20

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 0691136882

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Terminology, conceptual overview, biogeography, modeling.


Book Synopsis Ecological Niches and Geographic Distributions (MPB-49) by : A. Townsend Peterson

Download or read book Ecological Niches and Geographic Distributions (MPB-49) written by A. Townsend Peterson and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2011-11-20 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Terminology, conceptual overview, biogeography, modeling.

Mechanistic Home Range Analysis. (MPB-43)

Mechanistic Home Range Analysis. (MPB-43)

Author: Paul R. Moorcroft

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2013-10-31

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 140084973X

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Spatial patterns of movement are fundamental to the ecology of animal populations, influencing their social organization, mating systems, demography, and the spatial distribution of prey and competitors. However, our ability to understand the causes and consequences of animal home range patterns has been limited by the descriptive nature of the statistical models used to analyze them. In Mechanistic Home Range Analysis, Paul Moorcroft and Mark Lewis develop a radically new framework for studying animal home range patterns based on the analysis of correlated random work models for individual movement behavior. They use this framework to develop a series of mechanistic home range models for carnivore populations. The authors' analysis illustrates how, in contrast to traditional statistical home range models that merely describe pattern, mechanistic home range models can be used to discover the underlying ecological determinants of home range patterns observed in populations, make accurate predictions about how spatial distributions of home ranges will change following environmental or demographic disturbance, and analyze the functional significance of the movement strategies of individuals that give rise to observed patterns of space use. By providing researchers and graduate students of ecology and wildlife biology with a more illuminating way to analyze animal movement, Mechanistic Home Range Analysis will be an indispensable reference for years to come.


Book Synopsis Mechanistic Home Range Analysis. (MPB-43) by : Paul R. Moorcroft

Download or read book Mechanistic Home Range Analysis. (MPB-43) written by Paul R. Moorcroft and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2013-10-31 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spatial patterns of movement are fundamental to the ecology of animal populations, influencing their social organization, mating systems, demography, and the spatial distribution of prey and competitors. However, our ability to understand the causes and consequences of animal home range patterns has been limited by the descriptive nature of the statistical models used to analyze them. In Mechanistic Home Range Analysis, Paul Moorcroft and Mark Lewis develop a radically new framework for studying animal home range patterns based on the analysis of correlated random work models for individual movement behavior. They use this framework to develop a series of mechanistic home range models for carnivore populations. The authors' analysis illustrates how, in contrast to traditional statistical home range models that merely describe pattern, mechanistic home range models can be used to discover the underlying ecological determinants of home range patterns observed in populations, make accurate predictions about how spatial distributions of home ranges will change following environmental or demographic disturbance, and analyze the functional significance of the movement strategies of individuals that give rise to observed patterns of space use. By providing researchers and graduate students of ecology and wildlife biology with a more illuminating way to analyze animal movement, Mechanistic Home Range Analysis will be an indispensable reference for years to come.

Resolving Ecosystem Complexity (MPB-47)

Resolving Ecosystem Complexity (MPB-47)

Author: Oswald J. Schmitz

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2010-07-01

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 1400834171

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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.


Book Synopsis Resolving Ecosystem Complexity (MPB-47) by : Oswald J. Schmitz

Download or read book Resolving Ecosystem Complexity (MPB-47) written by Oswald J. Schmitz and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2010-07-01 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

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

Published: 2021-09-14

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 0691236607

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"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.


Book Synopsis A Hierarchical Concept of Ecosystems. (MPB-23), Volume 23 by : Robert V. O'Neill

Download or read book A Hierarchical Concept of Ecosystems. (MPB-23), Volume 23 written by Robert V. O'Neill and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-09-14 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "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.