Analysis Of Ecological Systems Research Articles

Defining ecology: Ecological theories, mathematical models, and applied biology in the 1960s and 1970s

Ever since the early decades of this century, there have emerged a number of competing schools of ecology that have attempted to weave the concepts underlying natural resource management and natural-historical traditions into a formal theoretical framework. It was widely believed that the discovery of the fundamental mechanisms underlying ecological phenomena would allow ecologists to articulate mathematically rigorous statements whose validity was not predicated on contingent factors. The formulation of such statements would elevate ecology to the standing of a rigorous scientific discipline on a par with physics. However, there was no agreement as to the fundamental units of ecology. Systems ecologists sought to identify the fundamental organization that tied the physical and biological components of ecosystems into an irreducible unit: the ecosystem was their fundamental unit. Population ecologists sought, instead, to identify the biological mechanisms regulating the abundance and distribution of plant and animal species: to these ecologists, the individual organism was the fundamental unit of ecology, and the physical environment was nothing more than a stage upon which the play of individuals in perennial competition took place. As Joel Hagen has pointed out, the two schools were thus dividied by fundamentally different and irreconcilable assumptions about the nature of ecosystems. Notwithstanding these divisive efforts to elevate the image of ecology, the discipline remained in the shadows of American academia until the mid-1960s, when systems ecologists succeeded in projecting ecology onto the national scene. They did so by seeking closer involvement with practical problems: they argued before Congress that their approach to the theoretical problems of ecology was uniquely suited to the solution of the impending “environmental crisis.” With the establishment of the International Biological Program, they succeeded in attracting unprecedented levels of funding for systems ecology research. Theoretical population ecologists, on the other hand, found themselves consigned to the outer regions of this new institutional landscape. The systems ecologists' successful capture of the limelight and the purse brought the divisions between them and population ecologists into sharper relief — hence the hardening of the division of ecology observed by Hagen.45 I have argued that the population biologist Richard Levins, prompted by these institutional developments, sought to challenge the social position of systems ecology, and to assert the intellectual priority of theoretical population ecology. He attempted to do so by articulating a nontrivial and rather carefully thought out classification of ecological models that led to the disqualification of systems analysis as a legitimate approach to the study of ecological phenomena. I have suggested that — ultimately —Levins's case against systems analysis in ecology rested on the view that an aspiration to realism and prediction was incompatible with an interest in theoretical issues, a concern that he equated with the search for generality. He sought to reinforce this argument by exploiting the fact that systems ecologists had staked their future on the provision of technical solutions to the problems of the “environmental crisis”: he associated systems ecologists' aspiration to realism and precision with a concern for practical issues, trading on the widely accepted view that practical imperatives are incompatible with the aims of scientific inquiry.46 These are plausible, but nonetheless questionable, claims which have now become an integral part of ecological knowledge. And finally, I hope to have shown how even the most abstract levels of scientific argument are shaped by political considerations, and how discussions of the conceptual development of modern ecology might benefit from a greater consideration of its historical and social dimensions.47

Ecological systems and the concept of biological organization

An axiomatic system is proposed to improve identification, description, and analysis of complex ecological systems. Such systems are assumed to be organized and have structure. Organization is the complex of interactions and properties of structure that make the perpetuation of structure possible. An entity of structure is assumed to be composed of other entities. The term entity is adopted as a "primitive term." The concept of minimum interactive structure is imposed as an epistemological constraint on the structural infinity of real systems. Other terms are defined as either relations between entities of structure, derived properties resulting from combining such entities into entities of higher order, or conditions necessary for this assembly. Organization is a composite term and consists of complementarity, coordination, integration, and hierarchy. Evaluation of overall organization of an ecological entity appears theoretically possible through parametrization and quantification of these components of organization.

Analysis of forest succession with fuzzy graph theory

Fuzzy graph theory is a fuzzy set generalization of classical graph theory suitable for preliminary analysis of many ecological systems. Fuzzy graph theory is applicable to the analysis of any dynamical system where the values of all state variables are known at at least two points in time. This paper presents some methods and algorithms of fuzzy graph theory, and uses fuzzy graph theory in an analysis of the compositional dynamics of an oak woods in Wisconsin, U.S.A. Three fuzzy relations for succession are compared using the same data to determine how the depiction of forest dynamics depends upon the characteristics of the chosen relation. The inherent minimum requirements for recognizing succession vary with each relation, and the relations from a hierarchy of rigor in requirements. The fuzzy graphs show that the observed successional trends are dependent upon the characteristics of each relation. Fuzzy graph theory is then used to analyze the time-variance of the system dynamics by comparing fuzzy graphs of succession for four consecutive time periods. The analysis shows only small changes in the system dynamics with time, demonstrating that the system is not strongly time-varying. The rate of system change, however, appears to be slowing. Finally, fuzzy graph theory is compared to vector field methods of dynamical system analysis.

FLEX-REFLEX approach to ecological modeling

This paper discussed the FLEX-REFLEX approach to modeling developed by Overton. A rationale for the approach is developed, the approach is described, and application of the approach is considered. The rationale involves the necessity of applying systems analysis to the study of ecosystems. Elements of the hierarchical theory of organizations are established. A general description of FLEX-REFLEX principles, as well as the manner in which they support the modeling phase in ecology is presented. Some implicit applications of the approach are described both at a theoretical and a practical level. Finally, the way in which the FLEX-REFLEX approach has been used for teaching systems analysis in ecology at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco is presented.

Modelling and analysis of ecological systems: the large-scale system viewpoint

This paper surveys ecological modelling and analysis from the viewpoint of large-scale systems. It will be very helpful to system scientists and engineers newly attacking these fields. It is time for a shift in emphasis from the numerical simulation of ecosystems to the theoretical discussion of fundamental principles. Several topics are presented, as follows: in § 2, the approximation problem—aggregation and decomposition; in § 3, ecological networks—input-output analysis, environ analysis, the information theoretical method, and the Markov chain method; in § 4, a macroscopic discussion—thermodynamical and statistical method, thermodynamic network analysis, and global models of energy flow and material cycling; in § 5, model identification—GMDH, compartmental systems analysis, reconstructibility analysis, and the flow-based modelling method.

Grass/Grazer Radiations: An Interpretation of Silica-Body Diversity

Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 4: 53-74. 1980. Guild structure in desert lizards. Oikos 35: 194-201. , Huey, R. B., and Lawlor, L. R. 1979. Niche segregation in desert lizards. In: Horn, D. J., Stairs, G. R., and Mitchell, R. D. (eds), Analysis of ecological systems. Ohio State Univ. Press, Columbus, OH. Poysa, H. 1983. Resource utilization pattern and guild structure in a waterfowl community. Oikos 40: 295-307. Root, R. B. 1967. The niche exploitation pattern of the bluegray gnatcatcher. Ecol. Monogr. 37: 317-350. Sale, P. F 1974. Overlap in resource use, and interspecific competition. Oecologia (Berl.) 17: 245-256. Thompson, J. D. and Rusterholz, K. A. 1982. Overlap summary indices and the detection of community structure. Ecology 63: 274-277. Tukey, J. W. 1980. We need both exploratory and confirmatory. Am. Statistician 34: 23-25. Waite, R. K. 1984. Winter habitat selection and foraging behaviour in sympatric corvids. Ornis Scand. 15: 55-62.

Geographic applications of remotely sensed data

The application of remote sensing to the study of geography as spatially distributed phenomena began in the late 1800s when German foresters used photography taken from a balloon to produce forest maps. Since this early beginning researchers and professionals in government, industry, and educational institutions have become increasingly aware of the ability of remote sensing to provide geographic information. This is information on the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of objects and processes in the world around us. Geographic applications of remotely sensed data typically take one of four explanatory forms and are aimed at one or more of three practical objectives. Explanatory forms include: 1) morphometric analysis, 2) cause and effect analysis, 3) temporal analysis, 4) functional and ecological systems analysis. Objectives include: 1) mapping, 2) monitoring, 3) modeling. As we have moved from using manual analysis techniques on black-and-white aerial photography for mapping distributions to machine-assisted analysis of multispectral satellite data in digital form for analyzing complex environmental processes, the techniques and procedures involved in the use of remotely sensed data have become more complex. Remote sensing does offer a tremendous potential to the community involved in geographic applications. To realize this potential will continue to require a balanced program of both basic and applied research.

Population Policy Perspectives in Developing Countries.

This volume includes papers presented at a conference dealing with population policy perspectives in developing countries and held during December 1981. The conference theme was to incorporate the important aspects of population related matters from the aspect of governmental policy and community participation and to suggest a course of action for the future. The conference focused on population policy perspectives relating to socioeconomic systems and population policy; fertility influencing policies; mortality influencing policies; and migration influencing policies. The papers in the 1st section discuss some of the problems arising from disparities in population trends social structure and policy implications. The common issue is the need for a policy for integrated development with population policy forming a part of such an integrated development policy. The following were among the issues emerging from the social economic and ecological systems analysis: the causal mechanism relating development efforts with motivation to regulate fertility as percevied at the individual level is viewed as a necessary link in the interrelations between development and population policy makers must recognize that in a heterogeneous society this level of motivation is concomitantly and synergistically raised in response to a variety of development policies and it is no longer considered adequate or useful to say that general development reduces fertility. The 2nd group of papers point out that there has been a desire on the part of most governments of the developing countries to reduce the present levels of population growth. Family planning programs are implemented more vigorously and monitored more closely. The 3rd group of papers covered 2 studies based on sample surveys. The paper Fertility Differentials Among Migrants and Nonmigrants in Bombay found that the migrants wives had significantly higher fertility than nonmigrant wives. The other paper examined the impact of social structure on fertility of a small fishing community. The following were among the common issues arising from the papers on mortality influencing policies: there has been a spectacular reduction in general mortality levels in this region but the levels are still high as reflected in the expectation of life; and progress in the reduction of mortality has slowed down in some populous countries like India in the past few years. The control of human reproduction has become accepted as legitimate for public and private agency policy and programming national and international assistance in controlling fertility has increased. There is comparable awareness of the problems generated by the population explosion urbanization and its attendant growth but there are no comparable policies and programs to deal with the problems stemming from rapid urbanization migration and maldistribution of population.

Analysis of Ecological Systems.

Analysis of Ecological Systems.

Analysis of ecological systems, eds. David J. Horn, Rodger D. Mitchell, and Gordon R. Stairs [Review

Analysis of ecological systems, eds. David J. Horn, Rodger D. Mitchell, and Gordon R. Stairs [Review

Analysis of Ecological Systems

Analysis of Ecological Systems

Books-Received

Books-Received Get access Ecological Genetics: The Interface.— Peter F. Brussard (ed.). 1978. Springer-Verlag, New York, vii + 247 pp. $22.80.—Twelve chapters on the evolution of ecological parameters, coadaptarion, enzyme variation, hypoxia, sexual selection and genetics of Hawaiian and other Drosophila, speciation in field crickets, snail genetics, plant demography and genetics, and population differentiation, reproduced from typescript. Ecological Genetics: The Interface.— Peter F. Brussard (ed.). 1978. Springer-Verlag, New York, vii + 247 pp. $22.80.—Twelve chapters on the evolution of ecological parameters, coadaptarion, enzyme variation, hypoxia, sexual selection and genetics of Hawaiian and other Drosophila, speciation in field crickets, snail genetics, plant demography and genetics, and population differentiation, reproduced from typescript. Life Cycles: An Evolutionary Approach to the Physiology of Reproduction, Development and Ageing.— Peter Calow. 1978. Chapman and Hall, London, distributed by Halsted Press, John Wiley & Sons, New York, ix + 164 pp. $14.95.—A wideranging synthetic treatment of prokaryotes, protists, plants, and animals. Animal Learning: Survey and Analysis.— M. E. Bitterman, V. M. LoLordo, J. Bruce Overmier, Michael E. Rashotte 1979. Plenum Press, New York, xi + 510 pp. $42.50.—Covers conditioning, reward training, and allied topics. Fine Structure of Parasitic Protozoa: An Atlas of Micrographs, Drawings and Diagrams.— E. Scholtyseck 1979. Springer-Verlag, New York, vii + 206 pp. $39.80.—Illustrations of the ultrastructure of representative non-ciliate parasites. Dispersal Centres of Sphingidae (Lepidoptera) in the Neotropical Region.— Harald Schreiber. 1978. Biogeographica, Vol. 10; W. Junk, The Hague and Boston. 195 pp.—An argument for the existence of 18 “dispersal centres” in the Neotropics, based on sphingid distribution, of which “the majority” are congruent with those of Miiller based on terrestrial vertebrates. American Spiders.— Willis J. Gertsch. Second edition, 1979. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, xiii + 274 pp. $24.95.—A revised edition (after thirty years) of this classic popular account of the natural history of the North American spider fauna; with numerous new color plates. Behavioral Biology of Aplysia: A Contribution to the Comparative Study of Opisthobranch Molluscs. — Eric R. Kandel. 1979. W. H. Freeman and Co., San Francisco, xiii + 463 pp. No price supplied. —Survey of the sensory structure and function, development, and behavior of marine snails. Contrasts in Behavior.— Ernst S. Reese Frederick J. Lighter (eds.). 1979. John Wiley and Sons, New York, xi + 406 pp. $27.50.—Twelve chapters on comparative aspects on the reproductive, communicative, regulatory, feeding, and social behavior of terrestrial and aquatic vertebrates. Why the Dinosaurs Became Extinct.— J. L. Cloudsley-Thompson. 1978. Meadowfield Press, Shildon, England DL4 2QZ. 86 pp. $8.40.—Stories for swapping on a wintry evening. Turtles: Perspectives and Research.— Marion Harless and Henry Morlock (eds.). 1979. John Wiley and Sons, New York, xiv + 695 pp. $45.00.—A general survey of turtle biology, with a single, brief, and less than up-to-date chapter on “Taxonomy, Evolution, and Zoogeography.” Das evolutive Plateau Saugetier: Origin and Early Evolution of Mammals.— D. Starck, H. F. Moeller, W. Maier, and G. Hahn 1978. Sonderbände des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg, No. 3; Verlag Paul Parey, Hamburg. 95 pp. 26 marks.—Proceedings of the “22. Phylogenetisches Symposion” (1977) with chapters by the four authors, respectively, on monotremes, marsupials, the tribosphenic molar, and multituberculates. Sirenian Evolution in the North Pacific Ocean.— Daryl P. Domning 1978. Univ. of California Publ. in Geol. Sci., Vol. 118; University of California Press, Berkeley. 187 pp. $9.00.—A monographic study pertaining to material published in SZ 25:352-362. Kangaroo Rats: Intraspecific Variation in Dipodomys spectabilis Merriam and Dipodomys deserti Stephens.— Iyad A. Nader. 1978. Illinois Biological Monographs 49, University of Illinois Press, Urbana. 116 pp. $12.50.—Study of 14 skull measurements, six external measurements, and color in seven and four subspecies, respectively. Sensory Systems of Primates.— Charles R. Noback (ed.). 1978. Plenum Press, New York, xiii + 207 pp. $25.00.—Another volume in the “Advances in Primatology” series. Extra-ocular Photosensitivity.— N. Millott 1978. Meadowfield Press, Shildon, England DL4 2QZ. 52 pp. $8.40.—Popularized survey of the structural, biochemical, and physiological basis of light receptors other than eyes. Analysis of Ecological Systems.— David J. Horn, Rodger D. Mitchell, Gordon R. Stairs (eds.). 1979. Ohio State University Press, Columbus, ix + 312 pp. $27.50.—Chapters of evolutionary interest include “Fitness, Survival, and Optimality” by R. C. Lewontin, “Darwinian Analyses: The New Natural History” by Rodger D. Mitchell and Mary B. Williams, “The Ecology of Colonizing Species” by D. C. Embree, “Niche Segregation in Desert Lizards” by Erik R. Pianka, Raymond B. Huey, and Lawrence R. Lawlor, and “Development of Theory in Insect-Plant Interactions” by Lawrence E. Gilbert. Systematic Biology, Volume 28, Issue 3, September 1979, Pages 412–413, https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/28.3.412 Published: 01 September 1979

Systems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology. Vol. 4.

Systems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology. Vol. 4.

Systems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology

Systems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology

Systems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology. Volumes II, III, and IV

Systems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology. Volumes II, III, and IV

Inland boundary determinations for coastal management purposes—an ecological systems approach to requirements of the federal coastal zone management Act of 1972

Abstract An analysis of ecological systems that both sustain and are sustained by coastal waters provides the key to a biophysical procedure for delineating inland coastal management boundaries. This analysis entails two basic tasks: (1) mapping the ecosystems that compose coastal waters and adjacent areas, and (2) charting sustaining flows among these systems. The resulting boundary encompasses all environments of coastal waters (subaqueous areas containing a measurable quantity of seawater) and all shore‐lands (either emergent or submergent environments that interchange sustaining materials, energy, or biota with coastal waters). As this biophysical procedure depends on the precise location of, and functional transfers among, coastal ecosystems, it provides a means both for assessing the consequences of human actions and for establishing a landward boundary for a management program. Alternative boundaries not based on locations and operations of coastal ecosystems would probably be either arbitrary or of undue extent, nor would such “alternative”; boundaries be an integral part of an ongoing management process.

In Defence of Darwin

Some claims made by the authors of a paper on the use of systems analysis in ecology (Reichle, D. E., O'Neill, R. V., Kaye, S. V., Sollins, P., and Booth, R. S., 1973. Systems analysis as applied to modeling ecological processes. Oikos 24: 337-343) deserve comment. This paper deals with the role of earthworms in organic matter decomposition in the soil of a forest ecosystem. The authors, in discussing the results of their analysis, make the following conclusions. With an average organic content of the soil at about 4.5%, earthworms would be processing 5 kg soil m-2 yr-1. Assuming uniform distribution of the population to 35 cm, this would be equivalent to a 70 year turnover time of soil due to earthworm feeding activities. They then go on to say that the synthetic capability of the model these interpretations would have been difficult, if not impossible, to obtain. It seems that Reichle et al. were not aware of the work of an illustrious predecessor in this field. Darwin, C. R., 1881. The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms with observations on their habits. John Murray, London. does not appear in their list of references. In his treatise Darwin does in fact make certain quantitative interpretations about soil turnover by earthworms and, of course, his conclusions were reached without the aid of a sophisticated mathematical model. It should be conceded that Darwin's interpretations were obtained with difficulty and his methods would certainly not have borne fruit within the confines of a three year research grant. His field work was done over a period of thirty years. It is, however, interesting to compare his results with those of the above authors. Darwin did not study a woodland site but examples of his sites which are closest to a forest situation, i.e. those with soils relatively undisturbed by human activity, have been extracted for comparative purposes. In the table

Systems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology. Volume IV.Bernard C. Patten

Previous articleNext article No AccessNew Biological BooksSystems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology. Volume IV. Bernard C. Patten K. E. F. WattK. E. F. Watt Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Quarterly Review of Biology Volume 52, Number 3Sep., 1977 Published in association with Stony Brook University Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/410068 PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Ecosystems Analysis and Population Biology: Lessons for the Development of Community Ecology

Before 1950 research in community and ecosystem ecology was dominated by descriptive studies of particular plant and animal communities, and so it tended to emphasize specific detail over potential generalities. As early as 1942, Raymond Lindeman had pioneered the trophic-dynamic approach to ecosystems analysis, but studies of spatial patterns of organization continued to be the dominant interest in community ecology. In particular, extensive analyses of species composition and species distribution in space and time emphasized taxonomy and composition of the community and the diversity of life forms, as well as the climax concept. Plant ecologists are prominent in this kind of research (Cain 1944, Clements 1936, 1939, Dansereau 1957, Goodall 1952, Raunkiaer 1934, Watt 1947, Whittaker 1975). The development of trophic dynamics (e.g., Odum 1957, Odum and Odum 1956, Teal 1962), the adoption of systems analysis in ecology (e.g., Odum and Pidgeon 1970, Patten 1971 et seq., Watt 1966), and several attempts to deduce general behaviors in communities (Margalef 1963, 1968, Odum 1969) placed new emphasis on developing hypotheses about ecological processes in general and community structure and function in particular. The application of systems analysis to ecological problems has created some unique research problems. To study relatively high levels of organization

Systems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology.

Systems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology.