Ecological Concepts Research Articles

How to Promote Green Building Design in the City: Taking the Green Building of Shanghai Museum of Natural History as an Example

At present, China is still in the primary stage of socialist development. With the change of the current global development situation and the concept of "sustainable development" put forward in the 1980s, this concept began to become more and more popular. In the process of urban development, the environment will be damaged to a certain extent, and the sustainable development of the city is inevitable. Green building design can save resources and has become one of the hallmarks of modern cities. But green building is not widespread in China. Low-carbon life is very necessary, therefore, we should pay attention to the reasons why green building design has not been paid attention to and how to increase efforts to promote green building design. Green building should be the development direction of current construction industry. Adhering to the concept of ecology, energy conservation and sustainable development, green buildings will bring great changes to China's urban development. The development of green architecture in our country is still in its infancy, the green building design has failed to scale to thousands, its purpose is to promote people highly harmonious and unified, architecture, natural, economic and environmental benefits, social benefits fully coordinated, prompting the harmonious development of national economy and social environment, ecological environment quickly and well.

Cosmic Ecology – A Wider Context for Planetary Challenges

A case is made for expanding of the concept of ecology to the cosmic scale. A key quality of ecology is the feedback that occurs through interdependence. Ecology has revealed the networks of cause and effect showing how human worldviews and their consequent actions have a destructive power on the scale of the whole planetary system. The worldview of reductionist science basically regards the universe as a vast ‘dead zone’ without intelligent life and levels of meaning and being. Cosmic ecology is a transdisciplinary perspective in which meaning and purpose are acknowledged as a legitimate zone of exploration.

An ecological conception of professional coaching for newly recruited midwives: The case of maternity units in northern Morocco.

An ecological conception of professional coaching for newly recruited midwives: The case of maternity units in northern Morocco.

Теоретичне підґрунтя організації екологічного підприємництва в контексті концепції сталого розвитку

The article is devoted to an in-depth study of scientific approaches and laws of the organization of ecological entrepreneurship. The relationship between the provisions of the concept of sustainable development and the need to organize ecological entrepreneurship and economy with the natural environment is outlined. The possibilities of business in the green economy regarding the formation of the effect, the creation of “ecological business” taking into account the concept of sustainable development are substantiated. The author sets tasks that must be solved in the development of ecological concepts related to ecological and economic problems. The author's vision of the concept of “ecological entrepreneurship” is presented in the context of scientific consideration of ecological and economic tasks based on the innovation process and aimed at protecting the ecosystem and people. The author recommends determining the essence of “ecological entrepreneurship” using ecosystem, eco-innovation, organizational, standardization and global approaches. The author of the article proposed an adapted organizational base for evaluating the structure, processes, influencing factors and effectiveness of the development of ecological entrepreneurship. According to the author, the development of ecological entrepreneurship is a global challenge, therefore it is necessary to focus on supporting the integrity of the economic and ecological system by developing and implementing effective measures for organizing and conducting business without harming the environment. The development of ecological entrepreneurship can become a guide on the way to sustainable economic development of the country as well as of the most countries of the world.

Predation fear and its carry-over effect in a fractional order prey–predator model with prey refuge

This research article centers on the formulation and analysis of a novel prey–predator model that integrates the impacts of predation fear, prey refuge, and carry-over effects. The model is formulated and analyzed using fractional differential equations (FDEs). The model incorporates ecological concepts such as anti-predator behaviours and memory effects to maintain a better understanding of prey–predator interactions. The mathematical model is developed based on a basic prey–predator model with a Michelis–Menten functional response and includes fear-induced carry-over effects, prey refuge, and fractional order derivatives. The study investigates the well-posedness, stability, and Hopf bifurcation of the proposed model and conducts detailed numerical investigations. The integration of different anti-predatory mechanisms and the use of FDEs contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of prey–predator interactions and provide useful insights into the complexities of ecological systems.

Development of water resources protection planning and environmental design in urban water conservancy landscape based on ecological concept

Abstract With the development of society, water resources are gradually scarce and water pollution is becoming increasingly serious, which would seriously restrict the development of the urban economy. In response to the current problems of water scarcity and severe water pollution, this article will study the key points of urban environmental design development based on ecological concepts. This article will also use ecological concepts to divide water function zones based on different pollution-carrying capacities in different regions, which can be mainly divided into two levels. In the experimental analysis section, the Xiongan New Area will be analyzed. This article randomly selected three regions in the Xiongan New Area and studied the utilization rate of various types of water in these regions. The pollution capacity and main water resources of each region in the functional area were planned and designed. Through experiments, it can be found that based on ecological concepts, it is beneficial to improve the pollutant-carrying capacity of each functional area and reduce the total amount of ammonia nitrogen.

Beyond simple adaptation: Incorporating other evolutionary processes and concepts into eco-evolutionary dynamics.

Studies of eco-evolutionary dynamics have integrated evolution with ecological processes at multiple scales (populations, communities and ecosystems) and with multiple interspecific interactions (antagonistic, mutualistic and competitive). However, evolution has often been conceptualised as a simple process: short-term directional adaptation that increases population growth. Here we argue that diverse other evolutionary processes, well studied in population genetics and evolutionary ecology, should also be considered to explore the full spectrum of feedback between ecological and evolutionary processes. Relevant but underappreciated processes include (1) drift and mutation, (2) disruptive selection causing lineage diversification or speciation reversal and (3) evolution driven by relative fitness differences that may decrease population growth. Because eco-evolutionary dynamics have often been studied by population and community ecologists, it will be important to incorporate a variety of concepts in population genetics and evolutionary ecology to better understand and predict eco-evolutionary dynamics in nature.

Utilizing the Use of Google Trends to Discover The Architectural Attractiveness of a Place in Indonesia

A person's memory of the image of a place is powerful, which is influenced by a uniqueness supported by continuity of information. Every visitor's image will be very subjectively evaluated through the internet information media. The challenge lies in subjective perception through internet media information which only sometimes leads to real quality due to perceptions formed from the continuity of information received. A shift in meaning allegedly led to a phenomenon of similar motivation between video game users and traveling for healing purposes. From the perspective of a Google search, the word "traveling" refers to buildings and places with ecological and natural concepts. Meanwhile, video games also offer a natural concept but are more competitive. Using Google Trends, this study attempts to formulate city popularity data using the keyword "traveling." Natural Ecology is the highest choice for social media users, and "healing" is the primary motivation. The value of natural architectural instruments can be a focus to support a sustainable development process for a place based on the popularity of today's needs.

The Effects of Problem-Based Learning on Academic Achievement in Ecology Concepts among Science Education Students in Gusau

The study investigated Effect of Problem-Based Learning on academic achievement in Ecology Concepts among Science Education Students in Gusau. Quasi-experimental pretest, post test control group design. The population comprised of one thousand two hundred and twenty five Biology SS11 students from 11 public Senior Secondary Schools in Zaria metropolis. A sample of 137 students from two schools was randomly selected. The study involves two groups- experimental and a control group. The experimental group was taught Ecology concept using Problem-based learning while the control group was exposed to the same concept using Conventional Method. One instrument was used for data collection Namely Ecology Achievement Test. The instrument was duly validated and have reliability coefficient of 0.87, using Pearson Product Moment Correlation statistic. Two research questions and two null hypotheses were formulated and answered using Mean and Standard deviation statistics and Independent Samples t-test at alpha 0.05 level of significance. The major findings reveals a significant difference between mean academic achievement scores in favor of the experimental group. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others, that workshops, seminars and conferences should be organised for Biology teachers on the use of Problem-Based learning among science education students in Gusau.

Retracted: Analysis on the Ecological Concept of Ternary Interactive Education in Business English Writing

Retracted: Analysis on the Ecological Concept of Ternary Interactive Education in Business English Writing

Ecotopia: Ecological Concerns and Alternate Womanspace in Select Novels of Ursula K. Le Guin

The term ecotopia draws attention to the etymological link between utopia and ecologism, which emphasizes the importance of maintaining a sustainable relationship with the natural world in the context of an ideal egalitarian society. Literary utopias aim to evoke a longing for a society that differs from the present, playing a crucial role in breaking free from conventional thinking and envisioning alternatives to oppressive social institutions. The concept of green utopias is unthinkable without radical social reforms and changes in culture and lifestyle. Feminist ecotopia proposes a gendered deconstruction and reconstruction of a green utopian society. In her ecotopian novels Always Coming Home and Tehanu, Ursula K. Le Guin explores the relationship between ecologism and utopia. The structure of these novels frequently exhibits an ecotopian sensibility, while their content emphasizes the process of creating a better society. Le Guin’s transgressive concept of utopia and ecology seeks to challenge and subvert the ideological frameworks that support materialist and dominant patriarchal conceptions. It provides feminist writers with a distinct space to imagine transgressive and oppositional ecotopian alternatives, where mothering-related myths and femininized characteristics are valued. This paper delves into how Le Guin’s utopian novels interrogate and deconstruct powerful patriarchal structures, creating a cultural space for women to imagine transgressive and oppositional ecotopian alternatives. Keywords: Ecotopia, Utopia, Ecology, Feminist Utopia, Terraforming, Yin-Yang, Daoism

Co-occurrence patterns in biofloc microbial communities revealed by network analysis and their impact on the host

The complex aggregation of bacteria flocs (bioflocs) plays a vital role in the inorganic nitrogen transformation process within biofloc systems. However, few reports have focused on the bacterial co-occurrence of flocs supplemented with different carbohydrate sources. In this study, a correlation-based microecological network analysis method was applied to reveal the bacterial interactions of flocs under three different aquaculture systems: a clear water system (CON group), a biofloc system using glucose (GLU) as a carbon source, and a biofloc system using starch (STA) as a carbon source. The results showed that (i) the GLU group exhibited higher nitrogen removal efficiency and a higher DOC/total inorganic nitrogen ratio (68.80 ± 9.18% and 19.19 ± 6.78, respectively) than the STA group (55.59 ± 16.26% and 15.30 ± 11.08, respectively). The bacterial co-occurrence patterns in the three systems were not random, with each carbohydrate corresponding to a unique bacterial community niche. (ii) Firmicutes was the core phylum in the biofloc technology (BFT) system, while Bacillus, Carnobacterium, and Staphylococcus were the core genera that ensured the stability of nitrogen removal in the system based on network analysis results. (iii) In the GLU group, the abundance of Firmicutes was increased and corresponded to a higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio in the fish gut, which promoted host in situ growth performance. Application of the ecological concepts in this study could lead to the identification of core/satellite genera in bioflocs and promote scientific hypotheses toward more in-depth metabolic and functional research on biofloc systems.

An Ecocritical Interpretation of Rip Van Winkle

In light of the global ecological crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a pressing need to expand the application of ecocritical theory, which examines the relationship between literature and ecology. This paper employs ecocriticism to provide a comprehensive analysis of Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle. It begins by examining the conflicts between humanity and nature from the perspective of natural ecology, the conflicts between individuals and society from the perspective of social ecology, and the conflicts within the individual from the perspective of spiritual ecology. These conflicts are then interpreted within the context of Irving himself and early American history, shedding light on Irving's ecological consciousness and the ecological concepts prevalent in early American literature.

The analytic progress on biodiversity measures

Since the beginning of ecology as a formal science, ecologists have been intensely interested in understanding the diversity patterns and underlying mechanisms that forge diversity distribution across space and over time. Several facets of (bio)diversity were proposed to address the major conundrums in ecology, from simple taxonomic diversity to functional and phylogenetic diversity. In the biodiversity measure theatre, analytic approaches had rampant progress in the last decades, yet are still anchored in classic ecology concepts. In this brief remark, I aimed to provide insights on biodiversity measures techniques applied to ecology and conservation, especially by Latin-American mammalogists. Focusing on taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity, this remark itemised to briefly depict the status quo conceptual and analytic of biodiversity measures in ecology/conservation/mammalogy. To understand the diversity patterns — and further predict the underlying mechanisms — an agenda of research and alliances between scientists and students must be strengthened, which certainly will provide advances for Latin-American mammalogy. To do so, a vast majority of modern analysis (including some depicted here) depends on high computational capacity, typically concentrated in economically affluent regions and which urgently needs to be decentralized via institutional partnerships.

Themes of Consolidation in Eugene P. Odum’s Publicization of the Levels Concept in Ecology Textbooks, 1953–1975

Abstract Following its initial development in the 1920’s and 1930’s, by mid-century the concept of “levels of organization” began to disperse throughout the life science textbook literature. Among other early textbooks that first applied the levels concept, Eugene P. Odum’s usage of the notion in his textbook series Fundamentals of Ecology (and his later series Ecology) stands out due to the marked emphasis placed on the concept as a foundational, erotetically-oriented organizing principle. In this paper, I examine Odum’s efforts toward advocating the levels concept in ecology in light of the concept’s wider uptake in biology around that time.

Embedding communication concepts in forecasting training increases students' understanding of ecological uncertainty

AbstractCommunicating and interpreting uncertainty in ecological model predictions is notoriously challenging, motivating the need for new educational tools, which introduce ecology students to core concepts in uncertainty communication. Ecological forecasting, an emerging approach to estimate future states of ecological systems with uncertainty, provides a relevant and engaging framework for introducing uncertainty communication to undergraduate students, as forecasts can be used as decision support tools for addressing real‐world ecological problems and are inherently uncertain. To provide critical training on uncertainty communication and introduce undergraduate students to the use of ecological forecasts for guiding decision‐making, we developed a hands‐on teaching module within the Macrosystems Environmental Data‐Driven Inquiry and Exploration (EDDIE; MacrosystemsEDDIE.org) educational program. Our module used an active learning approach by embedding forecasting activities in an R Shiny application to engage ecology students in introductory data science, ecological modeling, and forecasting concepts without needing advanced computational or programming skills. Pre‐ and post‐module assessment data from more than 250 undergraduate students enrolled in ecology, freshwater ecology, and zoology courses indicate that the module significantly increased students' ability to interpret forecast visualizations with uncertainty, identify different ways to communicate forecast uncertainty for diverse users, and correctly define ecological forecasting terms. Specifically, students were more likely to describe visual, numeric, and probabilistic methods of uncertainty communication following module completion. Students were also able to identify more benefits of ecological forecasting following module completion, with the key benefits of using forecasts for prediction and decision‐making most commonly described. These results show promise for introducing ecological model uncertainty, data visualizations, and forecasting into undergraduate ecology curricula via software‐based learning, which can increase students' ability to engage and understand complex ecological concepts.

Ecological Diversity of Bacterial Rhizomicrobiome Core during the Growth of Selected Wheat Cultivars.

One of the latest ecological concepts is the occurrence of a biased rhizosphere of microorganisms recruited mostly through interactions among various components of the rhizosphere, including plant roots and the bulk soil microbiome. We compared the diverse attributes of the core microbiome of wheat rhizosphere communities with wheat (W) and legume (L) forecrops determined by three different methods in this study (membership, composition, and functionality). The conclusions of the three methods of microbiome core definition suggest the presence of generalists, i.e., some representative microorganisms from Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Hypomicrobiaceae, Bradyrhizobiaceae, Sphingomonas sp., in the wheat rhizomicrobiome. The relative abundance of the core microbiome accounted for 0.1976% (W) and 0.334% (L)-membership method and 6.425% (W) and 4.253% (L)-composition method. Additionally, bacteria of the specialist group, such as Rhodoplanes sp., are functionally important in the rhizomicrobiome core. This small community is strongly connected with other microbes and is essential for maintenance of the sustainability of certain metabolic pathways.

Context‐dependent evolution of high trophic position drives functional disparity in subterranean crustaceans

Abstract Species performance depends on the concerted interplay of their functional traits. Natural selection acts on the performance of the species and influences entire suits of interdependent functional traits, thereby driving the evolution of functional diversity (FD) within a clade. In a given habitat, interdependent functional traits are expected to integrate into only a few adaptive combinations. When a clade diversifies in different habitats, the FD within habitats (herein called α‐FD) diversifies in response to local selections, while between the habitats, alternative adaptive combinations of interdependent traits that are specific to the habitat emerge. This multivariate selection leads to two hypotheses. First, realized α‐FD within one habitat represents only a small fraction of the variation of functional traits, and second, realized FDs across habitats (hereafter called β‐FD) are equal to or greater than would be in the absence of the interdependence of functional traits. We tested these hypotheses using 185 species of the highly diverse subterranean amphipod genus Niphargus living in three habitats: river interstitial, cave lakes, and cave streams. We (i) explored integration of functional traits related to locomotion and feeding biology and tested (ii) if realized α‐FD within each habitat is lower than it would be without trait interdependence, and (iii) if realized β‐FD in pairwise comparisons of habitats is higher than it would be without trait interdependence. In all three habitats, the length of the appendages as a proxy of the locomotion speed was positively correlated with the trophic position of the species. On the contrary, the body shape correlations were habitat dependent: species in high trophic positions were slender, stout or invariant in shape in interstitial, cave streams and cave lakes, respectively. Using null models, we show that only a fraction of functional trait combinations was realized in each habitat, whereas β‐FD between habitats was equal to or greater than the null expectations. The results indicate preserved potential for diversification in species within and between habitats. This potential can be realized through hybridization and can drive diversification in adaptive radiations. Moreover, this perspective on the evolution of FD is compatible with several central ecological and evolutionary concepts, such as adaptive landscape or ecological niche theory. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Dynamic balancing of risks and rewards in a large herbivore: Further extending predator-prey concepts to road ecology.

Animal behaviour is shaped by the ability to identify risks and profitably balance the levels of risks encountered with the payoffs experienced. Anthropogenic disturbances like roads generate novel risks and opportunities that wildlife must accurately perceive and respond to. Basic concepts in predator-prey ecology are often used to understand responses of animals to roads (e.g. increased vigilance, selection for cover in their vicinity). However, prey often display complex behaviours such as modulating space use given varying risks and rewards, and it is unclear if such dynamic balancing is used by animals in the context of road crossings. We tested whether animals dynamically balance risks and rewards relative to roads using extensive field-based and GPS collar data from elk in Yoho National Park (British Columbia, Canada), where a major highway completely bisects their range during most of the year. We analysed elk behaviour by combining hidden Markov movement models with a step-selection function framework. Rewards were indexed by a dynamic map of available forage biomass, and risks were indexed by road crossings and traffic volumes. We found that elk generally selected intermediate and high forage biomass, and avoided crossing the road. Most of the time, elk modulated their behaviour given varying risks and rewards. When crossing the highway compared with not crossing, elk selected for greater forage biomass and this selection was stronger as the number of highway crossings increased. However, with traffic volume, elk only balanced foraging rewards when they crossed a single time during a travel sequence. Using a road ecology system, we empirically tested an important component of predator-prey ecology-the ability to dynamically modulate behaviour in response to varying levels of risks and rewards. Such a test articulates how decision-making processes that consider the spatiotemporal variation in risks and rewards allow animals to successfully and profitably navigate busy roads. Applying well-developed concepts in predator-prey theory helps understand how animals respond to anthropogenic disturbances and anticipate the adaptive capacity for individuals and populations to adjust to rapidly changing environments.

Concepts in Alpine Plant Ecology.

The alpine life zone is perhaps the only biome that occurs globally where mountains are high enough. At latitudinally varying elevation, the alpine belt hosts small stature plants that vary greatly in morphology, anatomy and physiology. In this contribution, I summarize a number of principles that govern life in what is often considered a cold and hostile environment. The 12 conceptual frameworks depicted include the key role of aerodynamic decoupling from free atmospheric climatic conditions, the problematic concepts of limitation and stress in an evolutionary context, and the role of developmental flexibility and functional diversity. With its topography driven habitat diversity, alpine plant diversity is buffered against environmental change, and the multitude of microclimatic gradients offers 'experiments by nature', the power of which awaits multidisciplinary exploration.