generalized interactions flexible acquaintances/interactions reactive capabilities pro-active capabilities

It is now standard in economics to model natural resources as a special form of capital that can be depleted or accumulated. The following review shows how such an approach can be extended to ecosystems, implying that they are a form of natural asset that produces a flow of beneficial goods and services over time. The review includes a discussion of valuing ecosystem services, focusing on the p...

the strategies to reduce the consumption of non-renewable energies in buildings are becoming increasingly important. in the meantime, nature-inspired approaches have emerged as a new strategy to achieve thermal comfort in the interiors. however, the use of these approaches in architecture and buildings requires a proper understanding regarding the features of ecosystems. although acquiring this...

Agricultural ecosystems are dependent for their natural resources on originally natural ecosystems. Agricultural ecosystems are also served by natural ecosystems with ecosystem services. Livestock will play a more important role in the next millennium because of the rising demand for animal food in the developing countries. Structural changes in land use through intensification of mixed farming...

Many agent-based systems rely for their effectiveness on the intelligence of individual agents, and interaction among agents is required simply to coordinate these individually complex decisions. Specification and design methods for such systems focus on the internal architecture of individual agents. An alternative approach, “Synthetic Ecosystems,” uses relatively simple agents and draws heavi...

There has and continues to be concern about the effects of elevated nitrogen (N) deposition on natural ecosystems. In this paper, research on natural ecosystems, including wetlands, heathlands, grasslands, steppe, naturally regenerated forests and deserts, is evaluated to determine what is known about nitrogen cycling in these ecosystems, the effects of elevated nitrogen on them and to identify...

The term agroecology refers to ecosystems. Ecosystems are characterised by aspects such as nutrient cycling, population regulation, energy flows and a dynamic equilibrium. These characteristics apply to natural ecosystems, and, in a much altered form, also to manmade or agricultural ecosystems. The magnitude of the differences between natural and agricultural ecosystems depends mainly on the hu...