The idea that vacant niches do not exist is basically founded on a strict
interpretation of Hutchinson's definition. It is the kind of rigid view that
holds back science. Invasive species are successful either because the
occupy a vacant niche or because they force closer packing of occupied
Ecosystem health is not just weak, but it is undefinable. Either it is
circular (what is healthy is natural) or it is multifarious...that is,
defined differently in each case in which it used. If it is the former,
then diversity is NOT a measure of ecosystem health, since there are so man=
y
If we look at the structure of communities it is easy to see why some have
more niches than others. Arctic communities have low diversity because much
of the structure that supports biodiversity is absent. Where are the trees
and bushes and underbrush that are home to so many species? There
David has opened a line that I was surprised not to see before -- =
introduced aliens for biological control of other aliens. Widely =
accepted when the control species is a specific disease organism or =
parasite (like myximitosis for rabbits and certain wasps), but usually =
subject to the law
Bill Silvert underscores a point I was trying to make in my original post.
Humans are not only a part of the ecosystem; they have become one of
the dominant ecologicaland geological forces on the planet.
My own approach to this has been to insert humanity into the picture
as case studies to
Hi All,
I'm a cat lover myself, but because I love my cat, It is an indoor cat, no
fleas, ticks, cars, strange foods, I love my cat.
People who have outdoor cats, unless say on a farm where they are working
animals for rodent abatement, don't really have a pet they love, they are
just owning an
Of course the introducers of gallinaceous game birds were primarily
interested in providing something to shoot, but in their view the system was
deficient in species and this suggested an opportunity. Some mistakes were
made in the process. So we have catchable eastern warmwater fish species
The International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS) has established a
new email discussion group: the IAVS Vegetation Forum. The purpose of the Forum
is to provide a convenient venue for announcements or discussion of topics of
interest to vegetation scientists.
Individuals wishing to
Hello from Austria,
In Austria, hunters are allowed to shoot stray cats (ca. 300 m -
distance from house). But I have also heard stories of hunters
shooting cats just so. In a small village, one could suppose that
hunters know the owners of the cats, but they will still be shot. It
seems that
** Low Priority **
Also, instructional methods don't mean so much at higher levels. At
the graduate level especially, students are adults and should be able to
develop the necessary understanding in any environment. We are all going
to approach each discipline differently. While I can see, and I
David Hilmy wrote:
perhaps one way of dealing
with the invasive arrow bamboo, Pseudosasa japonica, would be to
perhaps introduce one of it's feared enemies, the Giant Panda
(apparently arrow bamboo is favored by both Mei Xiang and Tian Tian
here in DC)
Sorry David, but your example
Dear Ecologgers,
With all do respect, I disagree with Andy's view that there is no separation
between environmental and ecological science. I'm frustrated cause,
unfortunately in my country, Turkey, Environmental science = environmental
engineering-agricultural engineering-forest engineering =
The concept of =93niche=94 is very much defined around a specific =
species- the
term itself is something of a misnomer in ecological terms because we =
assume
the traditional noun to describe a physical space or an element of =
habitat,
or in the argument of some posted here, a set of
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