Flow of Life in the Atmosphere: An Airscape Approach to Understanding Invasive Organisms - Softcover

Isard, Scott A.; Gage, Stuart H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0870135503 ISBN 13: 9780870135507

Publisher: Michigan State University Press, 2000

Synopsis

As we enter the twenty-first century the ultimate objective of environmental management programs should be to manipulate ecosystems so that they fulfill the needs of humans and at the same time maintain their integrity. In this new ground-breaking work, Scott Isard and Stuart Gage look at the importance of anticipating consequences of the aerial flow of biota as new strategies to understand and manage our environment. A sound understanding of the biological and meteorological interactions that govern the movement of organisms in the atmosphere is a prerequisite to the development of successful management strategies for terrestrial ecosystems. Inflows and outflows of organisms to and from habitats can be as important as birth and death rates in regulating the dynamics of populations. 
     Isard and Gage focus on predicting events that destabilize relationships among organisms and between populations and their environment. This preventive management strategy is based on the premise that the ability to understand and predict dynamics of populations in an ecosystem allows for optimal and integrative use of a wide variety of methods to enhance human resource production and to reduce harmful impacts of diseases and organisms on humans. It is a paradigm that focuses on manipulating ecosystems to maintain the long-term stability of their diverse populations and the interactions among organisms and their environment. In many ecological systems, sudden and dramatic population fluctuations often result from movement of biota from one habitat to another. The design of grand plans to manage ecosystems without concern for the inflow and outflow of organisms associated with those ecosystems could be tragic.

About this title

About the Authors

Scott Isard is Professor of Aerobiology Penn State University. He is also Affiliate/Adjunct Professor at Illinois State Water Survey, Illinois Natural History Survey, Dept. Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, and Department of Geography, University of Montreal. Isard is an associate editor of Aerobiologia and co- editor-in-chief of Physical Aerobiology, a new electronic journal. Isard is also a member of executive committees of the International Aerobiology Association and the Pan-American Aerobiology Association.

Stuart H. Gage is a world leader in complex biological systems analysis. He was honored with a Michigan State University Distinguished Faculty Award in January, 2005. He is Professor of Entomology at Michigan State University where he is director of the Computational Ecology and Visualization Laboratory. Gage also serves on the USDA North Central Regional Committee on the Movement and Dispersal of Biota and the Regional committee on Agricultural Meteorology. His multidisciplinary research program addresses issues of organism distribution in space and time such as gypsy moth invasion into the Midwest, corn phenology across the United States, and patterns of human development in Michigan and elsewhere. His contributions range from modeling the effects of environmental conditions on pest and natural-enemy ecology to examining atmospheric transport of insects and developing cutting-edge computational methods for predicting biological events. As a result of a unique research collaboration with the San Diego Supercomputer Center, he is at the forefront of assessing ecosystem health and predicting future pressures on natural resources. His recent research in environmental acoustics has led to research activities in Australia and New Zealand.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Many organisms utilize the atmosphere as a medium to move from one terrestrial habitat to another. Some accomplish this by drifting passively and allowing atmospheric motion systems to transport them. Others take a more active role, shifting their appendages to remain aloft while moving with the flow. Still others engage in directed flight and may navigate across or upwind when atmospheric conditions permit. Within the complex of organisms that utilize the atmosphere for transport, a multitude of distinct morphological, physiological, and behavioral characteristics that expedite movement between one geographical location and another have evolved. Despite this vast biological diversity, general principles that govern the aerial movement of biota exist, in large part because the movement occurs within a common medium, the atmosphere.

Aerobiology and understanding the dynamics of populations in ecosystems. The rates of movement of biota into and out of an ecosystem, along with birth and death rates, are among the fundamental processes that regulate the dynamics of populations. These rates are interactive, and almost without exception, very little is known about the role that movement plays in the dynamics of local populations. Throughout history, humans have decreased the diversity of the biotic and abiotic components of many terrestrial habitats. Thus resources needed by their other inhabitants are becoming concentrated in areas that are becoming further and further separated. This is increasing the importance of long-distance movement in the life history of many biota. Organisms move among terrestrial habitats by floating, soaring, and flying in the air, using a variety of forms of terrestrial locomotion, and on occasion, by floating and swimming in water. It takes substantially less energy per unit body mass to float, soar, fly, or swim a given distance than to walk, and many organisms can increase the efficiency of their movement by taking advantage of air and water currents. For these reasons, it is not surprising that there is more movement among terrestrial habitats by organisms which use the air than by those which move over the land surface or through water, and that many of these aerobiota are highly mobile in that they have adapted to moving long distances in the atmosphere.

A large number of species important to humans move in the atmosphere, including plant and animal viruses, fungi, bacteria, pollen and seeds of higher plants, soil nematodes, arthropods, and birds. Yet empirical data on aerial movements of these organisms is sparse. From the perspective of science, these data are critically needed to increase our understanding of aerial movement processes. However, equally important, these data are necessary to provide the knowledge required to ensure human health and to efficiently and safely manage many terrestrial ecosystems.

Edition details

• Publisher: Michigan State University Press
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0870135503
• ISBN 13: 9780870135507
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240