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Journal articles on the topic 'Energy Ecosystems'
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BEARDSLEY, TIMOTHY M. "Energy and Ecosystems." BioScience 55, no. 6 (2005): 467. http://dx.doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2005)055[0467:eae]2.0.co;2.
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Bakhtadze, N., B. Pavlov, V. Pyatetsky, and A. Suleykin. "Digital Energy Ecosystems." IFAC-PapersOnLine 52, no. 13 (2019): 30–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2019.11.088.
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Duffy, Walter. "Assessing Ecosystem Integrity Through Energy Flow in Wetlands of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks." UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports 19 (January 1, 1995): 101–5. http://dx.doi.org/10.13001/uwnpsrc.1995.3261.
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Ecosystems that possess physical, chemical and biological elements interacting in ways necessary for sustainability are said to have integrity. While conceptually appealing, measuring the condition of ecosystems has proven difficult. Ecosystems are thought to respond to stressors (e.g. detrimental or disorganizing influences) through changes in functional attributes such as energy flow and nutrient cycling and through changes in community structure as well as general system-level changes (Margalef 1981; Odum 1985; Kay and Schneider 1993). Attempts to assess ecosystem condition have rarely considered energy flow and focused instead on either community structure or nutrient cycling (Karr 1993). Although energy flow has not been widely used as a tool in assessing and monitoring ecosystems, its importance to ecosystem integrity is recognized (Ricklefs 1979). All systems require energy and altering the nature (quantity, flow, flux) of that energy supply alters the quality of the ecosystem. In spite of this knowledge few, if any, agency programs devote attention to balancing energy sources (Karr 1993). Recent research suggests that positive relationships between biodiversity and energy flow within ecosystems may exist (Tillman 1996).
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Awano, Haruo, and Masaharu Tsujimoto. "The Mechanisms for Business Ecosystem Members to Capture Part of a Business Ecosystem’s Joint Created Value." Sustainability 13, no. 8 (April 20, 2021): 4573. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13084573.
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Research into business ecosystems has rarely examined the success of business ecosystem members. Business ecosystem leaders tend to focus on their own success rather than carefully monitoring the success of business ecosystem members, and each member must find a mechanism to capture part of the business ecosystem’s joint created value. This study examines the mechanisms by which business ecosystem members capture part of a business ecosystem’s joint created value in the cases of linear tape open (LTO) ecosystems and how these mechanisms contribute to the sustainability of a business ecosystem. A case study was conducted with a review of both the author’s experience with Sony and third-party resources. We confirm the results by panel data analysis. We identified three mechanisms. First, a business ecosystem member can establish a new business ecosystem on their own through newly created complementary innovation. Essentially, a business ecosystem member can become a business ecosystem leader in a new business ecosystem. Second, a business ecosystem member gains market shares from technology leadership, the experience of mass production, and collaboration with the business ecosystem leader. Third, a business ecosystem member who creates complementary innovations can obtain patent royalties. These mechanisms help business ecosystem members stay within business ecosystems and contribute to its success and sustainability.
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Cebrian, J. "Energy flows in ecosystems." Science 349, no. 6252 (September 3, 2015): 1053–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aad0684.
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Zhao, Jie, and Deborah A. Neher. "Soil energy pathways of different ecosystems using nematode trophic group analysis: a meta analysis." Nematology 16, no. 4 (2014): 379–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15685411-00002771.
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We analysed 67 raw data sets of nematode genera from three types of ecosystems (grassland, cropland, and forest) to compare relative magnitude of energy pathways through the soil food web. Bacterial-, fungal- and herbivorous-based energy pathways were compared by percentages (in either abundances or biomass) of three soil nematode trophic groups (i.e., bacterivore, fungivore and herbivore). The patterns of soil energy pathways were similar whether expressed as relative abundance or relative biomass. However, the percentage values of bacterivorous biomass in each type of ecosystem exceeded the percentage values of their abundance. Specifically, relative abundance of bacterivorous nematodes was similar among ecosystems but mean values of biomass were greatest in grassland and similarly less in cropland and forest ecosystems. By contrast, both relative abundance and biomass of fungivorous nematodes decreased progressively from forest to cropland and grassland ecosystems. The opposite pattern across ecosystems was observed for both relative abundance and biomass of herbivorous nematodes. We conclude that energy pathways are bacterial-dominated in all of the ecosystems whether expressed as abundance or biomass. Fungal and herbivorous pathways are second in dominance in forest and grassland ecosystems, respectively. The relative size of the fungal-based energy pathway suggests a gradient of resource quality among ecosystems. We suggest that herbivorous-based energy pathways are more important in grassland ecosystems than reported previously.
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Schramski, John R., Anthony I. Dell, John M. Grady, Richard M. Sibly, and James H. Brown. "Metabolic theory predicts whole-ecosystem properties." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112, no. 8 (January 26, 2015): 2617–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1423502112.
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Understanding the effects of individual organisms on material cycles and energy fluxes within ecosystems is central to predicting the impacts of human-caused changes on climate, land use, and biodiversity. Here we present a theory that integrates metabolic (organism-based bottom-up) and systems (ecosystem-based top-down) approaches to characterize how the metabolism of individuals affects the flows and stores of materials and energy in ecosystems. The theory predicts how the average residence time of carbon molecules, total system throughflow (TST), and amount of recycling vary with the body size and temperature of the organisms and with trophic organization. We evaluate the theory by comparing theoretical predictions with outputs of numerical models designed to simulate diverse ecosystem types and with empirical data for real ecosystems. Although residence times within different ecosystems vary by orders of magnitude—from weeks in warm pelagic oceans with minute phytoplankton producers to centuries in cold forests with large tree producers—as predicted, all ecosystems fall along a single line: residence time increases linearly with slope = 1.0 with the ratio of whole-ecosystem biomass to primary productivity (B/P). TST was affected predominantly by primary productivity and recycling by the transfer of energy from microbial decomposers to animal consumers. The theory provides a robust basis for estimating the flux and storage of energy, carbon, and other materials in terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems and for quantifying the roles of different kinds of organisms and environments at scales from local ecosystems to the biosphere.
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Klemmer, Amanda J., Mark L. Galatowitsch, and Angus R. McIntosh. "Cross-ecosystem bottlenecks alter reciprocal subsidies within meta-ecosystems." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 287, no. 1929 (June 17, 2020): 20200550. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0550.
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Reciprocal subsidies link ecosystems into meta-ecosystems, but energy transfer to organisms that do not cross boundaries may create sinks, reducing reciprocal subsidy transfer. We investigated how the type of subsidy and top predator presence influenced reciprocal flows of energy, by manipulating the addition of terrestrial leaf and terrestrial insect subsidies to experimental freshwater pond mesocosms with and without predatory fish. Over 18 months, fortnightly addition of subsidies (terrestrial beetle larvae) to top-predators was crossed with monthly addition of subsidies (willow leaves) to primary consumers in mesocosms with and without top predators (upland bullies) in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design in four replicate blocks. Terrestrial insect subsidies increased reciprocal flows, measured as the emergence of aquatic insects out of mesocosms, but leaf subsidies dampened those effects. However, the presence of fish and snails, consumers with no terrestrial life stage, usurped and retained the energy within in the aquatic ecosystem, creating a cross-ecosystem bottleneck to energy flow. Thus, changes in species composition of donor or recipient food webs within a meta-ecosystems can alter reciprocal subsidies through cross-ecosystem bottlenecks.
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Gorbunov, Roman V., Tatyana Yu Gorbunova, Vladimir A. Tabunshchik, and Anna V. Drygval. "The radiation balance of oak forest ecosystems of the Crimean Peninsula." RUDN Journal of Ecology and Life Safety 28, no. 3 (December 15, 2020): 201–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.22363/2313-2310-2020-28-3-201-212.
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Studying the response of forest ecosystems to climate change is one of the urgent tasks of modern ecology. Regional manifestations of global climate change lead to special reactions of forest ecosystems. The main source of energy for all processes in ecosystems is solar radiation. It starts all the processes of transformation of matter, energy and information in the ecosystem. A change in its income leads to a restructuring of the ecosystem functioning system. For the Crimean Peninsula today the response of forest ecosystems to climate change remains poorly studied. This determines the relevance and purpose of this work. On the base of the landscape-typological map of the Crimean Peninsula, open reanalysis databases, and GIS modeling, the elements of the radiation balance of the oak forest ecosystems of the Crimean peninsula are estimated under the conditions of modern climate changes. The basic laws of the radiation balance formation of oak forest ecosystems and the features of its interannual dynamics are shown.
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Duguma, Lalisa, Esther Kamwilu, Peter A. Minang, Judith Nzyoka, and Kennedy Muthee. "Ecosystem-Based Approaches to Bioenergy and the Need for Regenerative Supply Options for Africa." Sustainability 12, no. 20 (October 16, 2020): 8588. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12208588.
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Energy supply systems in the tropics and subtropics are marred with considerable negative impacts on ecosystems, for example, forest loss and habitat destruction. This document examines the role of ecosystems in household energy supply in Africa and explores pathways to ecosystem-based approaches to bioenergy generation by building on the regenerative economy concept. An ecosystem-based approach to bioenergy is an energy supply and utilization mechanism aimed at enhancing sustainable management of the sources of ecosystems with minimal trade-offs on/from other sectors directly linked to energy issues. Our analysis revealed that about 87% of energy supply to the population originated from agroecosystems and is challenged by the severe ecosystem degradation happening due to natural and anthropogenic factors. However, ecosystem restoration and effective use of agricultural residues could provide hope for making energy supply sustainable. Our analysis showed that restoring sparsely vegetated areas and degraded forest and savannahs, promotion of agroforestry in degraded agricultural lands, and use of agricultural residues could generate close to 71 billion gigajoules (GJ) of energy and provide sufficient energy for about 2.5 billion people if implemented in all potential areas identified. Ecosystem-based approaches to bioenergy along with a well-balanced involvement of sectors and industry actors coupled with knowledgeable management of the ecosystem could lead to beneficial outcomes for the society and environment.
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Bennett, John W., Dorothy J. Cattle, and Karl H. Schwerin. "Food Energy in Tropical Ecosystems." Anthropologica 30, no. 1 (1988): 95. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/25605250.
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Titus, B. D., D. G. Maynard, C. C. Dymond, G. Stinson, and W. A. Kurz. "Wood Energy: Protect Local Ecosystems." Science 324, no. 5933 (June 11, 2009): 1389–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.324_1389c.
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Lieberman, Leslie Sue, Dorothy J. Cattle, and Karl H. Schwerin. "Food Energy in Tropical Ecosystems." Man 21, no. 4 (December 1986): 753. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2802915.
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GJONI, VOJSAVA, STAMATIS GHINIS, MAURIZIO PINNA, LUCA MAZZOTTA, GABRIELE MARINI, MARIO CIOTTI, ILARIA ROSATI, FABIO VIGNES, SERENA ARIMA, and ALBERTO BASSET. "Patterns of functional diversity of macroinvertebrates across three aquatic ecosystem types, NE Mediterranean." Mediterranean Marine Science 20, no. 4 (December 20, 2019): 703. http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/mms.19314.
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This study is focused on investigating the variation patterns of macroinvertebrate guilds functional structure, in relation to the taxonomic one, across aquatic ecosystem types along the salinity gradient from freshwater to marine and the resulting implications on guild organization and energy flows. Synoptic samplings have been carried out using the leaf-pack technique at 30 sites of the aquatic ecosystems of the Corfu Island (Greece), including freshwater, lagoon, and marine sites. Here, we analyzed the macroinvertebrate guilds of river, lagoon, and marine ecosystems, as: i. taxonomic composition and population abundance ii. trophic guilds composition and relative abundance; and iii. body size spectra and size patterns. The following variation patterns across the three ecosystem types were observed: a. trophic guild composition and body size spectra were more conservative than taxonomic composition within and among ecosystem types, where, trophic guild and size spectra composition were more similar between river and lagoon ecosystem types than with marine ones; b. a dominance on resource exploitation of large species over smaller ones was inferred at all sites; and, c. higher body size-specific density of individuals was consistently observed in lagoon than in freshwater and marine ecosystems. Results extend previous findings suggesting a common hierarchical organization of benthic macroinvertebrate guilds in aquatic ecosystems and showing that lagoon ecosystems have higher energy density transferred to benthic macroinvertebrates than both freshwater and marine ecosystem types.
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Barr, J. G., J. D. Fuentes, M. S. DeLonge, T. L. O'Halloran, D. Barr, and J. C. Zieman. "Influences of tidal energy advection on the surface energy balance in a mangrove forest." Biogeosciences Discussions 9, no. 8 (August 30, 2012): 11739–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/bgd-9-11739-2012.
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Abstract. Mangrove forests are ecosystems susceptible to changing water levels and temperatures due to climate change as well as perturbations resulting from tropical storms. Numerical models can be used to project mangrove forest responses to regional and global environmental changes, and the reliability of these models depends on surface energy balance closure. However, for tidal ecosystems, the surface energy balance is complex because the energy transport associated with tidal activity remains poorly understood. This study aimed to quantify impacts of tidal flows on energy dynamics within a mangrove ecosystem. To address the research objective, an intensive study was conducted in a mangrove forest located along the Shark River in the Everglades National Park, FL. Forest-atmosphere energy exchanges were quantified with an eddy covariance system deployed on a flux tower. The lateral energy transport associated with tidal activity was calculated based on a coupled mass and energy balance approach. The mass balance included tidal flows and accumulation of water on the forest floor. The energy balance included temporal changes in enthalpy, resulting from tidal flows and temperature changes in the water column. By serving as a net sink or a source of available energy, tidal flows reduced the impact of high radiational loads on the mangrove forest. Including tidal energy advection in the surface energy balance improved the 30-min daytime energy closure from 73% to 82% over the study period. Also, the cumulative sum of energy output improved from 79% to 91% of energy input during the study period. Results indicated that tidal inundation provides an important mechanism for heat removal and that tidal exchange should be considered in surface energy budgets of coastal ecosystems. Results also demonstrated the importance of including tidal energy advection in mangrove biophysical models that are used for predicting ecosystem response to changing climate and regional freshwater management practices.
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Barr, J. G., J. D. Fuentes, M. S. DeLonge, T. L. O'Halloran, D. Barr, and J. C. Zieman. "Summertime influences of tidal energy advection on the surface energy balance in a mangrove forest." Biogeosciences 10, no. 1 (January 25, 2013): 501–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-501-2013.
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Abstract. Mangrove forests are ecosystems susceptible to changing water levels and temperatures due to climate change as well as perturbations resulting from tropical storms. Numerical models can be used to project mangrove forest responses to regional and global environmental changes, and the reliability of these models depends on surface energy balance closure. However, for tidal ecosystems, the surface energy balance is complex because the energy transport associated with tidal activity remains poorly understood. This study aimed to quantify impacts of tidal flows on energy dynamics within a mangrove ecosystem. To address the research objective, an intensive 10-day study was conducted in a mangrove forest located along the Shark River in the Everglades National Park, FL, USA. Forest–atmosphere turbulent exchanges of energy were quantified with an eddy covariance system installed on a 30-m-tall flux tower. Energy transport associated with tidal activity was calculated based on a coupled mass and energy balance approach. The mass balance included tidal flows and accumulation of water on the forest floor. The energy balance included temporal changes in enthalpy, resulting from tidal flows and temperature changes in the water column. By serving as a net sink or a source of available energy, flood waters reduced the impact of high radiational loads on the mangrove forest. Also, the regression slope of available energy versus sink terms increased from 0.730 to 0.754 and from 0.798 to 0.857, including total enthalpy change in the water column in the surface energy balance for 30-min periods and daily daytime sums, respectively. Results indicated that tidal inundation provides an important mechanism for heat removal and that tidal exchange should be considered in surface energy budgets of coastal ecosystems. Results also demonstrated the importance of including tidal energy advection in mangrove biophysical models that are used for predicting ecosystem response to changing climate and regional freshwater management practices.
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Wiesner, Susanne, Christina L. Staudhammer, Paul C. Stoy, Lindsay R. Boring, and Gregory Starr. "Quantifying energy use efficiency via entropy production: a case study from longleaf pine ecosystems." Biogeosciences 16, no. 8 (April 30, 2019): 1845–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1845-2019.
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Abstract. Ecosystems are open systems that exchange matter and energy with their environment. They differ in their efficiency in doing so as a result of their location on Earth, structure and disturbance, including anthropogenic legacy. Entropy has been proposed to be an effective metric to describe these differences as it relates energy use efficiencies of ecosystems to their thermodynamic environment (i.e., temperature) but has rarely been studied to understand how ecosystems with different disturbance legacies respond when confronted with environmental variability. We studied three sites in a longleaf pine ecosystem with varying levels of anthropogenic legacy and plant functional diversity, all of which were exposed to extreme drought. We quantified radiative (effrad), metabolic and overall entropy changes – as well as changes in exported to imported entropy (effflux) in response to drought disturbance and environmental variability using 24 total years of eddy covariance data (8 years per site). We show that structural and functional characteristics contribute to differences in energy use efficiencies at the three study sites. Our results demonstrate that ecosystem function during drought is modulated by decreased absorbed solar energy and variation in the partitioning of energy and entropy exports owing to differences in site enhanced vegetation index and/or soil water content. Low effrad and metabolic entropy as well as slow adjustment of effflux at the anthropogenically altered site prolonged its recovery from drought by approximately 1 year. In contrast, stands with greater plant functional diversity (i.e., the ones that included both C3 and C4 species) adjusted their entropy exports when faced with drought, which accelerated their recovery. Our study provides a path forward for using entropy to determine ecosystem function across different global ecosystems.
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Almpanopoulou, Argyro, Jukka-Pekka Bergman, Tero Ahonen, Kirsimarja Blomqvist, Paavo Ritala, Samuli Honkapuro, and Jero Ahola. "Emergence of Energy Services Ecosystems: Scenario Method as a Policy Enabler." Journal of Innovation Management 5, no. 1 (May 18, 2017): 58–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.24840/2183-0606_005.001_0006.
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The very nature of the energy sector, as a highly regulated and capital-intensive sector, as well as the challenges imposed by the global transition to renewable energy, have made the emergence of innovation ecosystems, which are necessary for the development and commercialization of new solutions, rather challenging. We examine the emergence of energy services ecosystems from a policy perspective, suggesting the scenario method as an enabler for focusing the attention of relevant actors and identifying triggering events that guide their activities toward a shared future. We illustrate our arguments using three case examples from Finnish public policy. Our study contributes to the nascent literature of ecosystem emergence and public innovation policy in the field of energy services.
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Margita, Kuklová, Hniličková Helena, Hnilička František, Pivková Ivica, and Kukla Ján. "Toxic elements and energy accumulation in topsoil and plants of spruce ecosystems." Plant, Soil and Environment 63, No. 9 (September 26, 2017): 402–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.17221/364/2017-pse.
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The objective of this research was to evaluate trends and relationships of energy and toxic elements accumulation in A-horizon (the depth of 0–5 cm) of soils and in selected plants of the hemioligotrophic (Dystric Cambisols) and oligotrophic (Skeletic-Rustic Podzols) spruce ecosystems situated along transect (750–1110 m a.s.l.) in the NP Slovenský raj (Eastern Slovakia). The results showed that EU limit values of risk elements in agricultural soils were exceeded for Cu and Cd at the altitude of 750–760 m a.s.l., and in case of Cd also above 1000 m a.s.l. Relationship between energy and toxic elements in soils revealed that with an increasing amount of energy, contents of Zn and Cu significantly declined with altitude (r > –0.5 or r > –0.9). The background value of Cu was exceeded in all plants, that of Zn for Dryopteris filix-mas and Rubus idaeus. Furthermore, excessive accumulation of Cd was revealed by all plants. Cu contents in soils were dominant in determining Cu uptake for Vaccinium myrtillus (r > 0.5); Zn and Cd for V. myrtillus (r > 0.6), D. filix-mas (r > 0.5 or r > 0.8) and Fagus sylvatica (r > –0.8 or r > –0.5); Zn also for R. idaeus species (r > 0.4). The soil-plant transfer coefficients higher than 1 hinted R. idaeus on the plots at the altitude of 960 m a.s.l. (Cd 1.1, Cu 1.2, Zn 3.1), which appears as an excellent native indicator of forest ecosystem contamination.
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Seto, Mayumi, and Yoh Iwasa. "Microbial material cycling, energetic constraints and ecosystem expansion in subsurface ecosystems." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 287, no. 1931 (July 29, 2020): 20200610. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0610.
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To harvest energy from chemical reactions, microbes engage in diverse catabolic interactions that drive material cycles in the environment. Here, we consider a simple mathematical model for cycling reactions between alternative forms of an element (A and A e ), where reaction 1 converts A to A e and reaction 2 converts A e to A. There are two types of microbes: type 1 microbes harness reaction 1, and type 2 microbes harness reaction 2. Each type receives its own catabolic resources from the other type and provides the other type with the by-products as the catabolic resources. Analyses of the model show that each type increases its steady-state abundance in the presence of the other type. The flux of material flow becomes faster in the presence of microbes. By coupling two catabolic reactions, types 1 and 2 can also expand their realized niches through the abundant resource premium, the effect of relative quantities of products and reactants on the available chemical energy, which is especially important for microbes under strong energetic limitations. The plausibility of mutually beneficial interactions is controlled by the available chemical energy (Gibbs energy) of the system. We conclude that mutualistic catabolic interactions can be an important factor that enables microbes in subsurface ecosystems to increase ecosystem productivity and expand the ecosystem.
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Blanco, Eduardo, Maibritt Pedersen Zari, Kalina Raskin, and Philippe Clergeau. "Urban Ecosystem-Level Biomimicry and Regenerative Design: Linking Ecosystem Functioning and Urban Built Environments." Sustainability 13, no. 1 (January 4, 2021): 404. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13010404.
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By 2050, 68% of the world’s population will likely live in cities. Human settlements depend on resources, benefits, and services from ecosystems, but they also tend to deplete ecosystem health. To address this situation, a new urban design and planning approach is emerging. Based on regenerative design, ecosystem-level biomimicry, and ecosystem services theories, it proposes designing projects that reconnect urban space to natural ecosystems and regenerate whole socio-ecosystems, contributing to ecosystem health and ecosystem services production. In this paper, we review ecosystems as models for urban design and review recent research on ecosystem services production. We also examine two illustrative case studies using this approach: Lavasa Hill in India and Lloyd Crossing in the U.S.A. With increasing conceptualisation and application, we argue that the approach contributes positive impacts to socio-ecosystems and enables scale jumping of regenerative practices at the urban scale. However, ecosystem-level biomimicry practices in urban design to create regenerative impact still lack crucial integrated knowledge on ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services productions, making it less effective than potentially it could be. We identify crucial gaps in knowledge where further research is needed and pose further relevant research questions to make ecosystem-level biomimicry approaches aiming for regenerative impact more effective.
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Alipour, A., H. Veisi, F. Darijani, B. Mirbagheri, and A. G. Behbahani. "Study and determination of energy consumption to produce conventional rice of the Guilan province." Research in Agricultural Engineering 58, No. 3 (August 16, 2012): 99–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.17221/8/2011-rae.
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The aim of this study was to determine the energy efficiency indices in the agro-ecosystems of the Guilan province in 2010. One hundred and twenty-seven farmers were interviewed using a particularly designed questionnaire. The inputs in the calculation of energy use in agro-ecosystems embraced labour, machinery, electricity, diesel oil, fertilizers, seeds, while rice and straw yield were included in the output. The results depicted that total input and output energy into these agro-ecosystems were about 47,604 and 90,680.04 MJ/ha, respectively. The highest energy input was related to water (38.84%), electricity (27.87%) and nitrogen fertilizer (17.5%). Energy efficiency and energy productivity in these agro-ecosystems was 2.19 and 0.064 kg/MJ, respectively, and water productivity was 0.11 kg/m<sup>3</sup>. The results also showed that due to application of flood irrigation in these agro-ecosystems and also water elicited from subterranean sources by electrical pump, the inputs had the largest portion among the energy inputs to agro-ecosystems that this matter increased energy use in the unit area and also reduced energy efficiency and productivity.
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Dang, H., and N. Jiao. "Perspectives on the microbial carbon pump with special reference to microbial respiration and ecosystem efficiency in large estuarine systems." Biogeosciences 11, no. 14 (July 24, 2014): 3887–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-3887-2014.
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Abstract. Although respiration-based oxidation of reduced carbon releases CO2 into the environment, it provides an ecosystem with the metabolic energy for essential biogeochemical processes, including the newly proposed microbial carbon pump (MCP). The efficiency of MCP in heterotrophic microorganisms is related to the mechanisms of energy transduction employed and hence is related to the form of respiration utilized. Anaerobic organisms typically have lower efficiencies of energy transduction and hence lower efficiencies of energy-dependent carbon transformation. This leads to a lower MCP efficiency on a per-cell basis. Substantial input of terrigenous nutrients and organic matter into estuarine ecosystems typically results in elevated heterotrophic respiration that rapidly consumes dissolved oxygen, potentially producing hypoxic and anoxic zones in the water column. The lowered availability of dissolved oxygen and the excessive supply of nutrients such as nitrate from river discharge lead to enhanced anaerobic respiration processes such as denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium. Thus, some nutrients may be consumed through anaerobic heterotrophs, instead of being utilized by phytoplankton for autotrophic carbon fixation. In this manner, eutrophied estuarine ecosystems become largely fueled by anaerobic respiratory pathways and their efficiency is less due to lowered ecosystem productivity when compared to healthy and balanced estuarine ecosystems. This situation may have a negative impact on the ecological function and efficiency of the MCP which depends on the supply of both organic carbon and metabolic energy. This review presents our current understanding of the MCP mechanisms from the view point of ecosystem energy transduction efficiency, which has not been discussed in previous literature.
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Lassalle, Géraldine, Jérémy Lobry, François Le Loc'h, Steven Mackinson, Francisco Sanchez, Maciej Tomasz Tomczak, and Nathalie Niquil. "Ecosystem status and functioning: searching for rules of thumb using an intersite comparison of food-web models of Northeast Atlantic continental shelves." ICES Journal of Marine Science 70, no. 1 (November 2, 2012): 135–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fss168.
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Abstract Lassalle, G., Lobry, J., Le Loc'h, F., Mackinson, S., Sanchez, F., Tomczak, M. T., and Niquil, N. 2013. Ecosystem status and functioning: searching for rules of thumb using an intersite comparison of food-web models of Northeast Atlantic continental shelves. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70:135–149. This work aimed to provide a better understanding of how the structure and function of marine ecosystems and trophic control mechanisms influence their response to perturbations. Comparative analysis of Ecopath models of four Northeast Atlantic ecosystems was used to search for rules of thumb defining the similarities and differences between them. Ecosystem indicators, related to the ecology of species interactions, were derived from these models and compared. Two main questions were addressed. (i) What are the main energy pathways and mechanisms of control? (ii) Do these ecosystems exhibit the widespread and potentially stabilizing food-web structure such that top predators couple distinct energy pathways? A strong bentho-pelagic coupling operated over the Bay of Biscay Shelf, while energy reached higher trophic levels mostly through pelagic compartments, in northern areas. Zooplankton was demonstrated to be trophically important in all ecosystems, acting as a regulator of the abundance of small pelagic fish. A latitudinal pattern in flow control was highlighted by this analysis, with a significant contribution of top-down effect at higher latitudes. This top-down control of the Baltic Sea, combined with the fact that this ecosystem did not exhibit the potentially stabilizing two-channel structure, suggested a non-stable environment.
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Lin, Jessica, Supriya Chinthavali, Chelsey Dunivan Stahl, Christopher Stahl, Sangkeun Lee, and Mallikarjun Shankar. "Ecosystem discovery: Measuring clean energy innovation ecosystems through knowledge discovery and mapping techniques." Electricity Journal 29, no. 8 (October 2016): 64–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tej.2016.09.012.
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Leslie, Heather M., and Megan Palmer. "Examining the Impacts of Tidal Energy Capture from an Ecosystem Services Perspective." Marine Technology Society Journal 49, no. 1 (January 1, 2015): 97–114. http://dx.doi.org/10.4031/mtsj.49.1.6.
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AbstractAs governments from the local to national level have recognized the need to integrate renewable sources into their energy portfolios, there has been a recent push to harness diverse sources of ocean energy, including those generated by tides and waves. Despite the potential benefits, development of these marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) resources has raised concerns in terms of their potential socioeconomic and environmental impacts. An ecosystem services perspective offers a useful means of monitoring how MHKs will affect both people and nature by enabling the identification of the benefits provided by functioning ecosystems to people, including biodiversity, tourism and recreation, and food provision. To illustrate the value of this approach in evaluating the potential impacts of an MHK project, we present the case study of the Muskeget Channel Tidal Energy Project (United States) and identify the types of data and analytical tools that could be used to develop an ecosystem service assessment of MHK development in this study region. To complement this case study, we also reviewed the published literature on tidal energy and other MHK project types, which highlighted how little is known about the ecological effects of MHK development in coastal and marine ecosystems. Integrating ecosystem service knowledge into projects like Muskeget Channel can contribute to more scientifically informed MHK siting processes and more effective, ecosystem-based management of the diverse human activities undertaken in coastal and marine environments.
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Harrington, Fred H. "What does it mean to put caribou knowledge into an ecosystem context?" Rangifer 18, no. 5 (March 1, 1998): 9. http://dx.doi.org/10.7557/2.18.5.1378.
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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.
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Chhabra, A., V. Madhava Rao, R. R. Hermon, A. Garg, T. Nag, N. Bhaskara Rao, A. Sharma, and J. S. Parihar. "Energy Balance of Rural Ecosystems In India." ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences XL-8 (November 28, 2014): 411–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-xl-8-411-2014.
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India is predominantly an agricultural and rural country. Across the country, the villages vary in geographical location, area, human and livestock population, availability of resources, agricultural practices, livelihood patterns etc. This study presents an estimation of net energy balance resulting from primary production vis-a-vis energy consumption through various components in a "Rural Ecosystem". Seven sites located in different agroclimatic regions of India were studied. An end use energy accounting "Rural Energy Balance Model" is developed for input-output analysis of various energy flows of production, consumption, import and export through various components of crop, trees outside forest plantations, livestock, rural households, industry or trade within the village system boundary. An integrated approach using field, ancillary, GIS and high resolution IRS-P6 Resourcesat-2 LISS IV data is adopted for generation of various model inputs. The primary and secondary field data collection of various energy uses at household and village level were carried out using structured schedules and questionnaires. High resolution multi-temporal Resourcesat-2 LISS IV data (2013–14) was used for generating landuse/landcover maps and estimation of above-ground Trees Outside Forests phytomass. The model inputs were converted to energy equivalents using country-specific energy conversion factors. A comprehensive geotagged database of sampled households and available resources at each study site was also developed in ArcGIS framework. Across the study sites, the estimated net energy balance ranged from −18.8 Terra Joules (TJ) in a high energy consuming Hodka village, Gujarat to 224.7 TJ in an agriculture, aquaculture and plantation intensive Kollaparru village, Andhra Pradesh. The results indicate that the net energy balance of a Rural Ecosystem is largely driven by primary production through crops and natural vegetation. This study provides a significant insight to policy relevant recommendations for Energy Sustainable Rural India.
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Singh, V. P., and J. S. Singh. "Man and Forests: A Case-study from the Dry Tropics of India." Environmental Conservation 16, no. 2 (1989): 129–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0376892900008900.
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The present study analyses the energy-budget of ‘village ecosystems’ in a dry tropical environment. These systems depend to a great extent on the surrounding natural forest/savanna ecosystems. Accordingly the objectives of the study were to quantify (i) the energy efficiency of rain-fed agriculture at the ecosystem level, and (ii) the indirect impact of agricultural activity on the surrounding forest/savanna ecosystems.Agronomic output from farming is not sufficient to meet the food-energy requirements of the villagers, hence 27.0 to 51.0% of the requirement is met from outside markets. Operation of the agro-ecosystems involved requires a considerable amount of subsidy from the surrounding forest/savanna ecosystems in terms of fodder and fuel-wood. About 81 to 100% of the fuel needs, and 80–87% of the fodder needs, are met from the natural forest/savanna ecosystems. Thus, for each unit of energy obtained in agronomic yield (including milk), 3.1 units of energy are expended from the surrounding natural ecosystems in the form of fodder and fuel-wood.The erratic and ill-distributed nature of monsoon rains results in moisture deficit which affects the crop production in dry-land farming, causing partial or total failure of the crops. For achieving increased and stable agronomic production under rain-fed conditions, improved dry-land farming techniques have to be applied. Some of these techniques are: (1) introduction of crops and varieties that would be capable of maturing in a period of 90–100 days, and adequate use of appropriate fertilizers; (2) planned rain-water management including storage of surface runoff; and (3) practices of intercropping with crops of longer duration than those currently grown, having slow growth-rates in the early part of their life-cycles.
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Bühring, Gladis Maria Backes, and Vicente Celestino Pires Silveira. "Biogas originated from residual biomass in ecosystem services." Ambiente e Agua - An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Science 13, no. 4 (July 5, 2018): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.4136/ambi-agua.2214.
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Human demand for the provisioning services of the ecosystem has been rising and shows the existence of trade-offs in their generation. Brazil is a great producer of agricultural commodities and animal protein, which generates a large amount of residual biomass throughout the production process, especially animal highly polluting waste concentrated in small areas. Ecosystems provide a wide range of services that are of fundamental importance to the well-being, health, subsistence and survival of human beings. The impacts of the waste generated by confined animals can degrade the ecosystem and reduce the services it can supply. Using waste to generate biogas does not require direct resources from the ecosystems to generate energy. In this context, it is an energy product classified as a provisioning service and, at the same time, an ecosystem regulating service, as it mitigates undesirable effects in the environment. The main goal of the classification of biogas as an ecosystem service is to explore its contributions to the ecosystem and to human well-being.
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Ogilvy, Sue, and Michael Vail. "Standards-compliant accounting valuations of ecosystems." Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal 9, no. 2 (May 8, 2018): 98–117. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/sampj-07-2017-0073.
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Purpose There is a great deal of interest in ecosystem or natural capital accounting and in methods to estimate monetary valuations of ecosystems. This paper aims to explore methods that may assist agricultural (livestock grazing) enterprises to estimate the monetary value of the productive capacity of the ecosystems they use. Such estimations are expected to provide a more complete set of information about the performance of pastoral operations and may assist them to assure ecological and economic sustainability. Design/methodology/approach This paper applies five different methods for valuation of the productive ecosystems used in extensive agricultural (grazing) systems. The methods apply different approaches to valuation described in the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) and Australian Accounting Standards (AASs). To do this, the paper uses financial information drawn from the long-term performance of an economically and environmentally sustainable pastoral enterprise. Findings SEEA- and AAS-compliant methods to measure the value in use of provisioning ecosystems are practical and useful. The estimations contribute to a reasonable range of fair values required by AASs and improve the availability of information that would be useful in improving the performance of the operation and compare it to reasonable alternate management strategies. Research limitations/implications The SEEA is an international standard and AASs are closely aligned to the International Accounting Standards, so the methods described in this paper are likely to be generalisable to enterprises grazing low-rainfall rangelands in other countries. However, their ability to appropriately accommodate the extensive modifications to ecosystems caused by cultivation and fertilisation needs to be tested before they are applied to grazing operations in high-rainfall areas or other forms of agriculture such as cropping or horticulture. Practical implications The availability of standards-compliant methods for ecosystem valuation means that companies who wish to include ecosystems on a voluntary and informal basis as sub-classes of land in their general purpose financial reports may be able to do so. If these methods are SEEA-compliant, they could be combined with information about the ecosystem type, extent and condition to produce a set of national ecosystem accounts so that the contribution of ecosystems to the economy can be estimated. Social implications Many of the enterprises that rely on extensive agricultural ecosystems are unable to generate sufficient financial returns to cover their obligations to owners and creditors. The ability to determine the monetary value of the annual inputs provided by the ecosystems may assist landowners and citizens to detect and avoid depletion of their economic and ecological resources. Originality/value This paper applies an explicit interpretation of AAS and draws from valuation methods recommended in the SEEA to demonstrate that current accounting standards (national and corporate) provide a strong foundation for the valuation of the ecosystems used as economically significant factors of production.
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Alam, Muhammad Aftab, and Kashif Mateen Ansari. "Open innovation ecosystems: toward low-cost wind energy startups." International Journal of Energy Sector Management 14, no. 5 (March 11, 2020): 853–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijesm-07-2019-0010.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how an open innovation strategy of public management in the energy sector enables the creation of innovation ecosystems and how it reduces the cost of wind energy projects in energy-poor countries. Design/methodology/approach This research study reflects on seven wind energy startups (WESs) in Pakistan using quantitative and qualitative data following a sequential mixed-methods approach. First, it draws from growing literature on innovation and renewable energy management to conceptualize an open innovation ecosystem model around WESs. It then tests this model using cost analyses of wind projects and identifies possible cost-saving strategies. Finally, follow-up interviews with managers in investigated projects cross check study findings and validate the model. Findings Three noteworthy findings can help policymakers in developing countries to effectively meet the future energy challenges and get benefit from international funding opportunities: by protecting lenders on approved terms rather than offering sovereign guarantee to operating firms; by letting the government take control of the initial development phase; and by giving off-take guarantees to the manufacturers. Practical implications It offers policy recommendations to energy sector managers about guarantees, financing, regulators, governmental control, tariffs and transfer of technology that can significantly curtail outlays. Originality/value Results suggest that adopting an open innovation ecosystem model can potentially save around 6 per cent ($4-$7m) in the overall cost of a 50 MW wind energy project.
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Tolstykh, Tatyana, Leyla Gamidullaeva, Nadezhda Shmeleva, and Yuri Lapygin. "Regional Development in Russia: An Ecosystem Approach to Territorial Sustainability Assessment." Sustainability 12, no. 16 (August 10, 2020): 6424. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12166424.
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The current crisis has indicated the need to review the policy of economic growth and globalization towards the search for new sustainable models of the internal territory development able to resist external shocks and threats. To achieve this goal, it is required both to implement sustainability strategies, and to assess the obtained results towards sustainable development. Despite an abundance of literature on sustainability assessment, there is a lack of understanding of the application of sustainability assessment in regional/local contexts. The purpose of the article is to improve theoretical and methodological aspects of the formation of territorial (regional) ecosystems by developing a new approach to assessing its sustainability. We believe that territorial ecosystem sustainability assessment is possible through the entropy of a complex system composed of the entropies of its constituent ecosystems or the entropies of different types of territorial capital (human, production, natural). An application of the entropy approach allows to understand specific features of a particular ecosystem characteristics. We demonstrate our methodology with two empirical case studies of territorial ecosystems of Penza and Vladimir regions. As a result of the analysis, it was found that ecosystem’s sustainability is achieved, primarily, due to the natural capital of the territory. The methodology proposed in our study aims at ensuring comprehensiveness and robustness of the evaluation supporting the decision-making process.
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Novák, Viliam. "Ecosystems and Global Changes." Acta Horticulturae et Regiotecturae 24, s1 (May 1, 2021): 70–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/ahr-2021-0012.
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Abstract Increasing population has led to the increasing demand for food, raw materials, and energy. Continuing land use changes, intensification of its exploitation, deforestation, fossil fuel combustion, and related carbon dioxide production have been contributing to change of water and energy balance of the globe, thus changing conditions for life. Other reasons for changing conditions on the Earth are natural changes in interactions between the Earth and outer space. Actual climate change is a part of other global changes resulting in both natural and anthropogenic changes. It is mostly felt as a change of global temperature and increase of precipitation intensities and totals. Flood periods are followed by long periods without precipitations. Increasing population as well as increasing consumption of resources lead to the increasing imbalance between our planet production and consumption. To preserve good conditions for population of the Earth, it is necessary to decrease consumption of energy, raw materials, and food to reach equilibrium between Earth´s ecosystem production and consumption of the ecosystem products.
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Meng, Xia, Huasheng Huang, Luo Guo, Dan Wang, Rui Han, and Kexin Zhou. "Threatened Status Assessment of Multiple Grassland Ecosystems and Conservation Strategies in the Xilin River Basin, NE China." Sustainability 12, no. 3 (February 3, 2020): 1084. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12031084.
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The Red List of Ecosystems, proposed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature can determine the status of ecosystems for biodiversity conservation. In this study, we applied the Red List of Ecosystems Categories and Criteria 2.0 with its four major criteria (A, B, C, and D) to assess twelve dominant ecosystems in the Xilin River Basin, a representative grassland-dominating area in China. We employed Geographical Information Systems and remote sensing to process the obtained satellite products from the years 2000 to 2015, and generated indicators for biological processes and degradation of environment with boreal ecosystem productivity simulator. The results show that all twelve ecosystems in the Xilin River Basin confront varying threats: Artemisia frigida grassland and Festuca ovina grassland face the highest risk of collapse, sharing an endangered status; Filifolium sibiricum meadow grassland and Leymus chinensis grassland have a least concern status, while the remaining eight ecosystems display a vulnerable status. This study overcomes the limits of data deficiency by introducing the boreal ecosystem productivity simulator to simulate biological processes and the plant–environment interaction. It sheds light on further application of the Red List of Ecosystems, and bridges the research gap and promote local ecosystems conservation in China.
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Minicheva, Galyna, Viktor Demchenko, and Yevhen Sokolov. "Integrative ecological management of coastal marine and limans ecosystems of Ukraine." E3S Web of Conferences 255 (2021): 01008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202125501008.
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Based on the experience of managing coastal marine, and limans ecosystems of Ukraine, the theoretical scheme of Integrative Ecological Management is considered. The scheme includes the “Basic Diagnostic” block for which the key tools are: Basin Assessment, Ecosystem Approach and Ecosystem Services. Geo-information Technologies are demonstrated in order to assess the catchment areas of some limans and coastal marine ecosystems of Ukraine. With the ecosystem approach, it is necessary to use functional indicators for assessing autotrophic, heterotrophic and decomposer communities of the ecosystem, the bind of which is associated with Ecological Status of the water body. It is indicated that an important goal of environmental management is reducing the intensity of anthropogenic flows of substance and energy, which cause destruction of the ecological balance and devaluation of ecosystem services. For the second block of the scheme - “Decision Making” it is proposed to use Priority Management Algorithm principle as an effective tool which allows to achieve the target maximum at minimal cost. At the final stage of the “Target Result”, recommendations that are offered to stakeholders at the local, regional and national level must achievement the main objectives of the Integrative Ecological Management of coastal marine ecosystems and limans.
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Würtz, Peter, and Arto Annila. "Roots of Diversity Relations." Journal of Biophysics 2008 (December 11, 2008): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2008/654672.
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The species-area relationship is one of the central generalizations in ecology; however, its origin has remained a puzzle. Since ecosystems are understood as energy transduction systems, the regularities in species richness are considered to result from ubiquitous imperatives in energy transduction. From a thermodynamic point of view, organisms are transduction mechanisms that distribute an influx of energy down along the steepest gradients to the ecosystem's diverse repositories of chemical energy, that is, populations of species. Transduction machineries, that is, ecosystems assembled from numerous species, may emerge and evolve toward high efficiency on large areas that hold more matter than small ones. This results in the well-known logistic-like relationship between the area and the number of species. The species-area relationship is understood, in terms of thermodynamics, to be the skewed cumulative curve of chemical energy distribution that is commonly known as the species-abundance relationship.
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Rendon, Paula, Bastian Steinhoff-Knopp, Philipp Saggau, and Benjamin Burkhard. "Assessment of the relationships between agroecosystem condition and the ecosystem service soil erosion regulation in Northern Germany." PLOS ONE 15, no. 12 (December 7, 2020): e0234288. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234288.
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Ecosystems provide multiple services that are necessary to maintain human life. Agroecosystems are very productive suppliers of biomass-related provisioning ecosystem services, e.g. food, fibre, and energy. At the same time, they are highly dependent on good ecosystem condition and regulating ecosystem services such as soil fertility, water supply or soil erosion regulation. Assessments of this interplay of ecosystem condition and services are needed to understand the relationships in highly managed systems. Therefore, the aim of this study is twofold: First, to test the concept and indicators proposed by the European Union Working Group on Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) for assessing agroecosystem condition at a regional level. Second, to identify the relationships between ecosystem condition and the delivery of ecosystem services. For this purpose, we applied an operational framework for integrated mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services. We used the proposed indicators to assess the condition of agroecosystems in Northern Germany and regulating ecosystem service control of erosion rates. We used existing data from official databases to calculate the different indicators and created maps of environmental pressures, ecosystem condition and ecosystem service indicators for the Federal State of Lower Saxony. Furthermore, we identified areas within the state where pressures are high, conditions are unfavourable, and more sustainable management practices are needed. Despite the limitations of the indicators and data availability, our results show positive, negative, and no significant correlations between the different pressures and condition indicators, and the control of erosion rates. The idea behind the MAES framework is to indicate the general condition of an ecosystem. However, we observed that not all proposed indicators can explain to what extent ecosystems can provide specific ecosystem services. Further research on other ecosystem services provided by agroecosystems would help to identify synergies and trade-offs. Moreover, the definition of a reference condition, although complicated for anthropogenically highly modified agroecosystems, would provide a benchmark to compare information on the condition of the ecosystems, leading to better land use policy and management decisions.
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Kang, Hyunjeong, and Hyong Uk Kim. "Who Can Survive in an ICT-Enabled Crowdfunding Platform?" Sustainability 12, no. 2 (January 9, 2020): 504. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12020504.
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The importance of socio-technical ecosystems is growing due to the emergence of technology-based platform businesses. However, few researchers have offered theoretical explanations of this phenomenon drawing on the ecosystem perspective. Existing studies on ecosystems have been limited to either natural or social ecosystems and have examined ecosystems as a whole. This study focuses on the survival and evolution of individual participants in the socio-technical ecosystem of a crowdfunding platform. It is hypothesized that adaptability (i.e., intra-role and inter-role exchange) and relationality (i.e., feedback and feed-forward interactivity) are positively related to the amount of funding received and the likelihood of campaign success. Empirical results from regression analysis show that the quality of intra-role and inter-role exchanges determine their influence on funding success. High relationality has a significant, positive influence on the funding received by a campaign. With this insight, this paper lays the groundwork for expanding theoretical research on socio-technical ecosystems.
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Woller-Skar, M. Megan, Chris Dobson, and Heather Snyder. "Investigating Heat Exchange in Ecosystems with Bottle Biology." American Biology Teacher 80, no. 1 (January 1, 2018): 42–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/abt.2018.80.1.42.
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Logistics often limit the number of field-based labs that include different types of ecosystems. Moreover, few lab classes allow students the opportunity to measure ecosystem-level changes. This article describes an activity appropriate for high school biology or introductory collegiate biology courses, where bottle biology can provide an opportunity for students to measure differences in temperature and humidity that result with different types of vegetation. This approach allows students to develop an understanding of how ecosystems transfer energy and cycle water, as well as the implications of land use change, such as timber harvest or grassland restoration, on regional climate.
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Cai, Yuzhuo, Jinyuan Ma, and Qiongqiong Chen. "Higher Education in Innovation Ecosystems." Sustainability 12, no. 11 (May 27, 2020): 4376. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12114376.
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While higher education has been considered as both an ‘engine’ for innovation and a ‘catalyst’ for sustainability development, the integration of both the ‘innovation engine’ and ‘sustainability catalyst’ roles is best reflected in higher education’s engagement in innovation ecosystems—the theme of this special issue, including 16 articles dealing with the topic from various perspectives. In this editorial, we outline an overarching framework about the relations between higher education and innovation ecosystem. When elaborating the framework, we provide a new definition of innovation ecosystem and identify three roles of university in innovation ecosystems, based on synthesizing relevant literature. The framework could facilitate readers to comprehend each of the collected articles and find synergy among them.
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Chen, X. D., K. E. Dunfield, T. D. Fraser, S. A. Wakelin, A. E. Richardson, and L. M. Condron. "Soil biodiversity and biogeochemical function in managed ecosystems." Soil Research 58, no. 1 (2020): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sr19067.
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A complex combination of environmental, biological, chemical, and physical properties and processes determine soil biodiversity and its relationship to biogeochemical functions and ecosystem services. Vegetation, land-use, and land management, in turn, influence diversity and function in the soil ecosystem. The objective of this review was to assess how different land-use systems (crop production, animal production, and planted forest) affect soil biodiversity, and how consequent changes in soil biodiversity influence energy (carbon) and nutrient dynamics. Deficiencies in understanding relationships between soil biodiversity and biogeochemical function in managed ecosystems are highlighted, along with the need to investigate how diversity influences specific processes across different functional groups and trophic levels. The continued development and application of molecular techniques and data informatics with descriptive approaches will contribute to advancing our understanding of soil biodiversity and function in managed agricultural and forest ecosystems.
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Naveh, Zev. "Ecosystem and Landscapes - A Critical Comparative Appraisal." Journal of Landscape Ecology 3, no. 1 (January 1, 2010): 64–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/v10285-012-0024-1.
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Ecosystem and Landscapes - A Critical Comparative AppraisalEcosystems and landscapes are the two major spatial units for ecological research and practice, but their definitions and meanings are vague and ambiguous. Examining critically the meaning and complexity of both terms from a holistic landscape ecological systems view, the confusing applications of the ecosystem concept could be avoided by conceiving ecosystems as functional interacting systems, characterized for the flow of energy, matter and information between organisms and their abiotic environment. As functional systems they are intangible with vaguely defined borders. On the other hand, landscapes should be recognized as tangible, spatially and temporally well defined ecological systems of closely interwoven natural and cultural entities of the Total Human Ecosystem. Ranging from the smallest discernable landscape cell or ecotope to the global ecosphere, they serve as the spatial and functional matrix and living space for all organisms, including humans, their populations and their ecosystems. Both are medium-numbered complex ecological systems. However, the organized complexity of ecosystems is based solely on the monodimensional complexity of material processes of flow of energy/matter and biophysical information. But the organized complexity of landscapes is multidimensional and multifunctional, dealing not only with the functional dimensions of natural bio-ecological processes and the natural biophysical information, but also with the cognitive mental and perceptual dimensions, transmitted by cultural information and expressed in the closely interwoven natural and cultural landscape.
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Robertson, Jeandri. "Competition in Knowledge Ecosystems: A Theory Elaboration Approach Using a Case Study." Sustainability 12, no. 18 (September 8, 2020): 7372. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12187372.
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This paper explores how competition works in knowledge ecosystems, using a theory elaboration approach. With little research conducted in this area to date, three strategic streams of thought—resource-advantage theory, dynamic capabilities framework, and adaptive marketing capabilities perspective—are compared as a departing point and a frame of reference regarding the dynamics of competition. The streams of strategic thought all converge around the notion that organizations must constantly renew themselves to adapt and align to a fast-changing marketplace. The characteristics of knowledge ecosystems are conceptualized, whereafter an in-depth case study is presented to empirically assess competition in knowledge ecosystems, focusing on the perspective of a keystone actor. At the ecosystem-level, knowledge ecosystems primarily expose and explore knowledge, indicating that they mostly operate in a pre-competitive state. The time needed and the limited control inherent to knowledge exploration translate into the keystone actor focusing on transient rather than sustainable competitive advantage. Knowledge ecosystems further prove to be central in the coevolution and the growth of other ecosystems through connecting and sharing of the explored knowledge base with other ecosystem actors who, in turn, exploit this knowledge common for commercial purposes and innovation.
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Huang, Jing, Hongqi Wang, Jianlong Wu, Zhongji Yang, Xiaobo Hu, and Mengmeng Bao. "Exploring the Key Driving Forces of the Sustainable Intergenerational Evolution of the Industrial Alliance Innovation Ecosystem: Evidence from a Case Study of China’s TDIA." Sustainability 12, no. 4 (February 12, 2020): 1320. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12041320.
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Why does an industrial alliance upgrade sometimes quickly and sometimes very slowly? The answer to this question can scientifically reveal the key driving forces of the sustainable intergenerational evolution of industrial alliance innovation ecosystems. From the perspective of structural evolution, we analyzed and compared the key driving forces using a longitudinal case study from the 2G to 3G, and then to the 4G innovation ecosystems of China’s Time Division Industrial Alliance (TDIA). The findings showed that the internal key driving forces influencing the intergenerational evolution of the industrial alliance innovation ecosystem include the superiority of the new innovation ecosystem, the sustainability of the old ecosystem, and inheritance between the new and old ecosystems. Market demand and government policy indirectly affect the intergenerational evolution by shaping the environment in which the innovation ecosystems are embedded. This research will support industrial alliances and core members in making strategic innovation ecosystem decisions and support governments in designing related policies with scientific theoretical guidance and decision-making references. In particular, this study aimed to offer inspiration for the promotion of the successful sustainable evolution of China’s TDIA towards 5G.
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Badora, Krzysztof, and Radosław Wróbel. "Changes in the Spatial Structure of the Landscape of Isolated Forest Complexes in the 19th and 20th Centuries and Their Potential Effects on Supporting Ecosystem Services Related to the Protection of Biodiversity Using the Example of the Niemodlin Forests (SW Poland)." Sustainability 12, no. 10 (May 21, 2020): 4237. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12104237.
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This study assesses the changes in the spatial structure of the landscape between 1825 and 2019 in the isolated, protected forest complex of the Niemodlin Forests. Based on the analysis of changes in this structure, a change the supporting ecosystem services related to the protection of biodiversity was proposed. The landscape metrics were used separately for the analysis of the structure of the whole landscape, and individual types of ecosystems were used in the research. There were no major changes in the share of individual types of ecosystems during the period under review. At the same time, a very large increase in built-up areas and tree stands was found in 1825. Landscape metrics point to internal changes in the landscape composition, which is important for the functioning of the landscape and is related to the fragmentation and increasing isolation of ecosystems. Changes in the share of the surface of individual types of ecosystems in the landscape do not provide enough information about the actual structural and functional changes and ongoing ecosystem support services. There has been ecosystem degradation that is associated with freshwater habitats—surface waters, marshlands, meadows and pastures, as well as ecosystem support services related to these habitats. Changes in the spatial structure of the landscape cannot be solely deduced on the basis of changes in landscape metrics that are calculated for the whole landscape. Changes in the spatial composition of individual groups of ecosystems should be analyzed. Landscape metrics are very helpful in studying changes in the structure and function of ecosystem services.
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Dang, H., and N. Jiao. "Perspectives of the microbial carbon pump with special references to microbial respiration and ecological efficiency." Biogeosciences Discussions 11, no. 1 (January 22, 2014): 1479–533. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/bgd-11-1479-2014.
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Abstract. Although respiration consumes fixed carbon and produce CO2, it provides energy for essential biological processes of an ecosystem, including the microbial carbon pump (MCP). In MCP-driving biotransformation of labile DOC to recalcitrant DOC (RDOC), microbial respiration provides the metabolic energy for environmental organic substrate sensing, cellular enzyme syntheses and catalytic processes such as uptake, secretion, modification, fixation and storage of carbon compounds. The MCP efficiency of a heterotrophic microorganism is thus related to its energy production efficiency and hence to its respiration efficiency. Anaerobically respiring microbes usually have lower energy production efficiency and lower energy-dependent carbon transformation efficiency, and consequently lower MCP efficiency at per cell level. This effect is masked by the phenomena that anoxic environments often store more organic matter. Here we point out that organic carbon preservation and RDOC production is different in mechanisms, and anaerobically respiring ecosystems could also have lower MCP ecological efficiency. Typical cases can be found in large river estuarine ecosystems. Due to strong terrigenous input of nutrients and organic matter, estuarine ecosystems usually experience intense heterotrophic respiration processes that rapidly consume dissolved oxygen, potentially producing hypoxic and anoxic zones in the water column. The lowered availability of dissolved oxygen and the excessive supply of nutrients such as nitrate from river input prompt enhanced anaerobic respiration processes. Thus, some nutrients may be consumed by anaerobically respiring heterotrophic microorganisms, instead of being utilized by phytoplankton for carbon fixation and primary production. In this situation, the ecological functioning of the estuarine ecosystem is altered and the ecological efficiency is lowered, as less carbon is fixed and less energy is produced. Ultimately this would have negatively impacts on the ecological functioning and efficiency of the MCP which depends on both organic carbon and energy supply.
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Kwak, Ihn-Sil, and Young-Seuk Park. "Food Chains and Food Webs in Aquatic Ecosystems." Applied Sciences 10, no. 14 (July 21, 2020): 5012. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app10145012.
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Food chains and food webs describe the structure of communities and their energy flows, and they present interactions between species. Recently, diverse methods have been developed for both experimental studies and theoretical/computational studies on food webs as well as species interactions. They are effectively used for various applications, including the monitoring and assessment of ecosystems. This Special Issue includes six empirical studies on food chains and food webs as well as effects of environmental factors on organisms in aquatic ecosystems. They confirmed the usefulness of their methods including isotope, DNA-barcoding with gut contents, and environmental DNA for biological monitoring and ecosystem assessment.
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Murphy, E. J., R. D. Cavanagh, K. F. Drinkwater, S. M. Grant, J. J. Heymans, E. E. Hofmann, G. L. Hunt, and N. M. Johnston. "Understanding the structure and functioning of polar pelagic ecosystems to predict the impacts of change." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 283, no. 1844 (December 14, 2016): 20161646. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.1646.
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The determinants of the structure, functioning and resilience of pelagic ecosystems across most of the polar regions are not well known. Improved understanding is essential for assessing the value of biodiversity and predicting the effects of change (including in biodiversity) on these ecosystems and the services they maintain. Here we focus on the trophic interactions that underpin ecosystem structure, developing comparative analyses of how polar pelagic food webs vary in relation to the environment. We highlight that there is not a singular, generic Arctic or Antarctic pelagic food web, and, although there are characteristic pathways of energy flow dominated by a small number of species, alternative routes are important for maintaining energy transfer and resilience. These more complex routes cannot, however, provide the same rate of energy flow to highest trophic-level species. Food-web structure may be similar in different regions, but the individual species that dominate mid-trophic levels vary across polar regions. The characteristics (traits) of these species are also different and these differences influence a range of food-web processes. Low functional redundancy at key trophic levels makes these ecosystems particularly sensitive to change. To develop models for projecting responses of polar ecosystems to future environmental change, we propose a conceptual framework that links the life histories of pelagic species and the structure of polar food webs.
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Ferrández-Pastor, Francisco Javier, Juan Manuel García-Chamizo, Sergio Gomez-Trillo, Rafael Valdivieso-Sarabia, and Mario Nieto-Hidalgo. "Smart Management Consumption in Renewable Energy Fed Ecosystems." Sensors 19, no. 13 (July 5, 2019): 2967. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s19132967.
Full textAbstract:
Advances in embedded electronic systems, the development of new communication protocols, and the application of artificial intelligence paradigms have enabled the improvement of current automation systems of energy management. Embedded devices integrate different sensors with connectivity, computing resources, and reduced cost. Communication and cloud services increase their performance; however, there are limitations in the implementation of these technologies. If the cloud is used as the main source of services and resources, overload problems will occur. There are no models that facilitate the complete integration and interoperability in the facilities already created. This article proposes a model for the integration of smart energy management systems in new and already created facilities, using local embedded devices, Internet of Things communication protocols and services based on artificial intelligence paradigms. All services are distributed in the new smart grid network using edge and fog computing techniques. The model proposes an architecture both to be used as support for the development of smart services and for energy management control systems adapted to the installation: a group of buildings and/or houses that shares energy management and energy generation. Machine learning to predict consumption and energy generation, electric load classification, energy distribution control, and predictive maintenance are the main utilities integrated. As an experimental case, a facility that incorporates wind and solar generation is used for development and testing. Smart grid facilities, designed with artificial intelligence algorithms, implemented with Internet of Things protocols, and embedded control devices facilitate the development, cost reduction, and the integration of new services. In this work, a method to design, develop, and install smart services in self-consumption facilities is proposed. New smart services with reduced costs are installed and tested, confirming the advantages of the proposed model.