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Clement S, Jozaei J, Mitchell M, Allen CR, Garmestani AS. How resilience is framed matters for governance of coastal social-ecological systems. Environ Policy Gov 2024; 34:65-76. [PMID: 38516549 PMCID: PMC10953812 DOI: 10.1002/eet.2056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Effective governance of social-ecological systems (SES) is an enduring challenge, especially in coastal environments where accelerating impacts of climate change are increasing pressure on already stressed systems. While resilience is often proposed as a suitable framing to re-orient governance and management, the literature includes many different, and sometimes conflicting, definitions and ideas that influence how the concept is applied, especially in coastal environments. This study combines discourse analysis of the coastal governance literature and key informant interviews in Tasmania, Australia, demonstrating inconsistencies and confusion in the way that resilience is framed in coastal governance research and practice. We find that resilience is most often framed as (1) a rate of recovery from disturbance or (2) the process of acting in response to, or anticipation of, a disturbance. A third framing considers resilience as an emergent property of SESs. This framing, social-ecological resilience, accounts for multiple configurations of SES, which necessitates adaptation and transformation strategies to address changes across temporal and spatial scales. Coastal managers recognised the value of this third framing for governing coastal SESs, yet the confusion and inconsistency in the literature was also evident in how they understood and applied resilience in practice. Expanding the use of social-ecological resilience is essential for more effective coastal governance, given the dynamics of coastal SESs and the intensity of social, economic, and environmental drivers of change these systems face. However, this requires addressing the unclear, confused, and superficial use of resilience-oriented concepts in research and policy discourse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Clement
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | | | - Michael Mitchell
- Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury-Wodonga, Australia
| | - Craig R. Allen
- Centre for Resilience in Agricultural Working Landscapes, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, USA
| | - Ahjond S. Garmestani
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf Breeze, USA
- Utrecht Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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2
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Scown MW, Dunn FE, Dekker SC, van Vuuren DP, Karabil S, Sutanudjaja EH, Santos MJ, Minderhoud PS, Garmestani AS, Middelkoop H. Global change scenarios in coastal river deltas and their sustainable development implications. Glob Environ Change 2023; 82:1-14. [PMID: 37693692 PMCID: PMC10483986 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2023.102736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Deltas play a critical role in the ambition to achieve global sustainable development given their relatively large shares in population and productive croplands, as well as their precarious low-lying position between upstream river basin development and rising seas. The large pressures on these systems risk undermining the persistence of delta societies, economies, and ecosystems. We analyse possible future development in 49 deltas around the globe under the Shared Socio-economic and Representative Concentration Pathways until 2100. Population density, urban fraction, and total and irrigated cropland fraction are three to twelve times greater in these deltas, on average, than in the rest of the world. Maximum river water discharges are projected to increase by 11-33 % and river sediment discharges are projected to decrease 26-37 % on average, depending on the scenario. Regional sea-level rise reaches almost 1.0 m by 2100 for certain deltas in the worst-case scenario, increasing to almost 2.0 m of relative rise considering land subsidence. Extreme sea levels could be much higher still-reaching over 4.0 m by 2100 for six of the 49 deltas analysed. Socio-economic conditions to support adaptation are the weakest among deltas with the greatest pressures, compounding the challenge of sustainable development. Asian and African deltas stand out as having heightened socio-economic challenges-huge population and land use pressures in most Asian deltas and the Nile delta; low capacity for adaptation in most African deltas and the Irrawaddy delta. Although, deltas in other parts of the world are not immune from these and other pressures, either. Because of unique pressures and processes operating in deltas, as in other "hotspots" such as small islands, mountains, and semi-arid areas, we recommend greater consideration and conceptualisation of environmental processes in global sustainable development agendas and in the Integrated Assessment Models used to guide global policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murray W. Scown
- Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), Lund, Sweden
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Frances E. Dunn
- Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Stefan C. Dekker
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Detlef P. van Vuuren
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, The Hague, Netherlands
| | - Sitar Karabil
- Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht (IMAU), Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | - Maria J. Santos
- Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philip S.J. Minderhoud
- Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Department of Subsurface and Groundwater Systems, Deltares Research Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Ahjond S. Garmestani
- Utrecht Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law, Utrecht University School of Law, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf Breeze, FL, United States
| | - Hans Middelkoop
- Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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3
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Twidwell D, Wonkka CL, Wang HH, Grant WE, Allen CR, Fuhlendorf SD, Garmestani AS, Angeler DG, Taylor CA, Kreuter UP, Rogers WE. Coerced resilience in fire management. J Environ Manage 2019; 240:368-373. [PMID: 30953990 PMCID: PMC7388029 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.02.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 01/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Mechanisms underlying the loss of ecological resilience and a shift to an alternate regime with lower ecosystem service provisioning continues to be a leading debate in ecology, particularly in cases where evidence points to human actions and decision-making as the primary drivers of resilience loss and regime change. In this paper, we introduce the concept of coerced resilience as a way to explore the interplay among social power, ecological resilience, and fire management, and to better understand the unintended and undesired regime changes that often surprise ecosystem managers and governing officials. Philosophically, coercion is the opposite of freedom, and uses influence or force to gain compliance among local actors. The coercive force imposed by societal laws and policies can either enhance or reduce the potential to manage for essential structures and functions of ecological systems and, therefore, can greatly alter resilience. Using a classical fire-dependent regime shift from North America (tallgrass prairie to juniper woodland), and given that coercion is widespread in fire management today, we quantify relative differences in resilience that emerge in a policy-coerced fire system compared to a theoretical, policy-free fire system. Social coercion caused large departures in the fire conditions associated with alternative grassland and juniper woodland states, and the potential for a grassland state to emerge to dominance became increasingly untenable with fire as juniper cover increased. In contrast, both a treeless, grassland regime and a co-dominated grass-tree regime emerged across a wide range of fire conditions in the absence of policy controls. The severe coercive forcing present in fire management in the Great Plains, and corresponding erosion of grassland resilience, points to the need for transformative environmental governance and the rethinking of social power structures in modern fire policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirac Twidwell
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, 68583, USA.
| | - Carissa L Wonkka
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, 68583, USA
| | - Hsiao-Hsuan Wang
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - William E Grant
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Craig R Allen
- School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, 68583, USA
| | - Samuel D Fuhlendorf
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, 008C Agricultural Hall, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Ahjond S Garmestani
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Cincinnati, OH, 45268, USA
| | - David G Angeler
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Charles A Taylor
- Texas A&M Agrilife Research Center, Texas A&M University, P.O. Box 918, Sonora, TX, 76950, USA
| | - Urs P Kreuter
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Texas A&M University, 2138 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - William E Rogers
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Texas A&M University, 2138 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
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4
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Roberts CP, Twidwell D, Burnett JL, Donovan VM, Wonkka CL, Bielski CL, Garmestani AS, Angeler DG, Allred B, Jones MO, Naugle DE, Sundstrom SM, Allen CR. Early Warnings for State Transitions. Rangel Ecol Manag 2018; 71:659-670. [PMID: 30800013 PMCID: PMC6381995 DOI: 10.1016/j.rama.2018.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
New concepts have emerged in theoretical ecology with the intent to quantify complexities in ecological change that are unaccounted for in state-and-transition models and to provide applied ecologists with statistical early warning metrics able to predict and prevent state transitions. With its rich history of furthering ecological theory and its robust and broad-scale monitoring frameworks, the rangeland discipline is poised to empirically assess these newly proposed ideas while also serving as early adopters of novel statistical metrics that provide advanced warning of a pending shift to an alternative ecological regime. Were view multivariate early warning and regime shift detection metrics, identify situations where various metrics will be most useful for rangeland science, and then highlight known shortcomings. Our review of a suite of multivariate-based regime shift/early warning indicators provides a broad range of metrics applicable to a wide variety of data types or contexts, from situations where a great deal is known about the key system drivers and a regime shift is hypothesized a priori, to situations where the key drivers and the possibility of a regime shift are both unknown. These metrics can be used to answer ecological state-and-transition questions, inform policymakers, and provide quantitative decision-making tools for managers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caleb P Roberts
- University of Nebraska, Department of Agronomy & Horticulture, Keim Hall, Lincoln, NE 66583-0915, USA
- Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska, School of Natural Resources, Hardin Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583-0961, USA
| | - Dirac Twidwell
- University of Nebraska, Department of Agronomy & Horticulture, Keim Hall, Lincoln, NE 66583-0915, USA
| | - Jessica L Burnett
- Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska, School of Natural Resources, Hardin Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583-0961, USA
| | - Victoria M Donovan
- University of Nebraska, Department of Agronomy & Horticulture, Keim Hall, Lincoln, NE 66583-0915, USA
| | - Carissa L Wonkka
- University of Nebraska, Department of Agronomy & Horticulture, Keim Hall, Lincoln, NE 66583-0915, USA
| | - Christine L Bielski
- University of Nebraska, Department of Agronomy & Horticulture, Keim Hall, Lincoln, NE 66583-0915, USA
- Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska, School of Natural Resources, Hardin Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583-0961, USA
| | - Ahjond S Garmestani
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - David G Angeler
- Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences, Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Uppsala, Sweden, PO Box 7050
| | - BradyW Allred
- University of Montana, WA Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Matthew O Jones
- University of Montana, WA Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - David E Naugle
- University of Montana, WA Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Shana M Sundstrom
- Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska, School of Natural Resources, Hardin Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583-0961, USA
| | - Craig R Allen
- U.S. Geological Survey, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Hardin Hall, Lincoln, NE 66583-0984, USA
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5
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Barichievy C, Angeler DG, Eason T, Garmestani AS, Nash KL, Stow CA, Sundstrom S, Allen CR. A method to detect discontinuities in census data. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:9614-9623. [PMID: 30386561 PMCID: PMC6202717 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2017] [Revised: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The distribution of pattern across scales has predictive power in the analysis of complex systems. Discontinuity approaches remain a fruitful avenue of research in the quest for quantitative measures of resilience because discontinuity analysis provides an objective means of identifying scales in complex systems and facilitates delineation of hierarchical patterns in processes, structure, and resources. However, current discontinuity methods have been considered too subjective, too complicated and opaque, or have become computationally obsolete; given the ubiquity of discontinuities in ecological and other complex systems, a simple and transparent method for detection is needed. In this study, we present a method to detect discontinuities in census data based on resampling of a neutral model and provide the R code used to run the analyses. This method has the potential for advancing basic and applied ecological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Barichievy
- Zoological Society of LondonLondonUK
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in AfricaUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - David G. Angeler
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and AssessmentSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsalaSweden
| | - Tarsha Eason
- U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOffice of Research and DevelopmentNational Risk Management Research LaboratoryCincinnatiOhio
| | - Ahjond S. Garmestani
- U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOffice of Research and DevelopmentNational Risk Management Research LaboratoryCincinnatiOhio
| | - Kirsty L. Nash
- Centre for Marine SocioecologyHobartTASAustralia
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic StudiesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTASAustralia
| | - Craig A. Stow
- NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research LaboratoryAnn ArborMichigan
| | - Shana Sundstrom
- School of Natural ResourcesUniversity of NebraskaLincolnNebraska
| | - Craig R. Allen
- U.S. Geological SurveyNebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitUniversity of NebraskaLincolnNebraska
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6
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Twidwell D, Wonkka CL, Bielski CH, Allen CR, Angeler DG, Drozda J, Garmestani AS, Johnson J, Powell LA, Roberts CP. The perpetual state of emergency that sacrifices protected areas in a changing climate. Conserv Biol 2018; 32:905-915. [PMID: 29473208 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A modern challenge for conservation biology is to assess the consequences of policies that adhere to assumptions of stationarity (e.g., historic norms) in an era of global environmental change. Such policies may result in unexpected and surprising levels of mitigation given future climate-change trajectories, especially as agriculture looks to protected areas to buffer against production losses during periods of environmental extremes. We assessed the potential impact of climate-change scenarios on the rates at which grasslands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) are authorized for emergency harvesting (i.e., biomass removal) for agricultural use, which can occur when precipitation for the previous 4 months is below 40% of the normal or historical mean precipitation for that 4-month period. We developed and analyzed scenarios under the condition that policy will continue to operate under assumptions of stationarity, thereby authorizing emergency biomass harvesting solely as a function of precipitation departure from historic norms. Model projections showed the historical likelihood of authorizing emergency biomass harvesting in any given year in the northern Great Plains was 33.28% based on long-term weather records. Emergency biomass harvesting became the norm (>50% of years) in the scenario that reflected continued increases in emissions and a decrease in growing-season precipitation, and areas in the Great Plains with higher historical mean annual rainfall were disproportionately affected and were subject to a greater increase in emergency biomass removal. Emergency biomass harvesting decreased only in the scenario with rapid reductions in emissions. Our scenario-impact analysis indicated that biomass from lands enrolled in the CRP would be used primarily as a buffer for agriculture in an era of climatic change unless policy guidelines are adapted or climate-change projections significantly depart from the current consensus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirac Twidwell
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915, U.S.A
| | - Carissa L Wonkka
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915, U.S.A
| | - Christine H Bielski
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915, U.S.A
| | - Craig R Allen
- University of Nebraska, School of Natural Resources, Lincoln, NE 68583-0961, U.S.A
- U.S. Geological Survey, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Natural Resources, Lincoln, NE 66583-0984, U.S.A
| | - David G Angeler
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences, P.O. Box 7050, Uppsala, SE-750 07, Sweden
| | - Jacob Drozda
- University of Nebraska, School of Natural Resources, Lincoln, NE 68583-0961, U.S.A
| | - Ahjond S Garmestani
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26 W. Martin, Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, U.S.A
| | - Julia Johnson
- University of Nebraska, School of Natural Resources, Lincoln, NE 68583-0961, U.S.A
| | - Larkin A Powell
- University of Nebraska, School of Natural Resources, Lincoln, NE 68583-0961, U.S.A
| | - Caleb P Roberts
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915, U.S.A
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7
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Herrmann DL, Chuang WC, Schwarz K, Bowles TM, Garmestani AS, Shuster WD, Eason T, Hopton ME, Allen CR. Agroecology for the Shrinking City. Sustainability 2018; 10:675. [PMID: 32542114 PMCID: PMC7294399 DOI: 10.3390/su10030675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Many cities are experiencing long-term declines in population and economic activity. As a result, frameworks for urban sustainability need to address the unique challenges and opportunities of such shrinking cities. Shrinking, particularly in the U.S., has led to extensive vacant land. The abundance of vacant land reflects a loss of traditional urban amenities, economic opportunity, neighbors, businesses, and even basic city services and often occurs in neighborhoods with socially and economically vulnerable or underserved populations. However, vacant land also provides opportunities, including the space to invest in green infrastructure that can provide ecosystem services and support urban sustainability. Achieving desirable amenities that provide ecosystem services from vacant land is the central tenet of a recent urban sustainability framework termed ecology for the shrinking city. An agroecological approach could operationalize ecology for the shrinking city to both manage vacancy and address ecosystem service goals. Developing an agroecology in shrinking cities not only secures provisioning services that use an active and participatory approach of vacant land management but also transforms and enhances regulating and supporting services. The human and cultural dimensions of agroecology create the potential for social-ecological innovations that can support sustainable transformations in shrinking cities. Overall, the strength of agroecological principles guiding a green infrastructure strategy stems from its explicit focus on how individuals and communities can shape their environment at multiple scales to produce outcomes that reflect their social and cultural context. Specifically, the shaping of the environment provides a pathway for communities to build agency and manage for resilience in urban social-ecological systems. Agroecology for the shrinking city can support desirable transformations, but to be meaningful, we recognize that it must be part of a greater strategy that addresses larger systemic issues facing shrinking cities and their residents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin L Herrmann
- ORISE Postdoctoral Fellow at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Wen-Ching Chuang
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Kirsten Schwarz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA
| | - Timothy M Bowles
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Ahjond S Garmestani
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - William D Shuster
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Tarsha Eason
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC 27711, USA
| | - Matthew E Hopton
- Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Craig R Allen
- U.S. Geological Survey-Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
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8
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Ossola A, Schifman L, Herrmann DL, Garmestani AS, Schwarz K, Hopton ME. The Provision of Urban Ecosystem Services Throughout the Private-Social-Public Domain: A Conceptual Framework. Cities Environ 2018; 11:1-15. [PMID: 30275925 PMCID: PMC6161840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
As cities are largely private systems, recent investigations have assessed the provision of ecosystem services from the private realm. However, these assessments are largely based on the concept of ownership and fail to capture the complexity of service provision mediated by interactions between people and ecological structures. In fact, people interact with ecological structures in their role of land tenants and stewards, further modulating the provision of ecosystem services. We devise a theoretical framework based on the concepts of ownership, tenancy, and stewardship, in which people, as mediators of ecosystem services, regulate the provision of services throughout the private-social-public domain. We survey relevant literature describing these dimensions and propose a comprehensive framework focused on the private-social-public domain. Our framework can advance ecosystem service research and enhance the provision of ecosystems services. The inclusion of people's individual, social and public roles in the mediation of ecosystem services could improve how benefits are planned for, prioritized, and optimized across cities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dustin L Herrmann
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Participant Program with the United States Environmental Protection Agency
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9
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Spanbauer TL, Allen CR, Angeler DG, Eason T, Fritz SC, Garmestani AS, Nash KL, Stone JR, Stow CA, Sundstrom SM. Body size distributions signal a regime shift in a lake ecosystem. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.0249. [PMID: 27335415 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Communities of organisms, from mammals to microorganisms, have discontinuous distributions of body size. This pattern of size structuring is a conservative trait of community organization and is a product of processes that occur at multiple spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we assessed whether body size patterns serve as an indicator of a threshold between alternative regimes. Over the past 7000 years, the biological communities of Foy Lake (Montana, USA) have undergone a major regime shift owing to climate change. We used a palaeoecological record of diatom communities to estimate diatom sizes, and then analysed the discontinuous distribution of organism sizes over time. We used Bayesian classification and regression tree models to determine that all time intervals exhibited aggregations of sizes separated by gaps in the distribution and found a significant change in diatom body size distributions approximately 150 years before the identified ecosystem regime shift. We suggest that discontinuity analysis is a useful addition to the suite of tools for the detection of early warning signals of regime shifts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trisha L Spanbauer
- National Research Council, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Craig R Allen
- US Geological Survey, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - David G Angeler
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7050 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Tarsha Eason
- Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Sherilyn C Fritz
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Ahjond S Garmestani
- Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Kirsty L Nash
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia Centre for Marine Socioecology, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Jeffery R Stone
- Department of Earth and Environmental Systems, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA
| | - Craig A Stow
- Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
| | - Shana M Sundstrom
- Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
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10
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Baho DL, Allen CR, Garmestani AS, Fried-Petersen HB, Renes SE, Gunderson LH, Angeler DG. A quantitative framework for assessing ecological resilience. Ecol Soc 2017; 22:1-17. [PMID: 29333174 PMCID: PMC5759782 DOI: 10.5751/es-09427-220317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Quantitative approaches to measure and assess resilience are needed to bridge gaps between science, policy and management. In this paper, we revisit definitions of resilience and suggest a quantitative framework for assessing ecological resilience sensu Holling (1973). Ecological resilience as an emergent ecosystem phenomenon can be decomposed into complementary attributes (scales, adaptive capacity, thresholds and alternative regimes) that embrace the complexity inherent to ecosystems. Quantifying these attributes simultaneously provides opportunities to move from the assessment of specific resilience within an ecosystem towards a broader measurement of its general resilience. We provide a framework, based on testable hypotheses, which allows assessment of complementary attributes of ecological resilience. By implementing the framework in adaptive approaches to management, inference and modeling, key uncertainties can be reduced incrementally over time and learning about the general resilience of dynamic ecosystems maximized. Such improvements are needed because uncertainty about global environmental change impacts and their effects on resilience is high. Improved resilience assessments will ultimately facilitate an optimized use of limited resources for management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didier L. Baho
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Gaustadalléen, 21 NO-0349 Oslo, Norway
| | - Craig R. Allen
- U.S. Geological Survey, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | | | - Hannah B. Fried-Petersen
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, PO Box 7050, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Sophia E. Renes
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, PO Box 7050, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Lance H. Gunderson
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
| | - David G. Angeler
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, PO Box 7050, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
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11
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Hopton ME, Karunanithi AT, Garmestani AS, White D, Choate JR, Cabezas H. A supplementary tool to existing approaches for assessing ecosystem community structure. Ecol Modell 2017; 355:64-69. [PMID: 30220776 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Measures of biological or species diversity are central to ecology and conservation biology. Although there are several commonly used indices, each has shortcomings and all vary in the relative emphasis they place on the number of species and their relative abundance. We propose utilizing Fisher Information, not as a replacement for existing indices, but as a supplement to other indices because it is sensitive to community structure. We demonstrate how Shannon's and Simpson's diversity indices quantify the diversity of two different systems and how Fisher Information can enhance the analyses by comparing, as example, body size, and phylogenetic diversity of the different communities. Fisher Information is sensitive to the order in which species are entered into the analysis, and therefore, it can detect differences in community structure. Thus, the Fisher Information index can be useful in helping understand and analyze biodiversity of ecosystems and in comparing ecological communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew E Hopton
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, MS 443, Cincinnati, OH 45268 USA
| | - Arunprakash T Karunanithi
- Center for Sustainable Infrastructure Systems, University of Colorado Denver, 1200 Larimer Street, Denver, CO 80217, USA
| | - Ahjond S Garmestani
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, MS 443, Cincinnati, OH 45268 USA
| | - Denis White
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, 200 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333 USA.,Present address: Geography Program, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis OR 97331 USA
| | - Jerry R Choate
- Posthumously; Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University, 3000 Sternberg Drive, Hays, KS 67601-2006 USA
| | - Heriberto Cabezas
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, MS 443, Cincinnati, OH 45268 USA
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12
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Craig RK, Garmestani AS, Allen CR, Arnold CAT, Birgé H, DeCaro DA, Fremier AK, Gosnell H, Schlager E. Balancing stability and flexibility in adaptive governance: an analysis of tools available in U.S. environmental law. Ecol Soc 2017; 22:1-3. [PMID: 29780429 PMCID: PMC5954424 DOI: 10.5751/es-08983-220203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Adaptive governance must work "on the ground," that is, it must operate through structures and procedures that the people it governs perceive to be legitimate and fair, as well as incorporating processes and substantive goals that are effective in allowing social-ecological systems (SESs) to adapt to climate change and other impacts. To address the continuing and accelerating alterations that climate change is bringing to SESs, adaptive governance generally will require more flexibility than prior governance institutions have often allowed. However, to function as good governance, adaptive governance must pay real attention to the problem of how to balance this increased need for flexibility with continuing governance stability so that it can foster adaptation to change without being perceived or experienced as perpetually destabilizing, disruptive, and unfair. Flexibility and stability serve different purposes in governance, and a variety of tools exist to strike different balances between them while still preserving the governance institution's legitimacy among the people governed. After reviewing those purposes and the implications of climate change for environmental governance, we examine psychological insights into the structuring of adaptive governance and the variety of legal tools available to incorporate those insights into adaptive governance regimes. Because the substantive goals of governance systems will differ among specific systems, we do not purport to comment on what the normative or substantive goals of law should be. Instead, we conclude that attention to process and procedure (including participation), as well as increased use of substantive standards (instead of rules), may allow an increased level of substantive flexibility to operate with legitimacy and fairness, providing the requisite levels of psychological, social, and economic stability needed for communities to adapt successfully to the Anthropocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Kundis Craig
- Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- University of Utah Global Change and Sustainability Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | | | - Craig R Allen
- U.S. Geological Survey, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Craig Anthony Tony Arnold
- Brandeis School of Law, Department of Urban & Public Affairs, and Center for Land Use & Environmental Responsibility, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hannah Birgé
- School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Daniel A DeCaro
- Social Decision Making and Sustainability Lab, Department of Urban and Public Affairs, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | | | - Hannah Gosnell
- College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Edella Schlager
- School of Government and Public Policy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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13
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Berland A, Shiflett SA, Shuster WD, Garmestani AS, Goddard HC, Herrmann DL, Hopton ME. The role of trees in urban stormwater management. Landsc Urban Plan 2017; 162:167-177. [PMID: 30220756 PMCID: PMC6134866 DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Urban impervious surfaces convert precipitation to stormwater runoff, which causes water quality and quantity problems. While traditional stormwater management has relied on gray infrastructure such as piped conveyances to collect and convey stormwater to wastewater treatment facilities or into surface waters, cities are exploring green infrastructure to manage stormwater at its source. Decentralized green infrastructure leverages the capabilities of soil and vegetation to infiltrate, redistribute, and otherwise store stormwater volume, with the potential to realize ancillary environmental, social, and economic benefits. To date, green infrastructure science and practice have largely focused on infiltration-based technologies that include rain gardens, bioswales, and permeable pavements. However, a narrow focus on infiltration overlooks other losses from the hydrologic cycle, and we propose that arboriculture - the cultivation of trees and other woody plants - deserves additional consideration as a stormwater control measure. Trees interact with the urban hydrologic cycle by intercepting incoming precipitation, removing water from the soil via transpiration, enhancing infiltration, and bolstering the performance of other green infrastructure technologies. However, many of these interactions are inadequately understood, particularly at spatial and temporal scales relevant to stormwater management. As such, the reliable use of trees for stormwater control depends on improved understanding of how and to what extent trees interact with stormwater, and the context-specific consideration of optimal arboricultural practices and institutional frameworks to maximize the stormwater benefits trees can provide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Berland
- Department of Geography, Ball State University, 2000 W University Ave, Muncie, IN 47306, USA,
| | - Sheri A Shiflett
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California Riverside, 3401 Watkins Dr, Riverside, CA 92521, USA,
| | - William D Shuster
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, MS 443, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA,
| | - Ahjond S Garmestani
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, MS 443, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA,
| | - Haynes C Goddard
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, MS 443, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA,
| | - Dustin L Herrmann
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, MS 443, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA,
| | - Matthew E Hopton
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 26 W Martin Luther King Dr, MS 443, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA,
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14
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Gunderson L, Cosens BA, Chaffin BC, Tom Arnold CA, Fremier AK, Garmestani AS, Craig RK, Gosnell H, Birge HE, Allen CR, Benson MH, Morrison RR, Stone MC, Hamm JA, Nemec K, Schlager E, Llewellyn D. Regime shifts and panarchies in regional scale social-ecological water systems. Ecol Soc 2017; 22:1-31. [PMID: 29780427 PMCID: PMC5954423 DOI: 10.5751/es-08879-220131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
In this article we summarize histories of nonlinear, complex interactions among societal, legal, and ecosystem dynamics in six North American water basins, as they respond to changing climate. These case studies were chosen to explore the conditions for emergence of adaptive governance in heavily regulated and developed social-ecological systems nested within a hierarchical governmental system. We summarize resilience assessments conducted in each system to provide a synthesis and reference by the other articles in this special feature. We also present a general framework used to evaluate the interactions between society and ecosystem regimes and the governance regimes chosen to mediate those interactions. The case studies show different ways that adaptive governance may be triggered, facilitated, or constrained by ecological and/or legal processes. The resilience assessments indicate that complex interactions among the governance and ecosystem components of these systems can produce different trajectories, which include patterns of (a) development and stabilization, (b) cycles of crisis and recovery, which includes lurches in adaptation and learning, and (3) periods of innovation, novelty, and transformation. Exploration of cross scale (Panarchy) interactions among levels and sectors of government and society illustrate that they may constrain development trajectories, but may also provide stability during crisis or innovation at smaller scales; create crises, but may also facilitate recovery; and constrain system transformation, but may also provide windows of opportunity in which transformation, and the resources to accomplish it, may occur. The framework is the starting point for our exploration of how law might play a role in enhancing the capacity of social-ecological systems to adapt to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lance Gunderson
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Barbara A Cosens
- University of Idaho, Institute for Waters of the West
- College of Law, Moscow, ID, USA
| | - Brian C Chaffin
- Department of Society & Conservation, College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Craig A Tom Arnold
- Brandeis School of Law, Department of Urban and Public Affairs and Center for Land Use & Environmental Responsibility University of Louisville, Louisville, KY USA
- UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Robin Kundis Craig
- S.J. Quinney College of Law, Global Change & Sustainability Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Hannah Gosnell
- College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Hannah E Birge
- Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
- School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Craig R Allen
- U. S. Geological Survey, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, NE, USA
| | | | - Ryan R Morrison
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Joseph A Hamm
- School of Criminal Justice, Environmental Science and Policy Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing MI, USA
| | - Kristine Nemec
- University of Northern Iowa Tallgrass Prairie Center, Cedar Falls, IA, USA
| | - Edella Schlager
- School of Government and Public Policy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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15
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Abstract
Legal and institutional structures fundamentally shape opportunities for adaptive governance of environmental resources at multiple ecological and societal scales. Properties of adaptive governance are widely studied. However, these studies have not resulted in consolidated frameworks for legal and institutional design, limiting our ability to promote adaptation and social-ecological resilience. We develop an overarching framework that describes the current and potential role of law in enabling adaptation. We apply this framework to different social-ecological settings, centers of activity, and scales, illustrating the multidimensional and polycentric nature of water governance. Adaptation typically emerges organically among multiple centers of agency and authority in society as a relatively self-organized or autonomous process marked by innovation, social learning, and political deliberation. This self-directed and emergent process is difficult to create in an exogenous, top-down fashion. However, traditional centers of authority may establish enabling conditions for adaptation using a suite of legal, economic, and democratic tools to legitimize and facilitate self-organization, coordination, and collaboration across scales. The principles outlined here provide preliminary legal and institutional foundations for adaptive environmental governance, which may inform institutional design and guide future scholarship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A DeCaro
- Department of Urban and Public Affairs, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY USA
| | - Brian C Chaffin
- College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Edella Schlager
- Professor, School of Government and Public Policy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | | | - J B Ruhl
- Vanderbilt University Law School, Nashville, TN, USA
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16
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DeCaro DA, Arnol CAT, Boama EF, Garmestani AS. Understanding and applying principles of social cognition and decision making in adaptive environmental governance. Ecol Soc 2017; 22:1-33. [PMID: 29780425 PMCID: PMC5954421 DOI: 10.5751/es-09154-220133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Environmental governance systems are under greater pressure to adapt and to cope with increased social and ecological uncertainty from stressors like climate change. We review principles of social cognition and decision making that shape and constrain how environmental governance systems adapt. We focus primarily on the interplay between key decision makers in society and legal systems. We argue that adaptive governance must overcome three cooperative dilemmas to facilitate adaptation: (1) encouraging collaborative problem solving, (2) garnering social acceptance and commitment, and (3) cultivating a culture of trust and tolerance for change and uncertainty. However, to do so governance systems must cope with biases in people's decision making that cloud their judgment and create conflict. These systems must also satisfy people's fundamental needs for self-determination, fairness, and security, ensuring that changes to environmental governance are perceived as legitimate, trustworthy, and acceptable. We discuss the implications of these principles for common governance solutions (e.g., public participation, enforcement) and conclude with methodological recommendations. We outline how scholars can investigate the social cognitive principles involved in cases of adaptive governance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A DeCaro
- Department of Urban and Public Affairs, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville
| | - Craig Anthony Tony Arnol
- Brandeis School of Law, Department of Urban and Public Affairs, and Center for Land Use and Environmental Responsibility, University of Louisville
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17
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Cosens BA, Craig RK, Hirsch SL, Arnold CAT, Benson MH, DeCaro DA, Garmestani AS, Gosnell H, Ruhl JB, Schlager E. The role of law in adaptive governance. Ecol Soc 2017; 22:1-30. [PMID: 29780426 PMCID: PMC5954422 DOI: 10.5751/es-08731-220130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The term "governance" encompasses both governmental and nongovernmental participation in collective choice and action. Law dictates the structure, boundaries, rules, and processes within which governmental action takes place, and in doing so becomes one of the focal points for analysis of barriers to adaptation as the effects of climate change are felt. Adaptive governance must therefore contemplate a level of flexibility and evolution in governmental action beyond that currently found in the heavily administrative governments of many democracies. Nevertheless, over time, law itself has proven highly adaptive in western systems of government, evolving to address and even facilitate the emergence of new social norms (such as the rights of women and minorities) or to provide remedies for emerging problems (such as pollution). Thus, there is no question that law can adapt, evolve, and be reformed to make room for adaptive governance. In doing this, not only may barriers be removed, but law may be adjusted to facilitate adaptive governance and to aid in institutionalizing new and emerging approaches to governance. The key is to do so in a way that also enhances legitimacy, accountability, and justice, or else such reforms will never be adopted by democratic societies, or if adopted, will destabilize those societies. By identifying those aspects of the frameworks for adaptive governance reviewed in the introduction to this special feature relevant to the legal system, we present guidelines for evaluating the role of law in environmental governance to identify the ways in which law can be used, adapted, and reformed to facilitate adaptive governance and to do so in a way that enhances the legitimacy of governmental action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara A Cosens
- University of Idaho College of Law
- Institute for Waters of the West, University of Idaho
| | - Robin K Craig
- Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
- University of Utah Global Change and Sustainability Center
| | | | - Craig Anthony Tony Arnold
- Brandeis School of Law, Department of Urban & Public Affairs, and Center for Land Use & Environmental Responsibility, University of Louisville
- UCLA School of Law
| | | | - Daniel A DeCaro
- Department of Urban and Public Affairs and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville
| | | | - Hannah Gosnell
- College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University
| | - J B Ruhl
- Vanderbilt University Law School
| | - Edella Schlager
- School of Government and Public Policy, University of Arizona
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18
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Sundstrom SM, Eason T, Nelson RJ, Angeler DG, Barichievy C, Garmestani AS, Graham NA, Granholm D, Gunderson L, Knutson M, Nash KL, Spanbauer T, Stow CA, Allen CR. Detecting spatial regimes in ecosystems. Ecol Lett 2017; 20:19-32. [PMID: 28000431 PMCID: PMC6141036 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Revised: 10/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Research on early warning indicators has generally focused on assessing temporal transitions with limited application of these methods to detecting spatial regimes. Traditional spatial boundary detection procedures that result in ecoregion maps are typically based on ecological potential (i.e. potential vegetation), and often fail to account for ongoing changes due to stressors such as land use change and climate change and their effects on plant and animal communities. We use Fisher information, an information theory-based method, on both terrestrial and aquatic animal data (U.S. Breeding Bird Survey and marine zooplankton) to identify ecological boundaries, and compare our results to traditional early warning indicators, conventional ecoregion maps and multivariate analyses such as nMDS and cluster analysis. We successfully detected spatial regimes and transitions in both terrestrial and aquatic systems using Fisher information. Furthermore, Fisher information provided explicit spatial information about community change that is absent from other multivariate approaches. Our results suggest that defining spatial regimes based on animal communities may better reflect ecological reality than do traditional ecoregion maps, especially in our current era of rapid and unpredictable ecological change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shana M. Sundstrom
- School of Natural Resources, 103 Hardin Hall, 3310 Holdrege St., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Tarsha Eason
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA; ,
| | - R. John Nelson
- University of Victoria, Department of Biology-Centre for Biomedical Research, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada;
| | - David G. Angeler
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Box 7050, SE- 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden;
| | | | - Ahjond S. Garmestani
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA; ,
| | | | - Dean Granholm
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bloomington, MN 55437-1003, USA;
| | - Lance Gunderson
- Department of Environmental Studies, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA;
| | - Melinda Knutson
- Region 3 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, La Crosse, WI 54603, USA;
| | - Kirsty L. Nash
- Centre for Marine Socioecology, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia;
| | - Trisha Spanbauer
- National Research Council, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268 USA;
| | - Craig A. Stow
- National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA;
| | - Craig R. Allen
- U.S. Geological Survey - Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA;
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19
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Gunderson LH, Cosens B, Garmestani AS. Adaptive governance of riverine and wetland ecosystem goods and services. J Environ Manage 2016; 183:353-360. [PMID: 27206806 PMCID: PMC7313720 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2015] [Revised: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Adaptive governance and adaptive management have developed over the past quarter century in response to institutional and organizational failures, and unforeseen changes in natural resource dynamics. Adaptive governance provides a context for managing known and unknown consequences of prior management approaches and for increasing legitimacy in the implementation of flexible and adaptive management. Using examples from iconic water systems in the United States, we explore the proposition that adaptive management and adaptive governance are useful for evaluating the complexities of trade-offs among ecosystem goods and services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lance H Gunderson
- Dept. of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322, USA.
| | - Barbara Cosens
- College of Law, Waters of the West Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA.
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20
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Chaffin BC, Garmestani AS, Angeler DG, Herrmann DL, Stow CA, Nyström M, Sendzimir J, Hopton ME, Kolasa J, Allen CR. Biological invasions, ecological resilience and adaptive governance. J Environ Manage 2016; 183:399-407. [PMID: 27377866 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.04.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Revised: 04/09/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2016] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
In a world of increasing interconnections in global trade as well as rapid change in climate and land cover, the accelerating introduction and spread of invasive species is a critical concern due to associated negative social and ecological impacts, both real and perceived. Much of the societal response to invasive species to date has been associated with negative economic consequences of invasions. This response has shaped a war-like approach to addressing invasions, one with an agenda of eradications and intense ecological restoration efforts towards prior or more desirable ecological regimes. This trajectory often ignores the concept of ecological resilience and associated approaches of resilience-based governance. We argue that the relationship between ecological resilience and invasive species has been understudied to the detriment of attempts to govern invasions, and that most management actions fail, primarily because they do not incorporate adaptive, learning-based approaches. Invasive species can decrease resilience by reducing the biodiversity that underpins ecological functions and processes, making ecosystems more prone to regime shifts. However, invasions do not always result in a shift to an alternative regime; invasions can also increase resilience by introducing novelty, replacing lost ecological functions or adding redundancy that strengthens already existing structures and processes in an ecosystem. This paper examines the potential impacts of species invasions on the resilience of ecosystems and suggests that resilience-based approaches can inform policy by linking the governance of biological invasions to the negotiation of tradeoffs between ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian C Chaffin
- Department of Society & Conservation, College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA.
| | - Ahjond S Garmestani
- National Risk Management Research Laboratory, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA.
| | - David G Angeler
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7050, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Dustin L Herrmann
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Participant Program with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA.
| | - Craig A Stow
- Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 4840 S. State Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48108-9719, USA.
| | - Magnus Nyström
- Stockholm Resilience Center, Stockholm University, Kräftriket 2B, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Jan Sendzimir
- Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Science (BOKU), Max Emanuel-Strasse 17, A-1180, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Matthew E Hopton
- National Risk Management Research Laboratory, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA.
| | - Jurek Kolasa
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
| | - Craig R Allen
- U.S. Geological Survey, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit, University of Nebraska 423 Hardin Hall, 3310 Holdrege Street, Lincoln, NE 68583-0984, USA.
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21
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Chaffin BC, Shuster WD, Garmestani AS, Furio B, Albro SL, Gardiner M, Spring M, Green OO. A tale of two rain gardens: Barriers and bridges to adaptive management of urban stormwater in Cleveland, Ohio. J Environ Manage 2016; 183:431-441. [PMID: 27372737 PMCID: PMC7341978 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Revised: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Green infrastructure installations such as rain gardens and bioswales are increasingly regarded as viable tools to mitigate stormwater runoff at the parcel level. The use of adaptive management to implement and monitor green infrastructure projects as experimental attempts to manage stormwater has not been adequately explored as a way to optimize green infrastructure performance or increase social and political acceptance. Efforts to improve stormwater management through green infrastructure suffer from the complexity of overlapping jurisdictional boundaries, as well as interacting social and political forces that dictate the flow, consumption, conservation and disposal of urban wastewater flows. Within this urban milieu, adaptive management-rigorous experimentation applied as policy-can inform new wastewater management techniques such as the implementation of green infrastructure projects. In this article, we present a narrative of scientists and practitioners working together to apply an adaptive management approach to green infrastructure implementation for stormwater management in Cleveland, Ohio. In Cleveland, contextual legal requirements and environmental factors created an opportunity for government researchers, stormwater managers and community organizers to engage in the development of two distinct sets of rain gardens, each borne of unique social, economic and environmental processes. In this article we analyze social and political barriers to applying adaptive management as a framework for implementing green infrastructure experiments as policy. We conclude with a series of lessons learned and a reflection on the prospects for adaptive management to facilitate green infrastructure implementation for improved stormwater management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian C Chaffin
- Department of Society and Conservation, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA.
| | - William D Shuster
- Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA.
| | - Ahjond S Garmestani
- Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA.
| | - Brooke Furio
- Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, Region 5, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 25063 Center Ridge Road, Westlake, OH 44145, USA.
| | - Sandra L Albro
- Cleveland Botanical Garden, 11030 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
| | - Mary Gardiner
- Department of Entomology, The College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Science, The Ohio State University, 1680 Madison Ave, Wooster, OH 44691, USA.
| | - MaLisa Spring
- Department of Entomology, The College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Science, The Ohio State University, 1680 Madison Ave, Wooster, OH 44691, USA.
| | - Olivia Odom Green
- Atlantic States Legal Foundation, 658 W Onondaga Street, Syracuse, NY 13204, USA.
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Birgé HE, Allen CR, Garmestani AS, Pope KL. Adaptive management for ecosystem services. J Environ Manage 2016; 183:343-352. [PMID: 27460215 PMCID: PMC7335000 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.07.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2015] [Revised: 07/14/2016] [Accepted: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Management of natural resources for the production of ecosystem services, which are vital for human well-being, is necessary even when there is uncertainty regarding system response to management action. This uncertainty is the result of incomplete controllability, complex internal feedbacks, and non-linearity that often interferes with desired management outcomes, and insufficient understanding of nature and people. Adaptive management was developed to reduce such uncertainty. We present a framework for the application of adaptive management for ecosystem services that explicitly accounts for cross-scale tradeoffs in the production of ecosystem services. Our framework focuses on identifying key spatiotemporal scales (plot, patch, ecosystem, landscape, and region) that encompass dominant structures and processes in the system, and includes within- and cross-scale dynamics, ecosystem service tradeoffs, and management controllability within and across scales. Resilience theory recognizes that a limited set of ecological processes in a given system regulate ecosystem services, yet our understanding of these processes is poorly understood. If management actions erode or remove these processes, the system may shift into an alternative state unlikely to support the production of desired services. Adaptive management provides a process to assess the underlying within and cross-scale tradeoffs associated with production of ecosystem services while proceeding with management designed to meet the demands of a growing human population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E Birgé
- Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA.
| | - Craig R Allen
- U.S. Geological Survey-Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA.
| | - Ahjond S Garmestani
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA.
| | - Kevin L Pope
- U.S. Geological Survey-Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA.
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Chaffin BC, Garmestani AS, Gunderson LH, Benson MH, Angeler DG, Arnold CAT, Cosens B, Craig RK, Ruhl JB, Allen CR. Transformative Environmental Governance. Annu Rev Environ Resour 2016; 41:399-423. [PMID: 32607083 PMCID: PMC7326237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2024]
Abstract
Transformative governance is an approach to environmental governance that has the capacity to respond to, manage, and trigger regime shifts in coupled social-ecological systems (SESs) at multiple scales. The goal of transformative governance is to actively shift degraded SESs to alternative, more desirable, or more functional regimes by altering the structures and processes that define the system. Transformative governance is rooted in ecological theories to explain cross-scale dynamics in complex systems, as well as social theories of change, innovation, and technological transformation. Similar to adaptive governance, transformative governance involves a broad set of governance components, but requires additional capacity to foster new social-ecological regimes including increased risk tolerance, significant systemic investment, and restructured economies and power relations. Transformative governance has the potential to actively respond to regime shifts triggered by climate change, and thus future research should focus on identifying system drivers and leading indicators associated with social-ecological thresholds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian C Chaffin
- College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59801
| | - Ahjond S Garmestani
- National Risk Management Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
| | - Lance H Gunderson
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322
| | - Melinda Harm Benson
- Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
| | - David G Angeler
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Craig Anthony Tony Arnold
- Brandeis School of Law and Department of Urban and Public Affairs, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40208
| | - Barbara Cosens
- College of Law, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844
| | - Robin Kundis Craig
- S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
| | - J B Ruhl
- Vanderbilt Law School, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37203
| | - Craig R Allen
- US Geological Survey, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583
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24
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Chaffin BC, Garmestani AS, Gunderson LH, Benson MH, Angeler DG, Arnold CAT, Cosens B, Craig RK, Ruhl JB, Allen CR. Transformative Environmental Governance. Annu Rev Environ Resour 2016. [PMID: 32607083 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-environ-110615-085817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Transformative governance is an approach to environmental governance that has the capacity to respond to, manage, and trigger regime shifts in coupled social-ecological systems (SESs) at multiple scales. The goal of transformative governance is to actively shift degraded SESs to alternative, more desirable, or more functional regimes by altering the structures and processes that define the system. Transformative governance is rooted in ecological theories to explain cross-scale dynamics in complex systems, as well as social theories of change, innovation, and technological transformation. Similar to adaptive governance, transformative governance involves a broad set of governance components, but requires additional capacity to foster new social-ecological regimes including increased risk tolerance, significant systemic investment, and restructured economies and power relations. Transformative governance has the potential to actively respond to regime shifts triggered by climate change, and thus future research should focus on identifying system drivers and leading indicators associated with social-ecological thresholds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian C Chaffin
- College of Forestry & Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59801
| | - Ahjond S Garmestani
- National Risk Management Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
| | - Lance H Gunderson
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322
| | - Melinda Harm Benson
- Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
| | - David G Angeler
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Craig Anthony Tony Arnold
- Brandeis School of Law and Department of Urban and Public Affairs, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40208
| | - Barbara Cosens
- College of Law, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844
| | - Robin Kundis Craig
- S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
| | - J B Ruhl
- Vanderbilt Law School, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37203
| | - Craig R Allen
- US Geological Survey, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583
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Abstract
This article brings together the concepts of shrinking cities-the hundreds of cities worldwide experiencing long-term population loss-and ecology for the city. Ecology for the city is the application of a social-ecological understanding to shaping urban form and function along sustainable trajectories. Ecology for the shrinking city therefore acknowledges that urban transformations to sustainable trajectories may be quite different in shrinking cities as compared with growing cities. Shrinking cities are well poised for transformations, because shrinking is perceived as a crisis and can mobilize the social capacity to change. Ecology is particularly well suited to contribute solutions because of the extent of vacant land in shrinking cities that can be leveraged for ecosystem-services provisioning. A crucial role of an ecology for the shrinking city is identifying innovative pathways that create locally desired amenities that provide ecosystem services and contribute to urban sustainability at multiple scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin L Herrmann
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Participant Program at the US Environmental Protection Agency, in Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Kirsten Schwarz
- Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Kentucky University, in Highland Heights
| | - William D Shuster
- National Risk Management Laboratory at the US Environmental Protection Agency, in Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Adam Berland
- Department of Geography at Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana
| | - Brian C Chaffin
- College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana, in Missoula
| | - Ahjond S Garmestani
- National Risk Management Laboratory at the US Environmental Protection Agency, in Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Matthew E Hopton
- National Risk Management Laboratory at the US Environmental Protection Agency, in Cincinnati, Ohio
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Abstract
This article brings together the concepts of shrinking cities-the hundreds of cities worldwide experiencing long-term population loss-and ecology for the city. Ecology for the city is the application of a social-ecological understanding to shaping urban form and function along sustainable trajectories. Ecology for the shrinking city therefore acknowledges that urban transformations to sustainable trajectories may be quite different in shrinking cities as compared with growing cities. Shrinking cities are well poised for transformations, because shrinking is perceived as a crisis and can mobilize the social capacity to change. Ecology is particularly well suited to contribute solutions because of the extent of vacant land in shrinking cities that can be leveraged for ecosystem-services provisioning. A crucial role of an ecology for the shrinking city is identifying innovative pathways that create locally desired amenities that provide ecosystem services and contribute to urban sustainability at multiple scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin L Herrmann
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Participant Program at the US Environmental Protection Agency, in Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Kirsten Schwarz
- Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Kentucky University, in Highland Heights
| | - William D Shuster
- National Risk Management Laboratory at the US Environmental Protection Agency, in Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Adam Berland
- Department of Geography at Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana
| | - Brian C Chaffin
- College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana, in Missoula
| | - Ahjond S Garmestani
- National Risk Management Laboratory at the US Environmental Protection Agency, in Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Matthew E Hopton
- National Risk Management Laboratory at the US Environmental Protection Agency, in Cincinnati, Ohio
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Eason T, Garmestani AS, Stow CA, Rojo C, Alvarez-Cobelas M, Cabezas H. Managing for resilience: an information theory-based approach to assessing ecosystems. J Appl Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tarsha Eason
- National Risk Management Research Laboratory; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Cincinnati OH 45268 USA
| | - Ahjond S. Garmestani
- National Risk Management Research Laboratory; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Cincinnati OH 45268 USA
| | - Craig A. Stow
- Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory; National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration; Ann Arbor MI 48108 USA
| | - Carmen Rojo
- Cavanilles Institute for Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology; University of Valencia; Valencia Spain
| | | | - Heriberto Cabezas
- National Risk Management Research Laboratory; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Cincinnati OH 45268 USA
- Department of Computer Science and Systems Technology; University of Pannonia; Veszprem H-8200 Hungary
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Abstract
The adaptive cycle was proposed as a conceptual model to portray patterns of change in complex systems. Despite the model having potential for elucidating change across systems, it has been used mainly as a metaphor, describing system dynamics qualitatively. We use a quantitative approach for testing premises (reorganisation, conservatism, adaptation) in the adaptive cycle, using Baltic Sea phytoplankton communities as an example of such complex system dynamics. Phytoplankton organizes in recurring spring and summer blooms, a well-established paradigm in planktology and succession theory, with characteristic temporal trajectories during blooms that may be consistent with adaptive cycle phases. We used long-term (1994–2011) data and multivariate analysis of community structure to assess key components of the adaptive cycle. Specifically, we tested predictions about: reorganisation: spring and summer blooms comprise distinct community states; conservatism: community trajectories during individual adaptive cycles are conservative; and adaptation: phytoplankton species during blooms change in the long term. All predictions were supported by our analyses. Results suggest that traditional ecological paradigms such as phytoplankton successional models have potential for moving the adaptive cycle from a metaphor to a framework that can improve our understanding how complex systems organize and reorganize following collapse. Quantifying reorganization, conservatism and adaptation provides opportunities to cope with the intricacies and uncertainties associated with fast ecological change, driven by shifting system controls. Ultimately, combining traditional ecological paradigms with heuristics of complex system dynamics using quantitative approaches may help refine ecological theory and improve our understanding of the resilience of ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G. Angeler
- Stockholm University, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Plant Sciences, SE- 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Box 7050, SE- 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - Craig R. Allen
- U.S. Geological Survey—Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, 68583, United States of America
| | - Ahjond S. Garmestani
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH, 45268, United States of America
| | - Lance H. Gunderson
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States of America
| | - Olle Hjerne
- Stockholm University, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Plant Sciences, SE- 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Monika Winder
- Stockholm University, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Plant Sciences, SE- 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
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29
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Angeler DG, Allen CR, Barichievy C, Eason T, Garmestani AS, Graham NAJ, Granholm D, Gunderson LH, Knutson M, Nash KL, Nelson RJ, Nyström M, Spanbauer TL, Stow CA, Sundstrom SM. Management applications of discontinuity theory. J Appl Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David G. Angeler
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Box 7050 SE‐750 07 Uppsala Sweden
| | - Craig R. Allen
- U.S. Geological Survey – Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit University of Nebraska Lincoln NE 68583 USA
| | | | - Tarsha Eason
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Risk Management Research Laboratory Cincinnati OH 45268 USA
| | - Ahjond S. Garmestani
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Risk Management Research Laboratory Cincinnati OH 45268 USA
| | - Nicholas A. J. Graham
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville Qld 4811 Australia
| | - Dean Granholm
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Bloomington MN 55437‐1003 USA
| | - Lance H. Gunderson
- Department of Environmental Sciences Emory University Atlanta GA 30322 USA
| | | | - Kirsty L. Nash
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville Qld 4811 Australia
| | - R. John Nelson
- Department of Biology‐Centre for Biomedical Research University of Victoria Victoria BC V8P 5C2 Canada
- Stantec Consulting Ltd. Saanichton BC V8M 2A5 Canada
| | - Magnus Nyström
- Stockholm Resilience Centre Stockholm University SE‐106 91 Stockholm Sweden
| | - Trisha L. Spanbauer
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and School of Natural Resources University of Nebraska Lincoln NE 68583 USA
| | - Craig A. Stow
- National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory Ann Arbor MI 48108 USA
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Spanbauer TL, Allen CR, Angeler DG, Eason T, Fritz SC, Garmestani AS, Nash KL, Stone JR. Prolonged instability prior to a regime shift. PLoS One 2014; 9:e108936. [PMID: 25280010 PMCID: PMC4184814 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2014] [Accepted: 09/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Regime shifts are generally defined as the point of ‘abrupt’ change in the state of a system. However, a seemingly abrupt transition can be the product of a system reorganization that has been ongoing much longer than is evident in statistical analysis of a single component of the system. Using both univariate and multivariate statistical methods, we tested a long-term high-resolution paleoecological dataset with a known change in species assemblage for a regime shift. Analysis of this dataset with Fisher Information and multivariate time series modeling showed that there was a∼2000 year period of instability prior to the regime shift. This period of instability and the subsequent regime shift coincide with regional climate change, indicating that the system is undergoing extrinsic forcing. Paleoecological records offer a unique opportunity to test tools for the detection of thresholds and stable-states, and thus to examine the long-term stability of ecosystems over periods of multiple millennia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trisha L. Spanbauer
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Craig R. Allen
- U.S. Geological Survey, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - David G. Angeler
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Tarsha Eason
- Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Sherilyn C. Fritz
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Ahjond S. Garmestani
- Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Kirsty L. Nash
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jeffery R. Stone
- Department of Earth and Environmental Systems, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana, United States of America
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Nash KL, Allen CR, Angeler DG, Barichievy C, Eason T, Garmestani AS, Graham NAJ, Granholm D, Knutson M, Nelson RJ, Nyström M, Stow CA, Sundstrom SM. Discontinuities, cross-scale patterns, and the organization of ecosystems. Ecology 2014; 95:654-67. [DOI: 10.1890/13-1315.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Campbell DE, Garmestani AS. An energy systems view of sustainability: emergy evaluation of the San Luis Basin, Colorado. J Environ Manage 2012; 95:72-97. [PMID: 22115513 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.07.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2010] [Revised: 07/11/2011] [Accepted: 07/23/2011] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Energy Systems Theory (EST) provides a framework for understanding and interpreting sustainability. EST implies that "what is sustainable" for a system at any given level of organization is determined by the cycles of change originating in the next larger system and within the system of concern. The pulsing paradigm explains the ubiquitous cycles of change that apparently govern ecosystems, rather than succession to a steady state that is then sustainable. Therefore, to make robust decisions among environmental policies and alternatives, decision-makers need to know where their system resides in the cycles of change that govern it. This theory was examined by performing an emergy evaluation of the sustainability of a regional system, the San Luis Basin (SLB), CO. By 1980, the SLB contained a climax stage agricultural system with well-developed crop and livestock production along with food and animal waste processing. The SLB is also a hinterland in that it exports raw materials and primary products (exploitation stage) to more developed areas. Emergy indices calculated for the SLB from 1995 to 2005 revealed changes in the relative sustainability of the system over this time. The sustainability of the region as indicated by the renewable emergy used as a percent of total use declined 4%, whereas, the renewable carrying capacity declined 6% over this time. The Emergy Sustainability Index (ESI) showed the largest decline (27%) in the sustainability of the region. The total emergy used by the SLB, a measure of system well-being, was fairly stable (CV = 0.05). In 1997, using renewable emergy alone, the SLB could support 50.7% of its population at the current standard of living, while under similar conditions the U.S. could support only 4.8% of its population. In contrast to other indices of sustainability, a new index, the Emergy Sustainable Use Index (ESUI), which considers the benefits gained by the larger system compared to the potential for local environmental damage, increased 34% over the period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Campbell
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Atlantic Ecology Division, 27 Tarzwell Drive, Narragansett, RI 02789, USA.
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34
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Benson MH, Garmestani AS. Can we manage for resilience? The integration of resilience thinking into natural resource management in the United States. Environ Manage 2011; 48:392-399. [PMID: 21630111 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-011-9693-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2010] [Accepted: 05/04/2011] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The concept of resilience is now frequently invoked by natural resource agencies in the US. This reflects growing trends within ecology, conservation biology, and other disciplines acknowledging that social-ecological systems require management approaches recognizing their complexity. In this paper, we examine the concept of resilience and the manner in which some legal and regulatory frameworks governing federal natural resource agencies have difficulty accommodating it. We then use the U.S. Forest Service's employment of resilience as an illustration of the challenges ahead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda Harm Benson
- Department of Geography, University of New Mexico, 1 University Avenue, MSC01 1110, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA.
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35
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Allen CR, Fontaine JJ, Pope KL, Garmestani AS. Adaptive management for a turbulent future. J Environ Manage 2011; 92:1339-45. [PMID: 21168260 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2010] [Accepted: 11/25/2010] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The challenges that face humanity today differ from the past because as the scale of human influence has increased, our biggest challenges have become global in nature, and formerly local problems that could be addressed by shifting populations or switching resources, now aggregate (i.e., "scale up") limiting potential management options. Adaptive management is an approach to natural resource management that emphasizes learning through management based on the philosophy that knowledge is incomplete and much of what we think we know is actually wrong. Adaptive management has explicit structure, including careful elucidation of goals, identification of alternative management objectives and hypotheses of causation, and procedures for the collection of data followed by evaluation and reiteration. It is evident that adaptive management has matured, but it has also reached a crossroads. Practitioners and scientists have developed adaptive management and structured decision making techniques, and mathematicians have developed methods to reduce the uncertainties encountered in resource management, yet there continues to be misapplication of the method and misunderstanding of its purpose. Ironically, the confusion over the term "adaptive management" may stem from the flexibility inherent in the approach, which has resulted in multiple interpretations of "adaptive management" that fall along a continuum of complexity and a priori design. Adaptive management is not a panacea for the navigation of 'wicked problems' as it does not produce easy answers, and is only appropriate in a subset of natural resource management problems where both uncertainty and controllability are high. Nonetheless, the conceptual underpinnings of adaptive management are simple; there will always be inherent uncertainty and unpredictability in the dynamics and behavior of complex social-ecological systems, but management decisions must still be made, and whenever possible, we should incorporate learning into management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig R Allen
- Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, U.S. Geological Survey, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA.
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36
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Benson MH, Garmestani AS. Embracing panarchy, building resilience and integrating adaptive management through a rebirth of the National Environmental Policy Act. J Environ Manage 2011; 92:1420-1427. [PMID: 20961681 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2010] [Accepted: 10/04/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Environmental law plays a key role in shaping policy for sustainability of social-ecological systems. In particular, the types of legal instruments, institutions, and the response of law to the inherent variability in social-ecological systems are critical. Sustainability likely must occur via the institutions we have in place, combined with alterations in policy and regulation within the context of these institutions. This ecosystem management arrangement can be characterized as a panarchy, with research on sustainability specific to the scale of interest. In this manuscript we examine an opportunity for integrating these concepts through a regulatory rebirth of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA currently requires federal agencies to take a "hard look" at the environmental consequences of proposed action. The original intent of NEPA, however, was more substantive and its provisions, while currently equilibrium based, may be reconfigured to embrace new understanding of the dynamics of social-ecological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda Harm Benson
- Department of Geography, University of New Mexico, Bandelier Hall West Room 223, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
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Allen CR, Garmestani AS, Havlicek TD, Marquet PA, Peterson GD, Restrepo C, Stow CA, Weeks BE. Patterns in body mass distributions: sifting among alternative hypotheses. Ecol Lett 2006; 9:630-43. [PMID: 16643307 DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.00902.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how animals interact with their environment is critical for evaluating, mitigating and coping with anthropogenic alteration of Earth's biosphere. Researchers have attempted to understand some aspects of these interactions by examining patterns in animal body mass distributions. Energetic, phylogenetic, biogeographical, textural discontinuity and community interaction hypotheses have been advanced to explain observed patterns. Energetic and textural discontinuity hypotheses focus upon the allometry of resource use. The community interaction hypothesis contends that biotic interactions within assemblages of species are of primary importance. Biogeographical and phylogenetic hypotheses focus on the role of constraints on the organization of communities. This paper examines and organizes these various propositions about species body mass distributions and discusses the multiple competing hypotheses, how their predictions vary, and possible methods by which the hypotheses can be distinguished and tested. Each of the hypotheses is partial, and explains some elements of pattern in body mass distributions. The scale of appropriate application, relevance and interpretation varies among the hypotheses, and the mechanisms underlying observed patterns are likely to be multicausal and vary with scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- C R Allen
- USGS-Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0711, USA.
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Allen CR, Garmestani AS, LaBram JA, Peck AE, Prevost LB. When Landscaping Goes Bad: The Incipient Invasion of Mahonia bealei in the Southeastern United States. Biol Invasions 2006. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-004-2896-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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39
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40
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Garmestani AS, Percival HF, Portier KM, Rice KG. Nest-Site Selection by the Loggerhead Sea Turtle in Florida's Ten Thousand Islands. J HERPETOL 2000. [DOI: 10.2307/1565263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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