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PubMed1998

[Perspectives of ecological animal husbandry--limits of ecological animal husbandry].

Farms working under ecological conditions are as well as conventional farms a part of agriculture. Ecological farming is a response to the special requirements and ideas of consumers regarding environmental and nature related issues in primary agricultural production. Its products should be clearly defined so that they can be differentiated from conventional products. The limits of ecological livestock farming are set among others by comparably higher production costs, special management requirements, specific conditions from retailers in respect of quality and quantity and a limited demand. To further popularize ecological agriculture, the various individual interests must be focused and common strategies must be developed. To successfully claim market shares, the ecologically produced commodities must have a permanent advantage compared to conventional products-this will not be easy to achieve.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Ecologic pathology and ecologic nosology: a new trend in medicine].

The necessity of the study of technogenic stimuli effects on humans resulting in ecological pathology and ecological nosology is emphasized. Clinicomorphological aspects of latent health disturbances, their structural basis (ecological pathology), i.e. qualitative and quantitative spectrum of initial alterations in the subcellular structures and cells are considered. The examples of ecological diseases produced by specific chemical stimuli are presented. It is suggested to name ecological diseases with terms at the basis of which are etiological stimuli. As illustration statistical data are provided (clinical and pathological) on the role of occupational xenobiotics in the onset of coronary heart disease at young age and its sequelae.

Coronary Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ecological diversity and community ecology in the Fayum sequence (Egypt).

The Jebel Qatrani sequence found in the Fayum region of Egypt samples the richest Paleogene mammalian fauna of Africa, including some of the earliest anthropoid primates. The paleoecology of the Fayum has been interpreted as either a woodland bushland or a lowland evergreen tropical forest, although the issue of changing ecological conditions through time has never been investigated. The Fayum fossils can be grouped into four successive and stratigraphically distinct faunal assemblages. Each of these mammalian assemblages is compared with modern mammal communities. Six communities from modern African forest habitats and six communities from woodland bushland habitats are used to produce typical models of ecological diversity. An ecological spectrum for each modern community is generated by assigning mammal species to categories of taxonomic, diet, and body size diversity. Modern forest communities have a higher diversity of rodents and primates, a high diversity of frugivores, low diversity of grazers, and show a steep gradient in body size distribution from a high diversity of small species towards a low diversity of large species. Woodland-bushland communities have a higher diversity of ungulates and carnivores, a low diversity of frugivores but a high diversity of grazers, and a more even body size distribution. Diversity spectra from the four successive Fayum fossil assemblages are compared with the models derived from the modern mammal communities. The Fayum assemblages show similarities to modern forest habitats in patterns of diet diversity and to modern woodland bushland habitats in body size diversity. More detailed analyses of taxonomic diversity suggest that the lowermost assemblages were different in ecological structure from modern habitats, while the uppermost assemblage shows strong resemblances to modern humid tropical forests.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Ecological frames of mind: the role of cognition in behavioral ecology.

Cognitive psychology is the study of how information, from the senses and from memory, is used in the production of behavior. Investigation of the specifics of behavioral adaptation has already led some behavioral ecologists into the domain of animal cognition. I make several arguments for the benefits and the necessity of a sophisticated assessment by ecologists of the cognitive aspects of behavioral adaptation. First, because cognition typically serves to produce adaptive behavior, cognitive structure and function should reflect ecological demands; studies of cognition in ecological contexts are opportunities to understand adaptation. Furthermore, constraints on cognitive properties may help determine how behavior meets the environment. Studies of spatial memory in food-caching corvids exemplify how cognitive aspects of behavior may both reflect and determine specifics of adaptation. Second, many models in behavioral ecology assume certain cognitive abilities, such as timing or counting. Cognitive theory and methodology should be used to determine whether animals possess these abilities. I have provided examples. Third, consideration of cognitive function can lead to original ideas about the details of behavioral adaptation. Without a thorough integration of cognitive psychology with behavioral ecology, our understanding of the relation between behavior and selective pressures will be compromised.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

Phylogenetic ecology at world scale, a new fusion between ecology and evolution.

One fusion between ecology and evolution is well established, under the title of population biology. The years 2006-2020 will see a new fusion, likely to prove equally creative. Inputs from ecology to this second fusion will be worldwide data sets for ecological traits across many species. Inputs from evolution will be phylogenetic trees with well-resolved topology and with increasingly tight geological dates for each branch point. There will be unification of two aims: first to explain the spread of different ways of making a living, across the range of present-day species; and second, to narrate the evolutionary history that has led up to present-day ecology.

Biological Evolution↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The ecological approach in tobacco-control practice: health promotion practitioner characteristics related to using the ecological approach.

PURPOSE: To identify cognitive factors and personal characteristics related to the integration of the ecological approach in the everyday practice of health promotion practitioners. DESIGN: Sociodemographic, cognitive, and behavior data were collected using a cross-sectional mail survey. SETTING: Information was collected from regional public health organizations (n = 129) in the 10 Canadian provinces. SUBJECTS: Health promotion practitioners involved in tobacco-control programming for youth (n = 524) comprised of 81% women with a mean age of 39 years. MEASURES: Attempts to integrate ecological strategies (i.e., interpersonal, organizational, and policy change) into tobacco-control practice were based on three self-report items. Six scales assessed knowledge, values, and normative beliefs about the ecological approach as well as perceived need for, effectiveness of, and competency regarding using the ecological approach. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 80%. Stepwise discriminant analyses revealed four predictors (p < .001) contributing to the function solution concerning practitioner attempts to target the interpersonal environment: perceived competency, training discipline, years doing health promotion, and gender. Three predictors (p < .001) contributed to each of the function solutions concerning practitioner attempts to target the organizational environment (perceived competency, perceived effectiveness, and normative beliefs) and practitioner attempts at policy change (perceived competency, knowledge, and normative beliefs). CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco-control practitioners who perceive themselves as having the skills to develop and/or implement interventions targeting a person's environment are more likely to target the environment for change.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

[Ecological monitoring in agro-ecological systems].

The fundamental principles of the ecologic monitoring in the antropogenic ecosystems are dealt with. Analyzed are the structure and function of the agroecologic systems, and, on the basis of the particular aspects established a concept is developed of the ecologic control at autoecologic and biocoenologic level. An analysis is likewise made of the ecologic sequelae resulting from the chemical war launched by the American aggressors in Vietnam and the specific trends therefrom in the substantiation of the ecologic monitoring. Stated is the necessity of profound investigations to establish the bioaccumulation of dioxine, a poisonous agent which was contained in herbicides and defoliants used in the war, and which was distinguished by exclusively high toxicity, producing teratogenic and cancerogenic effects and possessing high resistance in the environment.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1989

Towards an ecological understanding of mutual-help groups: the social ecology of "fit".

Adopted an ecological framework to view mutual-help groups, and illustrated its usefulness by examining aspects of the social ecology of "fit" among 163 members of Compassionate Friends (bereaved parents; CF), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and Overeaters Anonymous (OA) groups. Concerning person-group fit, personal Spirituality was positively related to (a) Providing Support, and to (b) Group Satisfaction for members of a group whose helping ecology emphasized "reliance on a higher power" (OA). (Contrary to prediction, the relationship with Group Satisfaction was also manifest for members of MS). Furthermore, OA members reported higher levels of Spirituality than CF members. Concerning helping mechanism-focal problem fit, Friendship Development was positively related to Group Satisfaction only for individuals with a focal problem characterized by high levels of social network disruption (MS). In addition, Time in Group was inversely related to Depression for members of life stress (CF) and medical disorder (MS) groups, but not for members of a "behavioral control" type group (OA). The implications of the ecological perspective for future research are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Monitoring long-term ecological changes through the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network: science-based and policy relevant.

Ecological monitoring and its associated research programs have often provided answers to various environmental management issues. In the face of changing environmental conditions, ecological monitoring provides decision-makers with reliable information as they grapple with maintaining a sustainable economy and healthy environment. The Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN) is a national ecological monitoring network consisting of (1) about 100 case study sites across the country characterized by long-term multi-disciplinary environmental work conducted by a multitude of agencies (142 partners and counting); (2) a variety of less comprehensive yet more extensive monitoring sites; (3) a network where core monitoring variables of ecosystem change are measured; and (4) geo-referenced environmental observations. Environment Canada is the co-ordinating partner for the network through the EMAN Co-ordinating Office. EMAN's mission is to focus a scientifically-sound, policy-relevant ecosystem monitoring and research network based on (a) stabilizing a network of case-study sites operated by a variety of partners, and (b) developing a number of cooperative dispersed monitoring initiatives in order to deliver unique and needed goods and services. These goods and services include: (1) an efficient and cost-effective early warning system which detects, describes and reports on changes in Canadian ecosystems at a national or ecozone scale; and (2) cross-disciplinary and cross-jurisdictional assessments of ecosystem status, trends and processes. The early warning system and assessments of ecosystem status, trends and processes provide Environment Canada and partner organizations with timely information that facilitates increasingly adaptive policies and priority setting. Canadians are also informed of changes and trends occurring in Canadian ecosystems and, as a result, are better able to make decisions related to conservation and sustainability.

Canada↗
PubMed2005

Legislation and ecological quality assessment of soil: implementation of ecological indication systems in Europe.

Nationally and internationally there are an increasing number of legal initiatives to protect the ecological processes in soil. This article describes the legal situation concerning the protection of natural functions of soil in Europe (mainly The Netherlands (since 1987) and Germany (since 1998)). Examples of processes to be protected comprise the element cycles, the degradation of pollutants, and the conversion of organic matter. These processes are performed by organisms, and therefore, there is a growing consensus that protection of soil biodiversity is necessary for the survival of humans and the above-ground ecosystems. It is discussed that protection of soil ecosystems needs requires definitions and aims for the ecological quality of soil (as already provided for aquatic ecosystems). Taking into account that most soils are privately owned, legal initiatives are necessary to clarify responsibilities and to direct research toward the implementation of reproducible and standardized methods to determine the ecological quality of soil.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMed2005

Microbial ecology of the closed artificial ecosystem MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative): reinventing and compartmentalizing the Earth's food and oxygen regeneration system for long-haul space exploration missions.

MELiSSA is a bioregenerative life support system designed by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the complete recycling of gas, liquid and solid wastes during long distance space exploration. The system uses the combined activity of different living organisms: microbial cultures in bioreactors, a plant compartment and a human crew. In this minireview, the development of a short-cut ecological system for the biotransformation of organic waste is discussed from a microorganism's perspective. The artificial ecological model--still in full development--that is inspired by Earth's own geomicrobiological ecosystem serves as an ideal study object on microbial ecology and will become an indispensable travel companion in manned space exploration.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2004

[The reformation of tomato ecology using photo-ecology film].

The action spectrum of photosynthesis of tomato was studied with excitation and fluorescence spectra of its leaf. To simulate action spectrum of tomato the fluorescent auxiliary was specially prepared and used to make the photo-ecology film. The film was used to cover the roof of greenhouses for planting tomatoes in Jianguo village of Xinfa town, Daoli district, Harbin. The survey of ecology conditions, tomato growth and yield has been made in comparison with those in the greenhouse using normal film. It is shown that the yield of tomato in the photo-ecology film greenhouse has increased by 53.7%, which leads to a production value rise of 61.4%.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2000

Population genetic structure of two ecologically distinct Amazonian spiny rats: separating history and current ecology.

Population history and current demographic and ecological factors determine the amount of genetic variation within and the degree of differentiation among populations. Differences in the life history and ecology of codistributed species may lead to differences in hierarchical population genetic structure. Here, we compare patterns of genetic diversity and structure of two species of spiny rats in the genus Proechimys from the Rio Jurui of western Amazonian Brazil. Based on the ecological and life-history differences between the two species, we make predictions as to how they might differ in patterns of genetic diversity and structure. We use mitochondrial sequence data from the cytochrome b gene to test these predictions. Although both species maintain nearly the same number of mitochondrial haplotypes across the sampled range, they differ in levels of genetic diversity and geographic structure. Patterns of gene flow are also different between the two species with average M-values of nearly three in P. steerei and less than one in P. simonsi. Our initial predictions are largely upheld by the genetic data and where conflicting hypotheses arise, we suggest further studies that may allow us to distinguish among evolutionary scenarios. Separating the effects of history and ongoing demography on patterns of genetic diversity is challenging. Combining genetic analyses with field studies remains essential to disentangling these complex processes.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Selected aspects of the population health status in ecological hazard areas in comparison with ecologically "clean" area. II. Assessment of spatial distribution of mortality.

On the basis of age adjusted rates of mortality from all diseases and from diseases of the circulatory system in female and male populations living in ecological hazard areas and in ecologically "clean" area, the distributions of the rate values were assessed. In the regions under consideration, urban and rural regions were distinguished. The goodness of fit of the empirical distribution to the normal one was assessed using the following statistical parameters: arithmetic mean, mode, median, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, coefficient of asymmetry, difference between the third and the first quartiles, as well as the Chi2 and lambda-Kolmogorow-Smirnow tests, maximum difference between cumulative distribution functions and standard deviation of differences between empirical and theoretical frequencies. A differentiation in the mean values of age adjusted rates of mortality from both groups of diseases in ecological hazard areas and in "clean" area was indicated particularly in urban female and male populations.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed2000

A hierarchical approach to the sustainable management of Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems: part 1, an ecological and engineering synthesis.

In this article we present, in an expository manner, an approach to the sustainable management of a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) based on concepts from both engineering and ecology. Our perspective leads us to express the sustainability of CELSS in terms of constraints imposed on its subsystems. These constraints are of two types: static and operational. Static constraints capture the basic sustainability requirements of the individual subsystem components--they represent the absolute limits (bounds) on the operating range of these subsystems. Operational constraints, on the other hand, represent a response to global changes in the availability of system resources. They are imposed as the system evolves dynamically to avert shortages or surpluses in resources in various subsystems. As well as having implications on design, our perspective, termed the constraint perspective, leads naturally to a management hierarchy. The second article (this issue) in this series will explore the feasibility of this approach and demonstrate some of its consequences based on a simple CELSS model.

Ecological Systems, Closed↗
PubMed2005

The ecology of testate amoebae (Protists) in sphagnum in North-western Poland in relation to peatland ecology.

We studied the relationship between testate amoebae (Protozoa) communities and the depth to the water table (DWT), pH, conductivity, and microhabitat type in Sphagnum dominated peatlands of north-western Poland and built predictive (transfer function) models for inferring DWT and pH based on the testate amoebae community structure. Such models can be used for peatland monitoring and paleoecology. A total of 52 testate amoebae taxa were recorded. In a redundancy analysis, DWT and pH explained 20.1% of the variation in the species data and allowed us to identify three groups of taxa: species that are associated with (1) high DWT and low pH, (2) low DWT and low pH, and (3) high pH and mid-range DWT. Our transfer function models allow DWT and pH to be estimated with mean errors of 9.89 cm and 0.71 pH units. The prediction error of the DWT model and the tolerance of the species both increase with increasing dryness. This pattern mirrors the ecology of Sphagnum mosses: Species growing in wet habitats are more sensitive to change in water table depth than the species growing in drier microhabitats. Our results are consistent with studies of testate amoeba ecology in other regions, and they provide additional support for the use of these organisms in paleoecological and biomonitoring contexts.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2006

Emphasizing the ecology in parasite community ecology.

In natural systems, individuals are often co-infected by many species of parasites. However, the significance of interactions between species and the processes that shape within-host parasite communities remain unclear. Studies of parasite community ecology are often descriptive, focusing on patterns of parasite abundance across host populations rather than on the mechanisms that underlie interactions within a host. These within-host interactions are crucial for determining the fitness and transmissibility of co-infecting parasite species. Here, we highlight how techniques from community ecology can be used to restructure the approaches used to study parasite communities. We discuss insights offered by this mechanistic approach that will be crucial for predicting the impact on wildlife and human health of disease control measures, climate change or novel parasite species introductions.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Human ecological intervention and the role of forest fires in human ecology.

The present text is a summary of research on the relationship between forest fires and human activities. Numerous theories have been created to explain changes in forests during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, and a general understanding has developed in the past 50 years regarding natural fire regimes. The present summary is directed to assess the validity of these theories. A re-analysis of the literature argues that the intense forest fires we experience today are an artifact of human intervention in forest ecology, especially by the reduction of herbivores and are relatively recent, approximately 100,000-250,000 BP. The history of fire, especially in the context of the increased dominance of humans, has produced a progressively fire-adapted ecology, which argues for human-free wildlife areas and against prescribed burns under many circumstances.

Adaptation, Physiological↗