State-and-transition models (STMs) have been successfully combined with Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBNs) to model temporal changes in managed ecosystems. Such models are useful for exploring when and how to intervene to achieve the desired management outcomes. However, knowing where to intervene is often equally critical. We describe an approach to extend state-and-transition dynamic Bayesian n...

Motivated by the results of recent laboratory experiments (Yoshida et al. Nature, 424, 303-306 (2003)) as well as many earlier field observations that evolutionary changes can take place in ecosystems over relatively short ecological time scales, several “unified” mathematical models of evolutionary ecology have been developed over the last few years with the aim of describing the statistical p...

Richard Lewontin is often cited as an inspiration and founder of what is now known as Niche Construction Theory. The first goal of this paper is to argue that they present distinct arguments from niche construction against Adaptationism. While Niche Construction Theory argues that natural selection is not the only adaptive evolutionary force, Lewontin rejects the externalist characterization of...

Spatial variation in diversity results from the interplay of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms acting over contemporary and historical time frames (MacArthur 1972, Graham et al. 2006, Ricklefs 2006, Jetz et al. 2012). Numerous attempts have been made to evaluate the relative roles of ecological and evolutionary factors that operate at diverse spatial and temporal scales in shaping patterns...

Few areas of science have benefited more from the expansion in sequencing capability than the study of microbial communities. Can sequence data, besides providing hypotheses of the functions the members possess, detect the evolutionary and ecological processes that are occurring? For example, can we determine if a species is adapting to one niche, or if it is diversifying into multiple speciali...

Ecological knowledge is often characterised as being incomplete, sparse and non-formalised. Qualitative reasoning provides means to capture such knowledge that is otherwise difficult to represent in computer programs. An additional feature is that qualitative models can be used to run interactive simulations in learning environments, providing opportunities for learners to acquire causal insigh...

The paper explores the development of ecological sanitation (EcoSan) within the small-town context of Lichinga, Niassa Province, Mozambique. The paper looks at how ESTAMOS (a Mozambican NGO) and WaterAid introduced EcoSan in Lichinga, how families and communities have responded to EcoSan, and key lessons learned during the process to date that could be relevant to others within and beyond Mozam...

When comparing the average citation impact of research groups, universities and countries, field normalisation reduces the influence of discipline and time. Confidence intervals for these indicators can help with attempts to infer whether differences between sets of publications are due to chance factors. Although both bootstrapping and formulae have been proposed for these, their accuracy is u...

The intention of this paper is to propose interaction design as a venue for IS research into sustainability and in that connection also propose a new theoretical psychological approach to interaction design. This new theoretical psychological framework is based on ecological psychology and activity theory. The paper will outline the scientific demands for the framework as well as the frameworks...

The operating theatre is a noisy place with many uninformative and redundant alarms. Using data from a recent observational study, we demonstrate that anaesthetists actively respond to only 3.4% of all audible alarms. We outline a range of possible solutions to the alarm problem. Ecological Interface Design (EID) helps to outline the requirements for an information environment for anaesthetists...