scholarly journals Advancing the long view of ecological change in tundra systems

2013 ◽  
Vol 368 (1624) ◽  
pp. 20120477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Post ◽  
Toke T. Høye
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Research Personnel ◽  
Ecological Responses ◽  
History Of ◽  
Population And Community Dynamics ◽  
Long Term Studies

Despite uncertainties related to sustained funding, ideological rivalries and the turnover of research personnel, long-term studies and studies espousing a long-term perspective in ecology have a history of contributing landmark insights into fundamental topics, such as population- and community dynamics, species interactions and ecosystem function. They also have the potential to reveal surprises related to unforeseen events and non-stationary dynamics that unfold over the course of ongoing observation and experimentation. The unprecedented rate and magnitude of current and expected abiotic changes in tundra environments calls for a synthetic overview of the scope of ecological responses these changes have elicited. In this special issue, we present a series of contributions that advance the long view of ecological change in tundra systems, either through sustained long-term research, or through retrospective or prospective modelling. Beyond highlighting the value of long-term research in tundra systems, the insights derived herein should also find application to the study of ecological responses to environmental change in other biomes as well.

scholarly journals Introduction: Special issue on species interactions, ecological networks and community dynamics – Untangling the entangled bank using molecular techniques

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomas Roslin ◽  
Michael Traugott ◽  
Mattias Jonsson ◽  
Graham N. Stone ◽  
Simon Creer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Ecological Networks ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Special Issue

scholarly journals Lake sedimentary DNA to reveal long-term changes in aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Domaizon
Keyword(s):  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Critical Research ◽  
Aquatic Biodiversity ◽  
Biological Variables ◽  
Long Term Changes ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Population And Community Dynamics ◽  
Emerging Topics

The emergence of molecular analyses based on the sequencing of sedimentary DNA has opened up many new areas of inquiry in paleolimnology. DNA preserved in sediments (SedDNA) offers the possibility to consider taxa that were traditionally not accessible because they do not leave distinct morphological fossils. Recent applications that considered a diversity of biological groups (including bacteria, protists, zooplankton, fish) illustrate how efficiently SedDNA-based methods complement both classical paleolimnology proxies and limnological data. The knowledge gained from this approach is very diverse in scope, ranging from quantifying natural variability in population and community dynamics to understanding how these biological variables respond to anthropogenic disturbances and climatic change. The use of lake sedimentary DNA to track long-term changes in aquatic biota is a rapidly advancing field of research. Based on recent applications, this presentation illustrates (i) the potential and challenges associated with the study of SedDNA to address critical research questions in lacustrine ecology (ii) the main methodological precautions to be taken into account for implementing these types of DNA analyses (i.e. best practices) and (iii) the emerging topics that could be addressed using sedimentary DNA, in particular to reconstruct the temporal dynamics of lacustrine biodiversity.

Coda: Some Reflections on the Long-Term Ecological Research Program

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Schlesinger
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Research ◽  
Environmental Biology ◽  
College Age ◽  
Lake Washington ◽  
Long Term Ecological Research ◽  
History Of ◽  
Personal Reflections ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Long Term Studies

Ecology has a history of long-term studies that offer great insight to ecosystem processes. The advent of the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program institutionalized long-term studies with some core measurements at a selection of sites across North America. The most successful LTER sites are those that have an energetic leader with a clear vision, who has guided the work over many years. Several LTER sites have established successful education programs for K–12 and college-age students, as well as for science policy-makers. Implementation of more and better cross-site work would be welcome. The various essays in this volume reflect a broad range of experiences among participants in the LTER program. Nearly all are positive: only mad dogs bite the hand that feeds them. All authors appreciate the advantages of long-term funding for their research and lament that funding of the LTER program by the National Science Foundation (NSF) is so limited. There are numerous testimonials for how the LTER program has changed and broadened participation in collaborative science. The real question is whether the LTER program has allowed science to proceed faster, deeper, broader, and with more critical insight than if the program had not been created. To answer that question, I offer a few personal reflections on the LTER program. First, we must note that long-term research existed well before the LTER program. Edmondson began his long-term measurements of exogenous phosphorus in Lake Washington in the early 1950s (Edmondson 1991). Across the country, Herb Bormann and Gene Likens began long-term studies, now in their 50th year, of forest biogeochemistry at Hubbard Brook in 1963 (Likens 2013). Each of these long-term studies enjoys ample coverage in every text of introductory ecology. The advantages of long-term research are undisputed among those who are funded for it. Indeed, NSF embraces a wide variety of decade-long studies with its Long-Term Research in Environmental Biology (LTREB) program. The authors of several chapters recall how Howard Odum’s early work focused their attention on the connections between large units of the landscape.

Degraded or Just Dusty? Examining Ecological Change in Arid Lands

BioScience ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 508-522
Author(s):  
Jennifer L Silcock ◽  
Rod J Fensham
Keyword(s):  
Historical Record ◽  
Rangeland Management ◽  
Rare Plant ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Comprehensive Management ◽  
Ecological History ◽  
Abrupt Changes ◽  
History Of

AbstractThe ecological history of rangelands is often presented as a tale of devastation, where fragile drylands are irreversibly degraded through inappropriate land use. However, there is confusion about how to recognize and measure degradation, especially in low-productivity environments characterized by extreme natural variability and where abrupt and comprehensive management upheavals preclude benchmarks. These issues have important consequences for rangeland management programs, which are typically founded on presumptions of substantial and ongoing degradation from former “natural” states. We explore complementary approaches to critically assess degradation: the historical record, long-term grazing exclosures, surveys for potentially rare and sensitive plant species, and assessment of water-remote areas in relation to rare plant occurrence. Employing these approaches in inland Australia, we show that prevailing paradigms have become entrenched despite being inconsistent with empirical evidence. Our methodology can be applied to drylands with abrupt changes in management and contentious ecological narratives.

On fragile democracy: Contemporary and historical perspectives—Introduction

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-431
Author(s):  
Martin Conway
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Historical Perspectives ◽  
Alternative Means ◽  
History Of ◽  
Long Term Trends

The concept of fragility provides an alternative means of approaching the history of democracy, which has often been seen as the ineluctable consequence of Europe’s social and political modernisation. This is especially so in Scandinavia, as well as in Finland, where the emergence of a particular Nordic model of democracy from the early decades of the twentieth century onwards has often been explained with reference to embedded traditions of local self-government and long-term trends towards social egalitarianism. In contrast, this article emphasises the tensions present within the practices and understandings of democracy in the principal states of Scandinavia during the twentieth century. In doing so, it provides an introduction to the articles that compose this Special Issue, as well as contributing to the wider literature on the fragility of present-day structures of democracy.

scholarly journals Water-soluble vitamins: their physiological significance, role in life of humans and their content in the nutrition of the population suffered as a result of Chernobyl accident

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-79
Author(s):  
I.T. Matasar ◽  
L.M. Petryschenko ◽  
A.V. Chernyshov
Keyword(s):  
Chernobyl Accident ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Daily Intake ◽  
Vitamin Deficiency ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Family Doctors ◽  
History Of ◽  
Long Term Studies

Aim of the Research. Generalization of information about the properties and history of discovery of water-soluble vitamins, their up-to-date classification, sources of their intake and daily consumption by people of different ages and for people affected by the Chernobyl accident and living in environmentally hazardous areas. The article describes the results and data of long-term studies of the actual consumption of water-soluble vitamins by the population living in radioactively contaminated areas as a result of the Chernobyl accident. Materials and Methods. The presented data of the academic literature on the history of discovery of vitamins reveal their main characteristics and significance for the functioning of the human body. The information about physiological needs and the main sources of vitamins intake are presented. Conclusions. The article is relevant for family doctors, hygienists, nutritiologists, nutritionists and others as a scientific information material on the prevention and correction of vitamin deficiency. Key Words: water-soluble vitamins, vitamin deficiency, daily intake of vitamins, population of environmentally fragile regions, Chernobyl accident.

Bringing the State Back In: Studying Ukrainian Statehood in the 20th Century

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-340
Author(s):  
Markian Dobczansky ◽  
Simone Attilio Bellezza
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
The State ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
History Of ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThis article introduces a special issue on Ukrainian statehood. Based on the conference “A Century of Ukrainian Statehoods: 1917 and Beyond” at the University of Toronto, the special issue examines the relationship between the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917–1920 and the Soviet Ukrainian state over the long term. The authors survey the history of the Ukrainian SSR and propose two points of emphasis: the need to study the promises of “national” and “social” liberation in tandem and the persistent presence of an “internal other” in Soviet Ukrainian history.

scholarly journals Metallogeny of the Lyapinsky megablock (Subpolar Urals)

2021 ◽  
pp. 88-105
Author(s):  
DUSHIN Vladimir Aleksandrovich
Keyword(s):  
Geological Structure ◽  
Porphyry Deposits ◽  
History Of Development ◽  
Ferrous Metals ◽  
Literary Sources ◽  
Analysis And Synthesis ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Time ◽  
Long Term Studies

Purpose of the work: elucidation of the geological structure, manifestations of magmatism, geodynamics and metallogeny of one of the largest segments of the paleocontinental sector of the Lyapin megablock in the Urals. The peculiarity of the metallogenic specialization of the latter for uranium, thorium, rare metals, gold, optical quartz caused both increased interest and contradictory ideas about its geology, composition of rock complexes, their age and genesis. Methodology of the work: generalization, analysis and synthesis of materials from long-term studies of the geology and metallogeny of the region, including experimental, methodological, thematic and geological survey work (GDP-200/2 sheets P-40-VI, P-40-XII) with the involvement of extensive literary sources. Results. For the first time, on the basis of the created formation map and the developed author’s legend of the territory, the geological structure is shown, the geological structure, geodynamic conditions of formation, metallogenic features of uneven-aged rock associations are shown. The Lyapinsky megablock, which corresponds to the Lyapinsky mineragenic zone, is a component of the West Ural megazone of the Ural Mineragenic Province, including the Mankhambovsky, Malopatoksky, Nyartinsky and Sаledsky ore nodes. In their history of development, four metallogenic epochs are distinguished: the Pre-Riphean, Riphean-Cambrian, Paleozoic and MesozoicCenozoic, specialized in noble, rare, radioactive, and non-ferrous metals, the largest objects of which include the Yasnoye, Narodnoye, Turman, Chudnoye, Sosnovoye, Telaizskoye, Torgovskoye, Turupinskoye, Kholodnoye, Kozhimskoye, and others. Conclusions. The results obtained indicate that along with a certain ore specialization of metallogenic epochs, an important factor affecting the ore content of the territory is the activated suture zones established in the course of research, in the areas where the largest ore objects, including stratiform and porphyry deposits, are localized, as well as unconventional objects of the “structural-stratigraphic disagreement” type.

‘Never so at home’: Charles Elton and the Woods of Wytham

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina M. Montgomery
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Site ◽  
The People ◽  
As Species ◽  
History Of ◽  
A Site ◽  
Scientific Value ◽  
Scientific Environment ◽  
Long Term Studies

Focusing on the history of an ecological site northwest of Oxford, UK, this essay explores the people, research and values behind the development of Wytham Woods as a scientific environment. A small patch of woodland, Wytham has long been identified by ecologists as a site of great scientific value. In addition to traditional sources of scientific value, such as species diversity, this article examines the role of emotional connection and aesthetics in how scientific sites are formed and maintained over long periods of time. As such, this history of Wytham Woods sheds light on the multiple factors that nurture the relationships formed when researchers dedicate decades to long-term studies conducted in specific scientific environments.

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