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Books in Ecological modelling

Modelling in Ecotoxicology
1st Edition
Volume 16
S.E. Jorgensen
English
Ecotoxicology is the science of toxic substances in the environment and their impact on living organisms. Today we use many more chemicals in everyday life than we did 30-40 years ago. Our knowledge of the fate and effect of such chemicals in the environment has not yet followed the rate of chemical innovation in spite of our expanding knowledge of ecotoxicology. About 50,000 different chemicals are produced on an industrial scale, but we have only sufficient data to evaluate the environmental consequences of a few per cent of these. The need for ecotoxicological knowledge has never been more pronounced than it is today. Even more resources must be allocated in this field in the near future, if we are to be able to cope with the threat of more toxic chemical compounds in our environment.This book outlines the state of the art of modelling the fate and effects of toxic substances in the environment. Modelling in ecotoxicology differs from modelling in other fields by the great lack of data. The quality of the models is very dependent on the parameters used, and as we do not have a wide knowledge of parameters in ecotoxicological processes, good parameter estimation methods are crucial for ecotoxicolocal models. A comprehensive review of available parameter estimation methods is therefore included in this volume. Model examples and case studies have also been included to illustrate the difficulties and short comings in practical modelling.
Management and Analysis of Biological Populations
1st Edition
Volume 8
B.-S. Goh
English
Management and Analysis of Biological Populations demonstrates the usefulness of optimal control theory in the management of biological populations and the Liapunov function in simulating an ecosystem model under large perturbations of its initial state and continual disturbances on its dynamics. The first chapter of the book introduces the topic by presenting the different models in ecology and discussing the stability concepts, the ecological engineering, and various relevant functions in ecosystem modeling. The next chapter contains a brief survey of static optimization techniques and optimal control theory for systems, which are modeled by differential and difference equations. Another chapter covers methods that use Liapunov and Liapunov-like functions to establish that a given population model is stable relative to finite perturbations of its initial state and that it is non-vulnerable relative to large continual disturbances. The book also covers fisheries and logistic modeling, including a discussion of a few management problems. Moreover, this reference considers stability in an ecosystem model with complexities due to species richness, nonlinearities, time delays, and spatial heterogeneity. Finally, it explains how to manage pests and greenhouse crops. The book is an excellent reference source for students and professionals in ecology and environmental engineering. Research professionals and extended workers in agriculture and agronomy will also find this book invaluable.
Mathematical Modelling of Environmental and Ecological Systems
1st Edition
Volume 11
J.B. Shukla + 2 more
English
This volume contains a cross-section of the papers presented at the International Symposium on Mathematical Modelling of Ecological, Environmental and Biological Systems held in Kanpur, India, in August 1985. The choice of topics emphasizes many aspects of ecological and environmental matters including air and water pollution, ecotoxicology, resource management, epidemiology, and population and community ecology.It is intended that this volume will focus international attention upon some problems in the ecological and environmental sciences that can be impacted by mathematical modelling and analysis.
Models of the Ecological Hierarchy
From Molecules to the Ecosphere
1st Edition
Volume 25
English
In the application of statistics to ecological inference problems, hierarchical models combine explicit models of ecological system structure or dynamics with models of how ecological systems are observed. The principles of hierarchical modeling are applied in this book to a wide range of problems ranging from the molecular level, through populations, ecosystems, landscapes, networks, through to the global ecosphere.
Animal Models of Human Disease
1st Edition
Volume 100
English
Animal experiments have contributed much to our understanding of mechanisms of disease and are important for determining new therapies. Animal Models of Human Disease reviews the latest research and developments in this field.
Fundamentals of Ecological Modelling
Applications in Environmental Management and Research
4th Edition
Volume 21
S.E. Jorgensen
English
Fundamentals of Ecological Modelling: Applications in Environmental Management and Research, Fourth Edition, provides a comprehensive discussion of the fundamental principles of ecological modeling. The first two editions of this book (published in 1986 and 1994) focused on the roots of the discipline the four main model types that dominated the field 30-40 years ago: (1) dynamic biogeochemical models; (2) population dynamic models; (3) ecotoxicological models; and (4) steady-state biogeochemical and energy models. The third edition focused on the mathematical formulations of ecological processes that are included in ecological models. This fourth edition uses the four model types previously listed as the foundation and expands the latest model developments in spatial models, structural dynamic models, and individual-based models. As these seven types of models are very different and require different considerations in the model development phase, a separate chapter is devoted to the development of each of the model types. Throughout the text, the examples given from the literature emphasize the application of models for environmental management and research.
Modelling the Flying Bird
1st Edition
Volume 5
C.J. Pennycuick
English
This book outlines the principles of flight, of birds in particular. It describes a way of simplifying the mechanics of flight into a practical computer program, which will predict in some detail what any bird, real or hypothetical, can and cannot do. The Flight program, presented on the companion website, generates performance curves for flapping and gliding flight, and simulations of long-distance migration and accounts successfully for the consumption of muscles and other tissues during migratory flights. The program is effectively a working model of a flying bird (or bat or pterosaur) and is the skeleton around which the book is built. The book provides a wider background and then explains how Flight works and shows how to set up and test hypotheses generated by the program.The book and the program are based on adapting the conventional (and well-tested) thinking of aeronautical engineers to the biological problems of bird flight. Their primary aim is to convince biologists that this is the appropriate way to handle problems that involve flight, to make the engineering background accessible to biologists, and to provide a tool kit in the shape of the Flight program, which they can use to solve practical problems involving bird flight and migration. In addition, the book will be readily accessible to engineers who want to know how birds work, and should be of interest to the ever-growing community working on flapping "micro air vehicles" (MAVs). The program can be used to predict the flight performance and capabilities of reconstructed fossil birds and pterosaurs, flying in ancient atmospheres that differ from present conditions, and also, of course, to predict and account for the results of experiments and observations on living birds and bats.
Towards a Thermodynamic Theory for Ecological Systems
1st Edition
S.E. Jorgensen + 1 more
English
The book presents a consistent and complete ecosystem theory based on thermodynamic concepts. The first chapters are devoted to an interpretation of the first and second law of thermodynamics in ecosystem context. Then Prigogine's use of far from equilibrium thermodynamic is used on ecosystems to explain their reactions to perturbations. The introduction of the concept exergy makes it possible to give a more profound and comprehensive explanation of the ecosystem's reactions and growth-patterns. A tentative fourth law of thermodynamic is formulated and applied to facilitate these explanations. The trophic chain, the global energy and radiation balance and pattern and the reactions of ecological networks are all explained by the use of exergy. Finally, it is discussed how the presented theory can be applied more widely to explain ecological observations and rules, to assess ecosystem health and to develop ecological models.
Fundamentals of Ecological Modelling
Applications in Environmental Management and Research
1st Edition
Volume 21
S.E. Jorgensen
English
This is a thoroughly revised and updated edition of an authoritative introduction to ecological modelling. Sven Erik Jørgensen, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Ecological Modelling, and Giuseppe Bendoricchio, Professor of Environmental Modelling at the University of Padova, Italy, offer compelling insights into the subject. This volume explains the concepts and processes involved in ecological modelling, presents the latest developments in the field and provides readers with the tools to construct their own models. The Third Edition features:• A detailed discussion and step-by-step outline of the modelling procedure.• An account of different model types including overview tables, examples and illustrations.• A comprehensive presentation of the submodels and unit processes used in modelling. • In-depth descriptions of the latest modelling techniques.• Structured exercises at the end of each chapter. • Three mathematical appendices and a subject index.This practical and proven book very effectively combines the theory, methodology and applications of ecological modelling. The new edition is an essential, up-to-date guide to a rapidly growing field.
Approaches to Scaling of Trace Gas Fluxes in Ecosystems
1st Edition
Volume 24
A.F. Bouwman
English
This excellent book covers techniques used for extrapolating measurements of trace gas fluxes and factors regulating the production, consumption and exchange of trace gases in terrestrial and aquatic environments.It provides a comprehensive summary of all aspects of scaling, from flux measurement techniques, geographic data, modelling, use of tracers and isotopes, inverse modelling and satellite-borne atmospheric observations. An interesting feature of the book is the fact that both fluxes from terrestrial and aquatic (marine) sources are discussed, along with the uncertainties in estimates of trace gas fluxes at different scales, including point, field, landscape, regional and global scale.As well as reviewing the state of the art in the field of scaling of fluxes of greenhouse gases, ozone and aerosol and their precursors, and acidifying compounds, the emphasis of this volume is on identification of gaps in knowledge, finding solutions, and determination of future research directions.