
April cover.qxd
... reductions in native populations, and local and global extinctions. There is a growing recognition that such shifts represent an important element of global change (Pimm et al. 1995; Vitousek et al. 1997). Given the impact that large mammals have on ecosystems, the major population shifts that human ...
... reductions in native populations, and local and global extinctions. There is a growing recognition that such shifts represent an important element of global change (Pimm et al. 1995; Vitousek et al. 1997). Given the impact that large mammals have on ecosystems, the major population shifts that human ...
File - Mrs. Schneider`s Science home page
... Types of Symbiosis • When one partner is really small and lives inside of the other partner, the other partner is called the host. • The really small partner can be called a mutualist, a commensalist, or a parasite (depending on the type of relationship). • Sometimes, the really small partner is ca ...
... Types of Symbiosis • When one partner is really small and lives inside of the other partner, the other partner is called the host. • The really small partner can be called a mutualist, a commensalist, or a parasite (depending on the type of relationship). • Sometimes, the really small partner is ca ...
WORK IN PROGRESS – NOT TO BE CITED
... constantly running the risk to disturb this balance. Both these underlying assumptions have however increasingly come under attack during the past few years. The claim that the balance of nature is on the overall good for animals has already been contested in a paper from 1995 by Yew-Kwang Ng. But i ...
... constantly running the risk to disturb this balance. Both these underlying assumptions have however increasingly come under attack during the past few years. The claim that the balance of nature is on the overall good for animals has already been contested in a paper from 1995 by Yew-Kwang Ng. But i ...
Plant functional traits and the multidimensional nature of species
... their ability to draw down shared limiting resources or produce offspring, and the resulting “average fitness differences” [sensu Chesson (2)] favor competitive exclusion (14–16). Note that Chesson’s use of the term “fitness” differs from its meaning in evolutionary biology. Average fitness differen ...
... their ability to draw down shared limiting resources or produce offspring, and the resulting “average fitness differences” [sensu Chesson (2)] favor competitive exclusion (14–16). Note that Chesson’s use of the term “fitness” differs from its meaning in evolutionary biology. Average fitness differen ...
Biodiversity and resilience of arthropod communities after fire
... Abstract Changes in ecosystem functions following disturbances are of central concern in ecology and a challenge for ecologists is to understand the factors that affect the resilience of community structures and ecosystem functions. In many forest ecosystems, one such important natural disturbance i ...
... Abstract Changes in ecosystem functions following disturbances are of central concern in ecology and a challenge for ecologists is to understand the factors that affect the resilience of community structures and ecosystem functions. In many forest ecosystems, one such important natural disturbance i ...
pdf - New Zealand Ecological Society
... rates of colonisation of unoccupied patches and may require interventions such as vigorous predator control. Alternatively there may be some other interaction between habitat and predation, e.g. whereby unmodified habitat provides refugia for skinks from predators, or even some as yet unrevealed fac ...
... rates of colonisation of unoccupied patches and may require interventions such as vigorous predator control. Alternatively there may be some other interaction between habitat and predation, e.g. whereby unmodified habitat provides refugia for skinks from predators, or even some as yet unrevealed fac ...
DENSITY-DEPENDENT PREDATION, HABITAT VARIATION, AND
... "guild functional response" on Mya in sand, and on ,Macoma in both mud and sand. Mortality was lower in sand than mud for Mya, and similar in mud and sand for Macoma, correlating with the high abundances of Mya in sand and Macoma in sand and mud. The persistence of large juvenile and adult bivalves ...
... "guild functional response" on Mya in sand, and on ,Macoma in both mud and sand. Mortality was lower in sand than mud for Mya, and similar in mud and sand for Macoma, correlating with the high abundances of Mya in sand and Macoma in sand and mud. The persistence of large juvenile and adult bivalves ...
Locally rare species influence grassland ecosystem
... or a particular study site (but see [11]). In order to understand the response of natural and semi-natural ecosystems to ongoing global change, we therefore need to examine the relationships between different components of diversity (above- versus below-ground, common versus rare) and ecosystem mult ...
... or a particular study site (but see [11]). In order to understand the response of natural and semi-natural ecosystems to ongoing global change, we therefore need to examine the relationships between different components of diversity (above- versus below-ground, common versus rare) and ecosystem mult ...
Locally rare species influence grassland ecosystem multifunctionality
... or a particular study site (but see [11]). In order to understand the response of natural and semi-natural ecosystems to ongoing global change, we therefore need to examine the relationships between different components of diversity (above- versus below-ground, common versus rare) and ecosystem mult ...
... or a particular study site (but see [11]). In order to understand the response of natural and semi-natural ecosystems to ongoing global change, we therefore need to examine the relationships between different components of diversity (above- versus below-ground, common versus rare) and ecosystem mult ...
vamosi and schluter 2004
... P. hoffmani individuals consuming larger prey than did P. cinereus individuals. Field studies of closely related, sympatric species have rarely considered how interactions with other trophic levels, notably natural enemies (e.g., parasites, parasitoids, predators), may contribute to the observed mor ...
... P. hoffmani individuals consuming larger prey than did P. cinereus individuals. Field studies of closely related, sympatric species have rarely considered how interactions with other trophic levels, notably natural enemies (e.g., parasites, parasitoids, predators), may contribute to the observed mor ...
Latitudinal gradients and geographic ranges of
... latitude. This would imply that idiosyncratic and/or stochastic processes were of principal importance in structuring the distribution of naturalized species. Second, patterns could exist that vary qualitatively among taxonomic groups or continents, e.g. mammals showing one pattern in North America ...
... latitude. This would imply that idiosyncratic and/or stochastic processes were of principal importance in structuring the distribution of naturalized species. Second, patterns could exist that vary qualitatively among taxonomic groups or continents, e.g. mammals showing one pattern in North America ...
Ground Work: Basic Concepts of Ecological Restoration
... © 2001 Southern Interior Forest Extension and Research Partnership (Registered as the Southern Interior Extension and Research Society) Information may be reproduced without permission subject to the fair dealing provision and the exceptions set out in the Canada Copyright Act, R.S., c. C-20, s. 1. ...
... © 2001 Southern Interior Forest Extension and Research Partnership (Registered as the Southern Interior Extension and Research Society) Information may be reproduced without permission subject to the fair dealing provision and the exceptions set out in the Canada Copyright Act, R.S., c. C-20, s. 1. ...
Experimental Manipulation of a Desert Rodent Community: Food
... or remove certaincombinationsof species of seed-eatingrodents and ants from 0.25-ha plots in the ChihuahuanDesert of southeasternArizona. These experimentsevaluate the extent to which food availability and interspecificcompetition influence rodent populations. Monitoringwith live traps revealedthat: ...
... or remove certaincombinationsof species of seed-eatingrodents and ants from 0.25-ha plots in the ChihuahuanDesert of southeasternArizona. These experimentsevaluate the extent to which food availability and interspecificcompetition influence rodent populations. Monitoringwith live traps revealedthat: ...
Succession - cloudfront.net
... taken 17 years later, shows that the forest is gradually growing back. Small grasses first grew here and are now being replaced by small trees and shrubs. This is an example of the later stages of secondary succession. ...
... taken 17 years later, shows that the forest is gradually growing back. Small grasses first grew here and are now being replaced by small trees and shrubs. This is an example of the later stages of secondary succession. ...
The global diversity of protozoa and other small species
... It is widely believedthat the numberof speciesof micro-organisms in the world isextremely large. Here, we offer the contrastingview-that the numbermay be quite modest.Most of the work reviewedre&rs to the ciliated protozoa. As with all microbial groups, we must define our concept of “species”, and f ...
... It is widely believedthat the numberof speciesof micro-organisms in the world isextremely large. Here, we offer the contrastingview-that the numbermay be quite modest.Most of the work reviewedre&rs to the ciliated protozoa. As with all microbial groups, we must define our concept of “species”, and f ...
“The History And Future Of Island Conservation In A Snail Shell”
... Islands have been a focal point for extinction events for over one thousand years. Monotypic geology, restricted size and geographic isolation create unique evolutionary environments that can be extremely vulnerable to external interference or rapid internal change. This vulnerability is likely to a ...
... Islands have been a focal point for extinction events for over one thousand years. Monotypic geology, restricted size and geographic isolation create unique evolutionary environments that can be extremely vulnerable to external interference or rapid internal change. This vulnerability is likely to a ...
Ecosystem Services and CBD - ALTER-Net
... harmony with nature’ where by 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential to people. Take effective and urgent action to halt by 2020 the loss of biodiversity in order to ensure that ...
... harmony with nature’ where by 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential to people. Take effective and urgent action to halt by 2020 the loss of biodiversity in order to ensure that ...
Landscape composition influences patterns of native and exotic lady
... Landscape influences lady beetle abundance Tscharntke et al., 2005; Marino et al., 2006; Gardiner et al., 2009). Landscapes supply both native and exotic species to agricultural ecosystems resulting in agricultural food webs containing introduced species at each trophic level. Although habitat loss ...
... Landscape influences lady beetle abundance Tscharntke et al., 2005; Marino et al., 2006; Gardiner et al., 2009). Landscapes supply both native and exotic species to agricultural ecosystems resulting in agricultural food webs containing introduced species at each trophic level. Although habitat loss ...
Evolution of weaponry in female bovids
... To test for the effect of female territoriality on horn evolution, we compiled published (Nowak 1999; Caro et al. 2003) and online (IUCN 2009; UMMZ 2009) data in the presence or absence of female territoriality in bovid species. Females were scored as ‘territorial’ if they actively participated in t ...
... To test for the effect of female territoriality on horn evolution, we compiled published (Nowak 1999; Caro et al. 2003) and online (IUCN 2009; UMMZ 2009) data in the presence or absence of female territoriality in bovid species. Females were scored as ‘territorial’ if they actively participated in t ...
The recent declines of farmland bird populations in Britain: an
... shown to benefit (in terms of locally increased breeding density) from options available in one or more agri-environment schemes. Four aspects of agricultural change have been the main drivers of bird population declines, each affecting a wide range of species, namely: (1) weed-control, mainly throu ...
... shown to benefit (in terms of locally increased breeding density) from options available in one or more agri-environment schemes. Four aspects of agricultural change have been the main drivers of bird population declines, each affecting a wide range of species, namely: (1) weed-control, mainly throu ...
Do herbivores exert top-down effects in Neotropical savannas
... assess the relative importance of top-down and bottomup effects. Furthermore, although mammalian grazers and browsers are indeed rare in Neotropical savannas (Marinho-Filho et al. 2002), these ecosystems contain a diverse and abundant community of herbivorous insects (Marquis et al. 2001). This comm ...
... assess the relative importance of top-down and bottomup effects. Furthermore, although mammalian grazers and browsers are indeed rare in Neotropical savannas (Marinho-Filho et al. 2002), these ecosystems contain a diverse and abundant community of herbivorous insects (Marquis et al. 2001). This comm ...
Understanding mutualism when there is adaptation to
... there is usually adaptation to the partner species, and this may lead to ambiguity. Here we ask how one can determine whether or not a particular interaction in a given environment is mutualistic, bearing in mind that the same interaction might be classified differently in a different environment (B ...
... there is usually adaptation to the partner species, and this may lead to ambiguity. Here we ask how one can determine whether or not a particular interaction in a given environment is mutualistic, bearing in mind that the same interaction might be classified differently in a different environment (B ...
Understanding mutualism when there is adaptation to the partner
... there is usually adaptation to the partner species, and this may lead to ambiguity. Here we ask how one can determine whether or not a particular interaction in a given environment is mutualistic, bearing in mind that the same interaction might be classified differently in a different environment (B ...
... there is usually adaptation to the partner species, and this may lead to ambiguity. Here we ask how one can determine whether or not a particular interaction in a given environment is mutualistic, bearing in mind that the same interaction might be classified differently in a different environment (B ...
Preview Sample 2
... a fisherman caught a northern snakehead fish in a pond in Crofton, Maryland (a suburb of Washington, DC). Snakeheads are a favorite food of immigrants from China, and live fish can frequently be found in Asian markets. It's suspected that the fish in the Crofton pond were purchased locally and then ...
... a fisherman caught a northern snakehead fish in a pond in Crofton, Maryland (a suburb of Washington, DC). Snakeheads are a favorite food of immigrants from China, and live fish can frequently be found in Asian markets. It's suspected that the fish in the Crofton pond were purchased locally and then ...
Theoretical ecology

Theoretical ecology is the scientific discipline devoted to the study of ecological systems using theoretical methods such as simple conceptual models, mathematical models, computational simulations, and advanced data analysis. Effective models improve understanding of the natural world by revealing how the dynamics of species populations are often based on fundamental biological conditions and processes. Further, the field aims to unify a diverse range of empirical observations by assuming that common, mechanistic processes generate observable phenomena across species and ecological environments. Based on biologically realistic assumptions, theoretical ecologists are able to uncover novel, non-intuitive insights about natural processes. Theoretical results are often verified by empirical and observational studies, revealing the power of theoretical methods in both predicting and understanding the noisy, diverse biological world.The field is broad and includes foundations in applied mathematics, computer science, biology, statistical physics, genetics, chemistry, evolution, and conservation biology. Theoretical ecology aims to explain a diverse range of phenomena in the life sciences, such as population growth and dynamics, fisheries, competition, evolutionary theory, epidemiology, animal behavior and group dynamics, food webs, ecosystems, spatial ecology, and the effects of climate change.Theoretical ecology has further benefited from the advent of fast computing power, allowing the analysis and visualization of large-scale computational simulations of ecological phenomena. Importantly, these modern tools provide quantitative predictions about the effects of human induced environmental change on a diverse variety of ecological phenomena, such as: species invasions, climate change, the effect of fishing and hunting on food network stability, and the global carbon cycle.