Application Of Ecological Concepts Research Articles

Analysis on the Application of Ecological Concept in Architectural Design

Analysis on the Application of Ecological Concept in Architectural Design

Application of Ecological Concept in Landscape Design of New Countryside

Application of Ecological Concept in Landscape Design of New Countryside

The population ecology of undesigned systems: an analysis of the Arizona charter school system

The application of ecological concepts and principles to the study of organization design and system development is now commonplace. Population ecology is one biological perspective that has been especially influential within the organization design literature. In the current study, we illustrate for the first time how this framework can be used to reveal when and in what ways intervention is warranted within a system that, like a biological population in nature, has emerged with little to no purposeful design. Specifically, we use 20 years of data on 1,074 Arizona charter schools to illustrate how population analysis can be used to uncover the characteristics of individual organizations that have the highest ability to survive over time within systems that have been allowed to emerge with little to no purposeful design. Our findings lead us to argue how pre-intervention population analysis at the system level can influence organization-level design choices in a way that enables dynamic fit and thereby enhances the likelihood of organization survivorship and innovation over time.

THE POWER OF CULINARY IN SUSTAINING ACEH ECOLEXICON

Ecology is an interrelationship system of the nature. Currently issues on ecological study is on the application of ecological concept within linguistics field that is called eco-linguistics as an interaction between language and its environment for making a balance between natural or original language and the context of culinary culture. This study aims to examine the power of culinary in sustaining Aceh language related to eco-lexicons which focused on the language knowledge of Aceh society including Aceh culinary and eco-lexicons usage. The researcher used qualitative approach with depth interview method and recording techniques. Data were analyzed descriptively with Eco-linguistics interpretation. Ecology aspect includes both cultural and economic value. The sample of this study were Acehnese consist of 25 males and 25 females and one old subject who is professional in cooking. The techniques of data collection were in depth interview, direct observation, and questionnaires about Kuah Pliek and timphan which are local culinary of Aceh. The results show that Aceh culinary (kuah pliek and timphan) are known 100 % by all of the respondents as the Aceh societies but they have less knowledge about eco-lexicons used as their ingredients and the process of making them.

Protocol for collecting Mutillidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) in ecological studies: species–area effects on Mutillidae communities

The species–area relationship is one of the most consistent patterns in ecology, and fragmentation is a major cause of habitat loss. Environmental changes in a site can affect the spatial distribution of organisms. Knowledge of Mutillidae ecology is still scarce due to the lack of standardized sampling. Our aim was to: (1) determine the effect of habitat fragmentation on the Mutillidae community and (2) establish a standard method for sampling Mutillidae in ecological studies. Sampling was conducted in four fragments of Brazilian Savanna in an urbanized matrix. We used quadrats with different areas: 25m2, 100m2 and 400m2 to verify sampling effort. Male and female Mutillidae were collected from each of these three treatments. Males were collected using Malaise traps while females were collected through active search. Ecological index, richness, abundance, and percent similarity between fragments were used to analyze the communities. The Kruskal–Wallis test was performed to verify differences between treatments. Nonparametric multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine community composition. Analysis of direct ordination of community with respect to the sample area size was performed. Three hundred individuals were collected; of which 201 were female, 99 male; belonging to 42 species distributed in 13 genera and two subfamilies. The richness, abundance and composition of the community were different between treatments. It was found that a 100m2 quadrat was sufficient for comparison and application of ecological concepts and theories for the group.

Toward the application of ecological concepts in EU coastal water management

The EU Water Framework Directive demands the protection of the functioning and the structure of our aquatic ecosystems. The defined means to realize this goal are: (1) optimization of the habitat providing conditions and (2) optimizing the water quality. The effects of the measures on the structure and functioning of the aquatic ecosystems then has to be assessed and judged. The available tool to do this is ‘monitoring’. The present monitoring activities in The Netherlands cover target monitoring and trend monitoring. This is insufficient to meet the requirements of the EU. It is, given the EU demands, the ongoing budget reductions in The Netherlands and an increasing flow of unused new ecological concepts and theories (e.g. new theoretical insights related to resource competition theory, intermediate disturbance hypothesis and tools to judge the system quality like ecological network analysis) suggested to reconsider the present monitoring tasks among governmental services (final responsibility for the program and logistic support) and the academia (data analyses, data interpretation and development of concepts suitable for ecosystem modelling and tools to judge the quality of our ecosystems). This will lead to intensified co-operation between both arena’s and consequently increased exchange of knowledge and ideas. Suggestions are done to extend the Dutch monitoring by surveillance monitoring and to change the focus from ‘station oriented’ to ‘area oriented’ without changing the operational aspects and its costs. The extended data sets will allow proper calibration and validation of developed dynamic ecosystem models which is not possible now. The described ‘cost-effective’ change in the environmental monitoring will also let biological and ecological theories play the pivotal role they should play in future integrated environmental management.

Integrating Agroecological Processes into Cropping Systems Research

Summary Agroecology is defined as the application of ecological concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agroecosystems. By viewing cropping systems as agroecosystems, an understanding of the value of the emergent qualities of systems can become a guiding element in research design. A framework for applying this approach in cropping systems research in proposed. A protocol for researching the conversion to sustainable agriculture involves three levels of investigation. The first focuses on improving the efficiency of conventional farming inputs and practices in ways that reduce both their amounts and the environmental impacts of their use. The second focuses on substituting conventional inputs and practices with alternatives that meet broader environmental standards, such as certified organic. Since the problems addressed at these two levels continue to present themselves, a third level is proposed whereby the agroecosystem is redesigned so as to operate on the basis of a new set of ecological processes. At this third level, the emergent qualities of the system itself help prevent problems. Such an approach promotes the conversion to sustainability.

Integrating Ecohealth into a Medical School Curriculum: A Vision of the Future at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine

University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine is undergoing an historical transition which has involved departmental reorganization and creation of several new departments including the Division of Ecology and Health. In establishing this new unit, the US medical school leadership recognized the importance of addressing the cultural and ecological dimensions of health in research and education programs toward achieving the medical school’s vision to become the premier US medical school in the Asia-Pacific region. The Division’s establishment also was compelled by school’s mission to serve the unique health needs of the people of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, particularly those of indigenous populations with particularly high rates of chronic disease and significant community health issues. This especially depends on innovative, community-based, ecological approaches to research and practice, and integrating concepts at the interface of ecological and health sciences into the medical curriculum. Planning and beginning to implement this integration is one the Division’s early objectives. The approach being taken is based on the use of themes emerging from the new biomedical–behavioral synthesis and the application of ecological concepts, principles, and models. The former involves existing basic science subject matter already taught, which can be conceptually framed and interrelated in terms of the latter. Together, these themes and an ecohealth perspective will facilitate basic science learning by providing a more comprehensive and meaningful conceptual matrix to interrelate basic science concepts and facts. The opportunities and impediments to integrating ecohealth within the curriculum take the form of bridges and barriers. Opportunities exist where linkages can be, and already have been, made between disciplines and departments to encourage interdisciplinary learning and transdisciplinary problem-solving drawing on ecological themes and concepts. Apprehension toward unfamiliar scientific territory and competing demands represent significant barriers. These are nonetheless believed to be surmountable over time, especially by exploiting ecohealth’s transdisciplinary dimension to facilitate and enrich the learning experience, rather than adding ecohealth-related subject matter as a learning objective to an already full curriculum and student workload.

Agroecology in the tropics: Achieving a balance between land use and preservation

Agroecology is the application of ecological concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agricultural systems. An agroecological approach to agriculture has special importance in the humid tropics where agricultural development and the preservation of tropical forests are most often in direct conflict. It is proposed that a more sustainable approach to development is needed, where agroecosystems depend on low external inputs, function more on the use of locally available and renewable resources, have benign impacts on the environment, and are based on the knowledge and culture of the local inhabitants. Examples of traditional agroecosystem management in Mesoamerica that can provide this basis are presented. The preservation of both biological and cultural diversity are integral to the long-term sustainable management of natural resources in the tropics.