David M. Wilkinson
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198568469
- eISBN:
- 9780191717611
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198568469.003.0004
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
Tradeoffs are a fundamental aspect of biodiversity as they prevent a few species from monopolizing the planet. Well-known ecological concepts, such as the niche, only make sense in the context of ...
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Tradeoffs are a fundamental aspect of biodiversity as they prevent a few species from monopolizing the planet. Well-known ecological concepts, such as the niche, only make sense in the context of this more fundamental idea of tradeoff. The resulting biodiversity will have a positive Gaian effect, that is, it will tend to make an ecological community more stable than if it was composed of a smaller number of species. Biodiversity does not evolve to help stabilize the system (except in the limited sense that taxon poor systems may be more prone to extinction), it is an inevitable by-product of tradeoffs and other processes such as geographical isolation. One potentially important way to think about the Gaian effect of biodiversity is the idea of the ‘portfolio effect’ from economics, although other ideas, such as Grime's ‘transient species’ are also important.Less
Tradeoffs are a fundamental aspect of biodiversity as they prevent a few species from monopolizing the planet. Well-known ecological concepts, such as the niche, only make sense in the context of this more fundamental idea of tradeoff. The resulting biodiversity will have a positive Gaian effect, that is, it will tend to make an ecological community more stable than if it was composed of a smaller number of species. Biodiversity does not evolve to help stabilize the system (except in the limited sense that taxon poor systems may be more prone to extinction), it is an inevitable by-product of tradeoffs and other processes such as geographical isolation. One potentially important way to think about the Gaian effect of biodiversity is the idea of the ‘portfolio effect’ from economics, although other ideas, such as Grime's ‘transient species’ are also important.
Stephen J. Simpson and David Raubenheimer
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691145655
- eISBN:
- 9781400842803
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691145655.003.0008
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
This chapter assesses the consequences of individual nutrition for populations and the assemblages of species that comprise ecological communities. However, the ecological consequences of nutrition ...
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This chapter assesses the consequences of individual nutrition for populations and the assemblages of species that comprise ecological communities. However, the ecological consequences of nutrition are not restricted to the effects of diet on individual organisms but include as well the direct and indirect interactions occurring among individuals within populations and between species. Understanding the complex network of interactions that produce food webs and structure ecosystem dynamics requires the understanding of the participants' differing nutritional requirements, priorities, and regulatory capacities. Geometric Framework analyses have shown that these features differ between species and across trophic levels. Nutritional space is one part of the fundamental niche of an organism, and there is a need to integrate nutrition with the biophysical ecology of organisms. Evolutionary processes also need to be taken into account, and agent-based models offer promise toward development of a new understanding of the evolutionary ecology of nutrition.Less
This chapter assesses the consequences of individual nutrition for populations and the assemblages of species that comprise ecological communities. However, the ecological consequences of nutrition are not restricted to the effects of diet on individual organisms but include as well the direct and indirect interactions occurring among individuals within populations and between species. Understanding the complex network of interactions that produce food webs and structure ecosystem dynamics requires the understanding of the participants' differing nutritional requirements, priorities, and regulatory capacities. Geometric Framework analyses have shown that these features differ between species and across trophic levels. Nutritional space is one part of the fundamental niche of an organism, and there is a need to integrate nutrition with the biophysical ecology of organisms. Evolutionary processes also need to be taken into account, and agent-based models offer promise toward development of a new understanding of the evolutionary ecology of nutrition.
Mark A. McPeek
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780691088778
- eISBN:
- 9781400888214
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691088778.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This book develops a unified framework for understanding the structure of ecological community and the dynamics of natural selection that shape the evolution of the species inhabiting them. All ...
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This book develops a unified framework for understanding the structure of ecological community and the dynamics of natural selection that shape the evolution of the species inhabiting them. All species engage in interactions with many other species, and these interactions regulate their abundance, define their trajectories of natural selection, and shape their movement decisions. This book synthesizes the ecological and evolutionary dynamics generated by species interactions that structure local biological communities and regional metacommunities. The book explores the ecological performance characteristics needed for invasibility and coexistence of species in complex networks of species interactions. This species interaction framework is then extended to examine the ecological dynamics of natural selection that drive coevolution of interacting species in these complex interaction networks. The models of natural selection resulting from species interactions are used to evaluate the ecological conditions that foster diversification at multiple trophic levels. Analyses show that diversification depends on the ecological context in which species interactions occur and the types of traits that define the mechanisms of those species interactions. Lastly, looking at the mechanisms of speciation that affect species richness and diversity at various spatial scales and the consequences of past climate change over the Quaternary period, the book considers how metacommunity structure is shaped at regional and biogeographic scales. Integrating evolutionary theory into the study of community ecology, the book provides a new framework for predicting how communities are organized and how they may change over time.Less
This book develops a unified framework for understanding the structure of ecological community and the dynamics of natural selection that shape the evolution of the species inhabiting them. All species engage in interactions with many other species, and these interactions regulate their abundance, define their trajectories of natural selection, and shape their movement decisions. This book synthesizes the ecological and evolutionary dynamics generated by species interactions that structure local biological communities and regional metacommunities. The book explores the ecological performance characteristics needed for invasibility and coexistence of species in complex networks of species interactions. This species interaction framework is then extended to examine the ecological dynamics of natural selection that drive coevolution of interacting species in these complex interaction networks. The models of natural selection resulting from species interactions are used to evaluate the ecological conditions that foster diversification at multiple trophic levels. Analyses show that diversification depends on the ecological context in which species interactions occur and the types of traits that define the mechanisms of those species interactions. Lastly, looking at the mechanisms of speciation that affect species richness and diversity at various spatial scales and the consequences of past climate change over the Quaternary period, the book considers how metacommunity structure is shaped at regional and biogeographic scales. Integrating evolutionary theory into the study of community ecology, the book provides a new framework for predicting how communities are organized and how they may change over time.
Maclaurin James and Sterelny Kim
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- February 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226500805
- eISBN:
- 9780226500829
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226500829.003.0006
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This chapter focuses on local ecological communities, and on whether local communities are structured, organized systems; that is, systems whose organization has important effects on the identity and ...
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This chapter focuses on local ecological communities, and on whether local communities are structured, organized systems; that is, systems whose organization has important effects on the identity and abundance of the local biota. In analyzing the idea that communities are indeed structured systems, it considers the claim that communities control their own membership and the claim that they have biologically important collective properties. If these ideas are vindicated, we do need more than species information. We need information about organization and variation in that organization from community to community. In the chapter's “units-and-differences” framework, it asks whether local ecological communities are themselves units, and, if so, what are the relevant similarities and differences among them.Less
This chapter focuses on local ecological communities, and on whether local communities are structured, organized systems; that is, systems whose organization has important effects on the identity and abundance of the local biota. In analyzing the idea that communities are indeed structured systems, it considers the claim that communities control their own membership and the claim that they have biologically important collective properties. If these ideas are vindicated, we do need more than species information. We need information about organization and variation in that organization from community to community. In the chapter's “units-and-differences” framework, it asks whether local ecological communities are themselves units, and, if so, what are the relevant similarities and differences among them.
Rachel Bryant
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262017404
- eISBN:
- 9780262301770
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262017404.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
This chapter focuses on the assumption that ecological communities are wholes and on explaining its importance to a community. This assumption posits that communities are closed networks of ...
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This chapter focuses on the assumption that ecological communities are wholes and on explaining its importance to a community. This assumption posits that communities are closed networks of interacting populations. According to it, ecological interactions among populations and among individual organisms arrange themselves into “groups of species that at least weakly interact with one another and not others at a time and through time” or what Odenbaugh refers to as “Hutchinsonian Communities.” It is important to discuss this assumption because there is a possibility that the boundaries of “ecological communities” are not fixed by robust discontinuities in ecological interactions. This chapter focuses on addressing the question “What is the relationship between diversity and stability?”.Less
This chapter focuses on the assumption that ecological communities are wholes and on explaining its importance to a community. This assumption posits that communities are closed networks of interacting populations. According to it, ecological interactions among populations and among individual organisms arrange themselves into “groups of species that at least weakly interact with one another and not others at a time and through time” or what Odenbaugh refers to as “Hutchinsonian Communities.” It is important to discuss this assumption because there is a possibility that the boundaries of “ecological communities” are not fixed by robust discontinuities in ecological interactions. This chapter focuses on addressing the question “What is the relationship between diversity and stability?”.
Paul Schmid-Hempel
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- December 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199229482
- eISBN:
- 9780191774744
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199229482.003.0014
- Subject:
- Biology, Disease Ecology / Epidemiology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter discusses how ecology and ecological communities affect both the life-history and evolution of the parasite and the host. Ecological communities consist of populations of different ...
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This chapter discusses how ecology and ecological communities affect both the life-history and evolution of the parasite and the host. Ecological communities consist of populations of different species. Community ecology is an active area of ecological research that makes inquiries such as: what processes might be responsible for the coexistence, or mutual exclusion of species, and how can the number of species and the diversity of a community be explained? The chapter goes into the ecological communities of parasites, or parasite ecology, which have equivalent properties to those of hosts. The difference, however, is that only hosts represent a suitable environment for a parasite. The chapter looks at the characteristics of parasite communities, such as the ‘compound parasite community’, which is the community of all parasites in a given ecosystem.Less
This chapter discusses how ecology and ecological communities affect both the life-history and evolution of the parasite and the host. Ecological communities consist of populations of different species. Community ecology is an active area of ecological research that makes inquiries such as: what processes might be responsible for the coexistence, or mutual exclusion of species, and how can the number of species and the diversity of a community be explained? The chapter goes into the ecological communities of parasites, or parasite ecology, which have equivalent properties to those of hosts. The difference, however, is that only hosts represent a suitable environment for a parasite. The chapter looks at the characteristics of parasite communities, such as the ‘compound parasite community’, which is the community of all parasites in a given ecosystem.
Eric T. Freyfogle
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780226326399
- eISBN:
- 9780226326429
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226326429.003.0003
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
The difficulty we have distinguishing the legitimate use of nature from the abuse of it is illustrated by conflicting claims that it is wrong or immoral to use riparian corridors in ways that kill ...
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The difficulty we have distinguishing the legitimate use of nature from the abuse of it is illustrated by conflicting claims that it is wrong or immoral to use riparian corridors in ways that kill mussels in rivers. We can resolve such disputes only by constructing an overall normative standard for evaluating human changes to nature, preferably by taking into account all relevant normative factors. The chapter critiques the popular notion of sustainability, explaining its vagueness and incompleteness and arguing that our embrace of it illustrates our failure to engage meaningfully this foundational norm-creating task. This failure appears also when environmental activists unthinkingly equate all human change to a landscape with land abuse and when speaking of restoration, which is best understood not as goal-directed but simply as an impulse to undo certain human-caused landscape changes. Adding complexity and confusion is the reality of nature’s dynamism and the much-discussed changes in the understandings of ecologists over the past half century and more. The chapter questions whether a true paradigm shift occurred in ecology, or whether the changes are more due to simple shifts in temporal perspectives and in whether depictions of ecological communities should or should not include ecological disturbances. Less
The difficulty we have distinguishing the legitimate use of nature from the abuse of it is illustrated by conflicting claims that it is wrong or immoral to use riparian corridors in ways that kill mussels in rivers. We can resolve such disputes only by constructing an overall normative standard for evaluating human changes to nature, preferably by taking into account all relevant normative factors. The chapter critiques the popular notion of sustainability, explaining its vagueness and incompleteness and arguing that our embrace of it illustrates our failure to engage meaningfully this foundational norm-creating task. This failure appears also when environmental activists unthinkingly equate all human change to a landscape with land abuse and when speaking of restoration, which is best understood not as goal-directed but simply as an impulse to undo certain human-caused landscape changes. Adding complexity and confusion is the reality of nature’s dynamism and the much-discussed changes in the understandings of ecologists over the past half century and more. The chapter questions whether a true paradigm shift occurred in ecology, or whether the changes are more due to simple shifts in temporal perspectives and in whether depictions of ecological communities should or should not include ecological disturbances.
Ralph B. Taylor
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814725498
- eISBN:
- 9780814708033
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814725498.003.0008
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
This chapter highlights two conceptual roadblocks to systematic comparisons of competing ecological communities and crime models. First, key indicators in several communities and crime models are ...
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This chapter highlights two conceptual roadblocks to systematic comparisons of competing ecological communities and crime models. First, key indicators in several communities and crime models are plagued by semantic ambiguity. In essence, different researchers connect the same indicators to different constructs. Second, researchers rarely engage in systematic, multimethod ecological construct validation to clarify which indicators clearly belong to which constructs. Multimethod patterns of convergent and discriminant validation are rarely examined. Of course, such examinations are particularly challenging when examining spatially aggregated indicators. The establishment of discriminant validity, a key part of the construct validation process, is needed but challenging to accomplish with data aggregated by geographic proximity. The solution is to first adopt a unified perspective on the construct validation process, which opens up the range of empirical relationships relevant to establishing construct validity. The second is to carry out the unified construct validation activities using a Boudon/Coleman boat metamodel aligned with methodological individualism.Less
This chapter highlights two conceptual roadblocks to systematic comparisons of competing ecological communities and crime models. First, key indicators in several communities and crime models are plagued by semantic ambiguity. In essence, different researchers connect the same indicators to different constructs. Second, researchers rarely engage in systematic, multimethod ecological construct validation to clarify which indicators clearly belong to which constructs. Multimethod patterns of convergent and discriminant validation are rarely examined. Of course, such examinations are particularly challenging when examining spatially aggregated indicators. The establishment of discriminant validity, a key part of the construct validation process, is needed but challenging to accomplish with data aggregated by geographic proximity. The solution is to first adopt a unified perspective on the construct validation process, which opens up the range of empirical relationships relevant to establishing construct validity. The second is to carry out the unified construct validation activities using a Boudon/Coleman boat metamodel aligned with methodological individualism.
Benjamin Kerr and Joshua Nahum
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262015240
- eISBN:
- 9780262295703
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262015240.003.0008
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter considers the evolution of restraint in simple ecosystems. It specifically presents both simulation and experimental data on the evolution of restraint. It argues that spatial structure ...
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This chapter considers the evolution of restraint in simple ecosystems. It specifically presents both simulation and experimental data on the evolution of restraint. It argues that spatial structure may play an important role in setting the stage for egalitarian major transitions. It concentrates on the evolution of restraint in nontransitive ecological communities. This chapter reveals that spatial structure can favor the evolution of restraint. It also illustrates that restraint evolves in structured ecosystems with cyclic networks of interaction.Less
This chapter considers the evolution of restraint in simple ecosystems. It specifically presents both simulation and experimental data on the evolution of restraint. It argues that spatial structure may play an important role in setting the stage for egalitarian major transitions. It concentrates on the evolution of restraint in nontransitive ecological communities. This chapter reveals that spatial structure can favor the evolution of restraint. It also illustrates that restraint evolves in structured ecosystems with cyclic networks of interaction.
Jon D. Witman and Kaustuv Roy (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226904115
- eISBN:
- 9780226904146
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226904146.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
Pioneered in the late 1980s, the concept of macroecology—a framework for studying ecological communities with a focus on patterns and processes—revolutionized the field of ecology. Although this ...
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Pioneered in the late 1980s, the concept of macroecology—a framework for studying ecological communities with a focus on patterns and processes—revolutionized the field of ecology. Although this approach has been applied mainly to terrestrial ecosystems, there is increasing interest in quantifying macroecological patterns in the sea and understanding the processes that generate them. Taking stock of the current work in the field and advocating a research agenda for the decades ahead, this book draws together insights and approaches from a diverse group of scientists to show how marine ecology can benefit from the adoption of macroecological approaches. Divided into three parts, the book first provides an overview of marine diversity patterns and offers case studies of specific habitats and taxonomic groups. In the second part, chapters focus on process-based explanations for marine ecological patterns. The third part presents new approaches to understanding processes driving the macroecolgical patterns in the sea.Less
Pioneered in the late 1980s, the concept of macroecology—a framework for studying ecological communities with a focus on patterns and processes—revolutionized the field of ecology. Although this approach has been applied mainly to terrestrial ecosystems, there is increasing interest in quantifying macroecological patterns in the sea and understanding the processes that generate them. Taking stock of the current work in the field and advocating a research agenda for the decades ahead, this book draws together insights and approaches from a diverse group of scientists to show how marine ecology can benefit from the adoption of macroecological approaches. Divided into three parts, the book first provides an overview of marine diversity patterns and offers case studies of specific habitats and taxonomic groups. In the second part, chapters focus on process-based explanations for marine ecological patterns. The third part presents new approaches to understanding processes driving the macroecolgical patterns in the sea.
Stephan P. Harding
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262194983
- eISBN:
- 9780262283182
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262194983.003.0024
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Climate
This chapter discusses the relationship between complexity and stability in ecological communities and how it has been a major area of speculation and research in ecology since the 1930s. Most ...
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This chapter discusses the relationship between complexity and stability in ecological communities and how it has been a major area of speculation and research in ecology since the 1930s. Most mathematical models of communities have shown that stability declines as complexity increases, but so far, modelers have not included the material environment in their calculations. Here, an otherwise conventional community ecology model is described that includes feedback between the biota and their climate. This “geophysiological” model is stable in that it resists perturbation. The more complex the community included in the model, the greater its stability in terms of resistance to perturbation and rate of response to perturbation. This is a realistic way to model the natural world because organisms cannot avoid feedback to and from their material environment.Less
This chapter discusses the relationship between complexity and stability in ecological communities and how it has been a major area of speculation and research in ecology since the 1930s. Most mathematical models of communities have shown that stability declines as complexity increases, but so far, modelers have not included the material environment in their calculations. Here, an otherwise conventional community ecology model is described that includes feedback between the biota and their climate. This “geophysiological” model is stable in that it resists perturbation. The more complex the community included in the model, the greater its stability in terms of resistance to perturbation and rate of response to perturbation. This is a realistic way to model the natural world because organisms cannot avoid feedback to and from their material environment.
Robert W. Hastings
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604732719
- eISBN:
- 9781604734706
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604732719.003.0017
- Subject:
- History, Environmental History
This chapter describes the major geomorphic regions and ecological communities in Lake Pontchartrain. Three major geomorphic regions are: the Marginal Deltaic Basin, which includes Lakes ...
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This chapter describes the major geomorphic regions and ecological communities in Lake Pontchartrain. Three major geomorphic regions are: the Marginal Deltaic Basin, which includes Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas; the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain, which includes the Lake Borgne area and its surrounding wetlands; and the Pleistocene Terraces, which include the forested habitats that abut the northern side of the lakes and contribute to the Pontchartrain drainage basin. The Marginal Deltaic Basin is further subdivided into eight distinct areas based upon habitat characteristics, plant communities, and faunal assemblages. Within these geomorphic regions and their subdivisions, several major ecological communities may be recognized, based on general living conditions, habitat characteristics, and living organisms present.Less
This chapter describes the major geomorphic regions and ecological communities in Lake Pontchartrain. Three major geomorphic regions are: the Marginal Deltaic Basin, which includes Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas; the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain, which includes the Lake Borgne area and its surrounding wetlands; and the Pleistocene Terraces, which include the forested habitats that abut the northern side of the lakes and contribute to the Pontchartrain drainage basin. The Marginal Deltaic Basin is further subdivided into eight distinct areas based upon habitat characteristics, plant communities, and faunal assemblages. Within these geomorphic regions and their subdivisions, several major ecological communities may be recognized, based on general living conditions, habitat characteristics, and living organisms present.
William P. Kabasenche, Michael O'Rourke, and Matthew H. Slater (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262017404
- eISBN:
- 9780262301770
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262017404.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
Philosophical reflections on the environment began with early philosophers’ invocation of a cosmology that mixed natural and supernatural phenomena. Today, the central philosophical problem posed by ...
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Philosophical reflections on the environment began with early philosophers’ invocation of a cosmology that mixed natural and supernatural phenomena. Today, the central philosophical problem posed by the environment involves not what it can teach us about ourselves and our place in the cosmic order but rather how we can understand its workings in order to make better decisions about our own conduct regarding it. The resulting inquiry spans different areas of contemporary philosophy, many of which are represented by the fifteen chapters in this book. The chapters first consider conceptual problems generated by rapid advances in biology and ecology, examining such topics as ecological communities, adaptation, and scientific consensus. The chapters then turn to epistemic and axiological issues, first considering philosophical aspects of environmental decision making and then assessing particular environmental policies (largely relating to climate change), including reparations, remediation, and nuclear power, from a normative perspective.Less
Philosophical reflections on the environment began with early philosophers’ invocation of a cosmology that mixed natural and supernatural phenomena. Today, the central philosophical problem posed by the environment involves not what it can teach us about ourselves and our place in the cosmic order but rather how we can understand its workings in order to make better decisions about our own conduct regarding it. The resulting inquiry spans different areas of contemporary philosophy, many of which are represented by the fifteen chapters in this book. The chapters first consider conceptual problems generated by rapid advances in biology and ecology, examining such topics as ecological communities, adaptation, and scientific consensus. The chapters then turn to epistemic and axiological issues, first considering philosophical aspects of environmental decision making and then assessing particular environmental policies (largely relating to climate change), including reparations, remediation, and nuclear power, from a normative perspective.
Ally K. Nkwabi, Anthony R. E. Sinclair, Kristine L. Metzger, and Simon A. R. Mduma
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780226195834
- eISBN:
- 9780226196336
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226196336.003.0014
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
Natural disturbances such as fire and grazing create a mosaic of patches during the dry season. We found that fire, in particular, changed avian abundance. Although richness of species did not change ...
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Natural disturbances such as fire and grazing create a mosaic of patches during the dry season. We found that fire, in particular, changed avian abundance. Although richness of species did not change with either disturbance, there was a turnover of species with some species coming in to replace those whose populations were reduced by fire. Thus, there was an overall increase in diversity as a result of these natural disturbances. In contrast, major habitat modifications by humans due to agriculture have been found to significantly reduce both richness and abundance by as much as 50 percent. In essence, large disturbances to habitat such as agricultural modifications are detrimental to the conservation of savanna avifauna whereas moderate disturbances such as burning enhance the overall diversity.Less
Natural disturbances such as fire and grazing create a mosaic of patches during the dry season. We found that fire, in particular, changed avian abundance. Although richness of species did not change with either disturbance, there was a turnover of species with some species coming in to replace those whose populations were reduced by fire. Thus, there was an overall increase in diversity as a result of these natural disturbances. In contrast, major habitat modifications by humans due to agriculture have been found to significantly reduce both richness and abundance by as much as 50 percent. In essence, large disturbances to habitat such as agricultural modifications are detrimental to the conservation of savanna avifauna whereas moderate disturbances such as burning enhance the overall diversity.
Raymond Pierotti and Brandy R. Fogg
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780300226164
- eISBN:
- 9780300231670
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300226164.003.0003
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Nature
This chapter reviews the study of cooperative behavior between species, with emphasis on examples of cooperative hunting found in a wide range of species. Seen in this context, the idea of ...
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This chapter reviews the study of cooperative behavior between species, with emphasis on examples of cooperative hunting found in a wide range of species. Seen in this context, the idea of cooperative hunting between humans and wolves that evolved into present relationships with dogs does not seem unusual or surprising. The chapter then critiques the proposal that competition between species is more important than cooperation in structuring ecological communities, discussing how this notion leads to a suite of ideas philosophically separating humans from the rest of the natural world. In many ways Western science is unintentionally complicit in such thinking. The chapter concludes by discussing complex cooperation, including long-term relationships between members of different species.Less
This chapter reviews the study of cooperative behavior between species, with emphasis on examples of cooperative hunting found in a wide range of species. Seen in this context, the idea of cooperative hunting between humans and wolves that evolved into present relationships with dogs does not seem unusual or surprising. The chapter then critiques the proposal that competition between species is more important than cooperation in structuring ecological communities, discussing how this notion leads to a suite of ideas philosophically separating humans from the rest of the natural world. In many ways Western science is unintentionally complicit in such thinking. The chapter concludes by discussing complex cooperation, including long-term relationships between members of different species.
Carol A. MacLennan
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824839499
- eISBN:
- 9780824871536
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824839499.003.0009
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Pacific Studies
This chapter describes how the industrial plantation created a living rhythm to the tune of a global market that dictated the lives of workers and shaped the land. The plantation community is an ...
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This chapter describes how the industrial plantation created a living rhythm to the tune of a global market that dictated the lives of workers and shaped the land. The plantation community is an ecological community of plants, animals, and humans sustained by soils, rains, and technology. Carved from a tropical environment of indigenous species and human communities, Hawaiʻi's plantations were artificial creations planted on the landscape and managed from the top through minutely sequenced decisions and actions. The managers and owners were temperate-climate and continental people, either born or educated in Western nations. The workers were from different ecological zones and cultures of Asia, the Pacific, Europe, and North America.Less
This chapter describes how the industrial plantation created a living rhythm to the tune of a global market that dictated the lives of workers and shaped the land. The plantation community is an ecological community of plants, animals, and humans sustained by soils, rains, and technology. Carved from a tropical environment of indigenous species and human communities, Hawaiʻi's plantations were artificial creations planted on the landscape and managed from the top through minutely sequenced decisions and actions. The managers and owners were temperate-climate and continental people, either born or educated in Western nations. The workers were from different ecological zones and cultures of Asia, the Pacific, Europe, and North America.
