scholarly journals What does it mean to put caribou knowledge into an ecosystem context?

Rangifer ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Fred H. Harrington
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Complex Systems ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Energy Flow ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Ecosystem Processes ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Temporal Scale ◽  
The Future

Ecosystems are envisioned as integrated, complex systems with both living and non-living components, that are linked through processes of energy flow and nutrient cycling (Bowen, 1971; Ricklefs, 1979). The ecosystem approach seeks to describe the components of this system, the pathways through which energy and nutrients move, and the processes that govern that movement. The goal is a better understanding of the role or effect of each component (abiotic or biotic) within the system. Theorerically, the more we know, the better we can predict the future behaviour of the ecosystem and therefore manage the system on whatever sustainable basis we deem appropriate. Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) presently inhabit two ecosystems, tundra (arctic and alpine) and taiga (or boreal forest), both characterized by relatively low productivity and diversity (Bowen, 1971; Bliss, 1981; Bonan, 1992a). As increased anthropogenic impacts are expected in these ecosystems through the next century, our ability to ensure the continued survival of caribou requires that we pay increasing attention to the processes that drive these systems. In this endeavour, an awareness of the effects of both spatial and temporal scale, in both ecosystem processes and our research programs to understand those processes, is critical.

Unified Framework II Ecosystem Processes: A Link Between Species and Landscape Diversity

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Waide ◽  
Peter M. Groffman
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Ecology ◽  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Community Ecology ◽  
Energy Flow ◽  
Ecosystem Processes ◽  
Landscape Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Ecology ◽  
Unified Framework ◽  
Ecosystem Diversity

The discipline of ecology can be subdivided into several subdisciplines, including community, ecosystem, and landscape ecology. While all the subdisciplines are important to the study of biodiversity, there is great variation in the extent to which their contributions have been analyzed. For example, the role of community ecology in biodiversity studies is well established. In community ecology, the entities of study are species that differ in their properties and generate a web of interactions that, in turn, organize the species into a community. Similar to community ecology, the contribution of landscape ecology to biodiversity is apparent. The entities of study, definable “patches,” are tangible. They differ in their properties and generate a web of interactions that organize the patches into a landscape mosaic. In contrast to community and landscape ecology, the role of ecosystem ecology in biodiversity is less apparent. In ecosystem ecology, it often is not clear what the entities are, and how they are organized. To the extent that ecosystem ecology focuses on energy flow and nutrient cycling, we can define fundamental entities as compartments and vectors in models that depict the flows of water, energy, and nutrients through communities. If we apply diversity criteria to these entities, we can use the term ecosystem diversity to refer to the number of compartments and vectors, the differences among them in type and size, and their organization in promoting energy flow or nutrient cycling. To our knowledge, ecosystem scientists have not yet developed criteria for ecosystem diversity similar to those used for species and landscape diversity. There has been some use of the term “ecosystem diversity” to refer to a diversity of ecosystems, implying a variety of habitats, landscapes, or biomes. As discussed above, we suggest that to define the role of ecosystem ecology in biodiversity studies, the approach should be to study the relationships among species, landscape, and ecosystem diversities (chapters 1 and 13). However, since the concept of ecosystem diversity awaits further development, we adopt a different approach for understanding the role of ecosystem science in biodiversity studies. In this chapter, we examine relationships among ecosystem processes, species diversity, and landscape diversity.

Comparison of the understory vegetation in boreal forest types of southwest Quebec

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (9) ◽  
pp. 1019-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Légaré ◽  
Yves Bergeron ◽  
Alain Leduc ◽  
David Paré
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Ecosystem Processes ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Understory Vegetation ◽  
Light Transmittance ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Surface Deposit

Variation in canopy composition can influence ecosystem processes, such as nutrient cycling and light transmittance, even when environmental soil conditions are similar. To determine whether forest cover type influences species composition of the understory vegetation (herbs and shrubs), the composition of this layer was studied on two different surface deposits, clay and till, and under four different forest cover types dominated, respectively, by Populus tremuloïdes Michx. (aspen), Betula papyrifera Marsh. (white birch), Pinus banksiana Lamb. (jack pine), and Picea glauca (Moench) Voss – Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. (spruce–fir) over similar environmental conditions. Detrended correspondence analysis and analysis of variance performed on the ordination scores revealed that understory plant composition was highly affected by surface deposit and forest cover. The gradient observed in the correspondence analysis proceeds from aspen, white birch, spruce–fir, to jack pine. Indicator species were identified for each surface deposit and cover type, and most of them were associated with either jack pine or aspen. The richness, evenness, and diversity of the understory vegetation did not vary between cover types, but were affected by surface deposit. By controlling ecosystem processes such as light transmittance and nutrient cycling, forest cover influences understory composition.Key words: cover, understory, composition, boreal forest, environmental condition.

How Is the Future Unknown?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martijn van der Steen ◽  
Mark van Twist
Keyword(s):  
Complex Systems ◽  
Organizational Strategies ◽  
The Future ◽  
Uncertain Future

The future is inherently uncertain. However, most policies are deliberate attempts to anticipate the future and to change and shape the future in an intended way. This chapter provides concepts for three key elements that are necessary to prepare for an unknown future. First, it conceptualizes what makes the future uncertain; uncertainty does not stem from the amount of time itself, but rather from the dynamics that can play out in that time. That is why it matters significantly if a system is complex or complicated; complex systems are much more dynamic and unpredictable, and complicated systems are much more stable and predictable. Second, there are different approaches for “studying” the dynamics; forecasting and foresight depart from entirely different angles of looking at the future, and both have their own strengths and weakness. Third, there are different organizational strategies for preparing for an unknown future; robustness, resilience, and adaptivity are three possible principles for organizing and preparing for uncertainty. In order to prepare for an uncertain future, or to study the uncertain future, scholars and policymakers should systematically take these three essential steps into account; how is the future unknown, how do we study the future, and what concept for anticipation do we apply here?

scholarly journals Planetary well-being

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teea Kortetmäki ◽  
Mikael Puurtinen ◽  
Miikka Salo ◽  
Riikka Aro ◽  
Stefan Baumeister ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Moral Worth ◽  
Ecosystem Processes ◽  
Cultural Transformation ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Social Protests ◽  
The Future ◽  
Bridging Concept

Tensions between the well-being of present humans, future humans, and nonhuman nature manifest in social protests and political and academic debates over the future of Earth. The increasing consumption of natural resources no longer increases, let alone equalises, human well-being, but has led to the current ecological crisis. While the crisis has been acknowledged, it is often approached in human-centred terms, with framings that limit the moral worth of nonhuman nature to its contribution to human well-being. We derive and propose the concept of planetary well-being to recognise the moral considerability of both human and nonhuman well-being, and to promote transdisciplinary, cross-cultural discourse for addressing ecological and social crises and for promoting societal and cultural transformation. Conceptually, we shift focus in well-being from individuals to Earth system and ecosystem processes that underlie all well-being. Planetary well-being is a state where the integrity of Earth system and ecosystem processes remains unimpaired to a degree that species and populations can persist to the future and organisms have the opportunity to achieve well-being. After grounding and introducing planetary well-being, we shortly discuss how it can be measured and reflect upon its potential as a bridging concept between different worldviews.

Advancing an Ecosystem Approach in the Gulf of Maine

2012 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Sensor Arrays ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Dynamical Structure ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
The Future ◽  
And Function

<i>Abstract</i> .—Here we summarize presentations given at the theme session “Structure and Function of the Gulf of Maine System” of the 2009 Gulf of Maine Symposium— Advancing Ecosystem Research for the Future of the Gulf, covering a broad spectrum of multidisciplinary research underway in one of the world’s most intensively studied marine systems. Our objective was to attempt a synthesis of the current ecological and oceanographic understanding of the Gulf of Maine and, in particular, to document progress in these areas since the 1996 Gulf of Maine Ecosystem Dynamics Symposium more than a decade earlier. Presentations at the session covered issues ranging from habitat structure and function, biodiversity, population structure, trophic ecology, the intersection of the biological, chemical and physical oceanography of the region, and the dynamics of economically important species. Important strides in characterizing the broader dimensions of biodiversity in the region, the establishment of new sampling programs and the availability of new sensor arrays, and the renewed emphasis synthesis and integration to meet the emerging needs for ecosystem-based management in the gulf have all contributed to a deepened appreciation of its dynamical structure. The critical importance of the ecosystem goods and services provided by the gulf, and the factors affecting the sustainable delivery of these services, was clearly demonstrated in the course of the session. The papers presented at the session made it clear how far we have come and how far we need to go to ensure the sustainable delivery of these services into the future.

Crossing the Chasm

2012 ◽  
pp. 280-289
Author(s):  
Theresa M. Vitolo
Keyword(s):  
Complex Systems ◽  
Serious Games ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Serious Game ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
Current State ◽  
Gaming Technology ◽  
The Future

Serious games are technology with unrealized potential as an innovation for reasoning about complex systems. The technology is enticing to technologically-savvy individuals, but the acceptance of serious games into mainstream processes requires addressing several systemic issues spanning social, economic, behavioral, and technological aspects. First, deployment of gaming technology for critical processes needs to embrace statistical and scientific methods appropriate for valid, accurate, and verifiable simulation of such processes. Second, identifying the correct instance and application breadth for a serious game within an organization needs to be articulated and supported with research. Third, funding for serious-games initiatives will need to be won as the funding will displace monies previously allocated and championed for other projects. Last, the endeavor faces the problem of negative connotations about its appropriateness as a viable technology for mainstream processes rather than for entertainment and diversion. The chapter examines the chasm serious games must traverse by examining the issues and posing approaches to minimize their effect on the adoption of the technology. The histories of other technologies that faced similar hurdles are compared to the current state of serious games, offering a perspective on the hurdle’s resolution. In the future, the hurdles can be minimized as curricula are developed with the solutions to the issues incorporated in the content.

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