We introduce a new method for quantifying the ecological condition (C) of sites based on documented species’ responses to environmental stress. Preliminary research is needed to provide species-specific logistic functions, representing probabilities of finding individual species across an explicit reference gradient, ranging from maximally stressed (C = 0) to minimally stressed (C = 10) localit...

The Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment (MAIA-Estuaries) evaluated ecological conditions in US Mid-Atlantic estuaries during the summers of 1997 and 1998. Over 800 probability-based stations were monitored in four main estuarine systems--Chesapeake Bay, the Delaware Estuary, Maryland and Virginian coastal bays, and the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System. Twelve smaller estuaries within the four ...

Frogs and toads (anurans) are sensitive to a variety of anthropogenic stressors and are widely suggested as indicators of ecological condition. We surveyed 220 coastal wetlands along the U.S. shores of the Laurentian Great Lakes and quantified relationships between presence of anuran species and degree of anthropogenic disturbance. Results were used to derive explicit, functional relationships ...

Sustainable ecological and environmental development is the basis of regional development. The sensitivity classification of the ecological environment is the premise of its spatial distribution for land use planning. In this paper, a fuzzy matter-element model and factor-overlay method were employed to analyze the ecological sensitivity in Yicheng City. Four ecological indicators, including so...

Because species, populations and ecological processes occur at a range of spatial scales, it is vital to incorporate a multi-scale approach into an assessment of ecological condition and conservation measures (Poiani et al. 2000). This is consistent with the National Forest Management Act which requires the maintenance of viable and well distributed populations throughout all national forest la...

In this article, the ecological condition of soil, its contamination by various factors, and methods preparation for land reclamation activities in drought-affected soil areas are studied. Additional remedial measures such as contamination, agrotechnical measures, use oil-degrading bacterial strains, planting plants renewable options were considered.

Ecological conditions are expected to have an important influence on individuals' investment in cooperative care. However, the nature of their effects is unclear: both favorable and unfavorable conditions have been found to promote helping behavior. Recent studies provide a possible explanation for these conflicting results by suggesting that increased ecological variability, rather than change...