The mound-building termite Macrotermes michaelseni as an ecosystem engineer

Many organisms create or alter resource flows that affect the composition and spatial arrangement of current and future organismal diversity. The phenomenon called ecosystem engineering is considered with a case study of the mound building termite Macrotermes michaelseni. It is argued that this species acts as an ecosystem engineer across a range of spatial scales, from alteration of local infiltration rates to the creation of landscape mosaics, and that its impacts accrue because of the initiation of biophysical processes that often include feedback mechanisms. These changes to resource flows are likely to persist for long periods and constrain the biological structure of the habitat. The value of ecosystem engineering is discussed as a holistic way of understanding the complexity of tropical ecology.

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METAZOAN REEF CONSTRUCTION IN A MIDDLE ORDOVICIAN SEASCAPE: A CASE STUDY FROM THE MINGAN ARCHIPELAGO, QUEBEC

Palaios ◽

10.2110/palo.2020.010 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (8) ◽

pp. 327-341

Author(s):

AMELIA PENNY ◽

ANDRÉ DESROCHERS ◽

BJÖRN KRÖGER

Keyword(s):

Habitat Heterogeneity ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Spatial Arrangement ◽

Middle Ordovician ◽

Reef Environments ◽

Carbonate Sequence ◽

Substrate Heterogeneity

ABSTRACT The Ordovician (485–444 Ma) saw a global shift from microbial- to skeletal-dominated reefs, and the rise of corals and bryozoans as important reef-builders. Hypothetically, increasingly morphologically diverse and abundant reef-building metazoans increased spatial habitat heterogeneity in reef environments, an important component of reefs' capacity to support diverse communities. Quantifying the spatial scale and extent of this heterogeneity requires three-dimensional exposures of well-preserved reefs whose composition and spatial arrangement can be measured. The Darriwilian (c. 467–458 Ma) carbonate sequence of the Mingan Archipelago, Quebec, presents such exposures, and also provides an opportunity to establish how the distribution of skeletal-dominated metazoan reefs contributed to, and was influenced by, seafloor relief. This study includes two transects through a 200–300 m wide paleo-reef belt, which developed along a rocky paleo-coast line. The reefs are typically micrite-rich, meter-scale mounds, locally forming larger complexes. Here, we present quantitative evaluations of the composition of these reefs, and detailed mapping of reef distributions. There is high compositional heterogeneity between reefs at spatial scales ranging from meters to kilometers, contributed by differences in the volumetric contribution of skeletal material to the reef core, and in the identity of the dominant reef-builders. We suggest that the abundance and morphological diversity of Middle Ordovician reef building metazoans made them important contributors to environmental and substrate heterogeneity, likely enhancing the diversity of reef-dwelling communities.

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Optimales Layout einer Walderschliessung

Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen ◽

10.3188/szf.2016.0294 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 167 (5) ◽

pp. 294-301

Author(s):

Leo Bont

Keyword(s):

Road Network ◽

Spatial Arrangement ◽

Problem Situation ◽

Optimal Layout ◽

Forest Road ◽

The Road ◽

Network Cost ◽

User Friendly ◽

Short Time

Optimal layout of a forest road network The road network is the backbone of forest management. When creating or redesigning a forest road network, one important question is how to shape the layout, this means to fix the spatial arrangement and the dimensioning standard of the roads. We consider two kinds of layout problems. First, new forest road network in an area without any such development yet, and second, redesign of existing road network for actual requirements. For each problem situation, we will present a method that allows to detect automatically the optimal road and harvesting layout. The method aims to identify a road network that concurrently minimizes the harvesting cost, the road network cost (construction and maintenance) and the hauling cost over the entire life cycle. Ecological issues can be considered as well. The method will be presented and discussed with the help of two case studies. The main benefit of the application of optimization tools consists in an objective-based planning, which allows to check and compare different scenarios and objectives within a short time. The responses coming from the case study regions were highly positive: practitioners suggest to make those methods a standard practice and to further develop the prototype to a user-friendly expert software.

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EVALUASI PROGRAM/PROYEK PENGEMBANGAN KAWASAN EKONOMI KHUSUS SEI MANGKE DALAM RANGKA PELAKSANAAN KEBIJAKAN MP3EI 2011-2025 DI KORIDOR EKONOMI SUMATERA

Jurnal Manajemen Bisnis Krisnadwipayana ◽

10.35137/jmbk.v6i1.176 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Firrean Firrean

Keyword(s):

Local Government ◽

Evaluation Process ◽

Spatial Arrangement ◽

Policy Program ◽

Evaluative Research ◽

Policy Optimization ◽

Economic Zones ◽

North Sumatra

Special Economic Zones (SEZ) is a region with certain limits within the jurisdiction of Indonesia which is set to perform economic functions and obtain certain facilities. One SEZ developed in North Sumatra Province and included in the National Strategic Area (KSN) Medan - Binjai - Deli Serdang - Karo is SEZ Sei Mangke. SEZ Sei Mangke is defined in PP 29 of 2012 on 27 February 2012 and is the first KEK in Indonesia which was inaugurated its operation by President Joko Widodo on January 27, 2015. KSN Mebidangro itself is an area of priority spatial arrangement because it has a very important influence nationally against state sovereignty, defense and state security, economic, social, cultural, and / or environment, including areas designated as world heritage. This research is an evaluative research intended to find out the end of a policy program in order to determine recommendation of last policy by using CIPO model which includes four stages: (1) context, (2) input, (3) process, and (4) output. The research method used is case study by applying qualitative research that aims to make an accurate interpretation of the characteristics of the object under study. Findings on the evaluation context indicate that the program is generally running well, but some aspects of synergy and policy optimization as well as financing support from central and local government need to be improved. In the input evaluation, and evaluation process some aspects need to be improved because the findings show the weakness of some aspects is the result of lack of synergy and optimization of policy and support from local government. Interesting from the evaluation of ouput is that with some weaknesses in the input and process components, it turns out the evaluation findings ouput show Seek Mangke SEZ development can still run well. The recommendation of this research is to improve the quality of policy synergy / program of SEZ Seek development by improving several aspects that are categorized in each stage of evaluation

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A Comparative Analysis of Two Major Approaches for Mapping the Wildland-Urban Interface: A Case Study in California

Land ◽

10.3390/land10070679 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 679

Author(s):

Avi Bar-Massada

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Comparative Analysis ◽

Spatial Patterns ◽

Practical Purpose ◽

Spatial Arrangement ◽

Spatial Accuracy ◽

Wildland Urban Interface ◽

Spatial Correspondence ◽

Data Requirements

The Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) is where human settlements border or intermingle with undeveloped land, often with multiple detrimental consequences. Therefore, mapping the WUI is required in order to identify areas-at-risk. There are two main WUI mapping methods, the point-based approach and the zonal approach. Both differ in data requirements and may produce considerably different maps, yet they were never compared before. My objective was to systematically compare the point-based and the zonal-based WUI maps of California, and to test the efficacy of a new database of building locations in the context of WUI mapping. I assessed the spatial accuracy of the building database, and then compared the spatial patterns of WUI maps by estimating the effect of multiple ancillary variables on the amount of agreement between maps. I found that the building database is highly accurate and is suitable for WUI mapping. The point-based approach estimated a consistently larger WUI area across California compared to the zonal approach. The spatial correspondence between maps was low-to-moderate, and was significantly affected by building numbers and by their spatial arrangement. The discrepancy between WUI maps suggests that they are not directly comparable within and across landscapes, and that each WUI map should serve a distinct practical purpose.

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Ensemble model for estimating continental-scale patterns of human movement: a case study of Australia

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-84198-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Karen McCulloch ◽

Nick Golding ◽

Jodie McVernon ◽

Sarah Goodwin ◽

Martin Tomko

Keyword(s):

Spatial Scales ◽

Predictive Ability ◽

Movement Patterns ◽

Human Movement ◽

Continental Scale ◽

Movement Characteristics ◽

Human Movements ◽

Movement Models ◽

Epidemiology Data

AbstractUnderstanding human movement patterns at local, national and international scales is critical in a range of fields, including transportation, logistics and epidemiology. Data on human movement is increasingly available, and when combined with statistical models, enables predictions of movement patterns across broad regions. Movement characteristics, however, strongly depend on the scale and type of movement captured for a given study. The models that have so far been proposed for human movement are best suited to specific spatial scales and types of movement. Selecting both the scale of data collection, and the appropriate model for the data remains a key challenge in predicting human movements. We used two different data sources on human movement in Australia, at different spatial scales, to train a range of statistical movement models and evaluate their ability to predict movement patterns for each data type and scale. Whilst the five commonly-used movement models we evaluated varied markedly between datasets in their predictive ability, we show that an ensemble modelling approach that combines the predictions of these models consistently outperformed all individual models against hold-out data.

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A multidisciplinary approach to the spatial dimension in ecosystem-based fisheries management

Aquatic Living Resources ◽

10.1051/alr/2018014 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 31 ◽

pp. 23 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Pascal Le Floc'h ◽

Michel Bertignac ◽

Olivier Curtil ◽

Claire Macher ◽

Emilie Mariat-Roy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multidisciplinary Approach ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Spatial Dimension ◽

Common Denominator ◽

Bay Of Biscay ◽

First Case ◽

Fishing Fleets ◽

Coastal Space ◽

Fish Habitats

This study considers how to reconcile different spatial scales to find the best common denominator to be used as an ecosystem-based management unit. For this, two fishery production zones differing ecologically, economically, legally and institutionally were investigated. The first case study is located within French territorial waters, in a MPA created in 2007- the Parc Naturel Marin d'Iroise (PNMI). The second case study, the Bay of Biscay, covers both territorial waters and the French exclusive economic zone. The paper adopts a multidisciplinary approach. Relevant questions concern how marine space is shared between exploited species and fishing fleets, especially the spatial mobility strategies they employ. An assessment of the institutional system established for the PNMI contributes to the discussion of changes in coastal space use. It is obvious that the area in need of protection, defined on the basis of essential fish habitats, does not solely concern the fisheries located within the coastal zone. Experiments conducted by scientists and professionals in the Bay of Biscay provide other key points for the discussion in terms of what institutional frameworks to promote.

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Evaluation of Integrated Assessment Model hindcast experiments: A case study of the GCAM 3.0 land use module

10.5194/gmd-2017-97 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Abigail C. Snyder ◽

Robert P. Link ◽

Katherine V. Calvin

Keyword(s):

Integrated Assessment ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Integrated Assessment Model ◽

Assessment Model ◽

Land Allocation ◽

Time Period ◽

Skill Scores ◽

Performance Benchmarks

Abstract. Hindcasting experiments (conducting a model forecast for a time period in which observational data is available) are rarely undertaken in the Integrated Assessment Model (IAM) community. When they are undertaken, the results are often evaluated using global aggregates or otherwise highly aggregated skill scores that mask deficiencies. We select a set of deviation based measures that can be applied at different spatial scales (regional versus global) to make evaluating the large number of variable-region combinations in IAMs more tractable. We also identify performance benchmarks for these measures, based on the statistics of the observational dataset, that allow a model to be evaluated in absolute terms rather than relative to the performance of other models at similar tasks. This is key in the integrated assessment community, where there often are not multiple models conducting hindcast experiments to allow for model intercomparison. The performance benchmarks serve a second purpose, providing information about the reasons a model may perform poorly on a given measure and therefore identifying opportunities for improvement. As a case study, the measures are applied to the results of a past hindcast experiment focusing on land allocation in the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM) version 3.0. We find quantitative evidence that global aggregates alone are not sufficient for evaluating IAMs, such as GCAM, that require global supply to equal global demand at each time period. Additionally, the deviation measures examined in this work successfully identity parametric and structural changes that may improve land allocation decisions in GCAM. Future work will involve implementing the suggested improvements to the GCAM land allocation system identified by the measures in this work, using the measures to quantify performance improvement due to these changes, and, ideally, applying these measures to other sectors of GCAM and other land allocation models.

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Biogeomorphic feedbacks and the ecosystem engineering of recently deglaciated terrain

Progress in Physical Geography Earth and Environment ◽

10.1177/0309133318816536 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 43 (1) ◽

pp. 24-45 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Hannah R Miller ◽

Stuart N Lane

Keyword(s):

Environmental Stress ◽

Ecosystem Engineer ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Ecosystem Engineering ◽

Soil Development ◽

Water Dynamics ◽

Biotic Factors ◽

Successional Stage ◽

Abiotic And Biotic Factors

Matthews’ 1992 geoecological model of vegetation succession within glacial forefields describes how following deglaciation the landscape evolves over time as the result of both biotic and abiotic factors, with the importance of each depending on the level of environmental stress within the system. We focus in this paper on how new understandings of abiotic factors and the potential for biogeomorphic feedbacks between abiotic and biotic factors makes further development of this model important. Disturbance and water dynamics are two abiotic factors that have been shown to create stress gradients that can drive early ecosystem succession. The subsequent establishment of microbial communities and vegetation can then result in biogeomorphic feedbacks via ecosystem engineering that influence the role of disturbance and water dynamics within the system. Microbes can act as ecosystem engineers by supplying nutrients (via remineralization of organic matter and nitrogen fixation), enhancing soil development, either decreasing (encouraging weathering) or increasing (binding sediment grains) geomorphic stability, and helping retain soil moisture. Vegetation can act as an ecosystem engineer by fixing nitrogen, enhancing soil development, modifying microbial community structure, creating seed banks, and increasing geomorphic stability. The feedbacks between vegetation and water dynamics in glacial forefields are still poorly studied. We propose a synthesized model of ecosystem succession within glacial forefields that combines Matthews’ initial geoecological model and Corenblit's model to illustrate how gradients in environmental stress combined with successional time drive the balance between abiotic and biotic factors and ultimately determine the successional stage and potential for biogeomorphic feedbacks.

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Public Reveal: Finding a place for Civic Architecture in the Contemporary City.

10.26686/wgtn.16961254 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Amber Venter

Keyword(s):

Local Government ◽

Spatial Arrangement ◽

City Council ◽

Political Life ◽

Civic Architecture ◽

Design Case ◽

Design Case Study ◽

Design Proposal ◽

The City

This research is an architectural enquiry into how the visibility of local government can mimic the performance of everyday political life. Using the conceptual framework of place and understanding of the collective community. The intention of this design proposal is to encourage the transparency of local authority through an architectural intervention in the city. The driver of this research is the reduced physical presence of civic practices, with particular regard to the congregating place of local government. A framework is developed as a precursor to develop an understanding of the traditional civic architype. The aim is to reimagine a contemporary civic architecture which is detached from the corporate functions of local government. Architecture supports the celebration of collective rituals of movement and meeting. An archetype investigation formalises a set design criteria by which the design case study is evaluated against. The background research comprises a critique of the spatial arrangement of the traditional town hall. An additional background task is consisted of a comparative inquiry into today’s local government accommodation. The site is located in Tamaki Makaurau/Auckland City. The site analysis criteria utilised by this thesis is grounded in the research of Jan Gehl and his understanding of architectures impact on peoples’ behaviour in cities. Finally the design case study is driven by dynamic circulation, which establishes a celebration of the formal and informal interactions between the participants of local government. Transparency and hierarchy are used to challenge the spatial and functional qualities of Auckland City Council. The result of the research will contribute to the inclusive understanding of the ordinary rituals of local government through architecture in the city.

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SERVICE CENTRES IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT : A CASE STUDY OF JAUNPUR DISTRICT, UTTAR PRADESH

Journal of Global Resources ◽

10.46587/jgr.2022.v08i01.007 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Dinesh Kumar ◽

Dinesh Kumar

Keyword(s):

Uttar Pradesh ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Spatial Arrangement ◽

Population Index ◽

Service Centre ◽

Block Level ◽

Centrality Score ◽

Eastern Uttar Pradesh ◽

Fifth Order

This paper attempts to deal with the identifying the service centers and calculation of the spatial arrangement with complementary area of service centres in Jaunpur district Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh. The study area is situated in Eastern Uttar Pradesh of the Middle Ganga Plain. The study is exclusively based on secondary data collected at block level from different offices. The centrality score has been calculated on the basis of three type of indices like functional centrality index, working population index and tertiary population index. There are 31 function or services selected judicially from five sectors (administrative, agricultural and financial, educational, health and transport and communication) to measure the centrality of service centre. The thissen polygon and berry breaking point method has been used for measure the complementary area. Total 88 service centres have been identified as first, second, third, fourth and fifth order service centre. The number of I, II, III, IV, and V order centres accounts for 43, 24, 16, 4, and 1 respectively.

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