Scaling and Uncertainty Analysis in Ecology : Methods and Applications

Primarily, the book draws together a series of important case studies to provide a comprehensive review and synthesis of the most recent concepts, theories and methods in scaling and uncertainty analysis. It compares current definitions and ideas concerning scale within a coherent framework, and examines two key scaling approaches: similarity-based scaling, which is rooted in the idea of similitude or self-similarity; and dynamic model-based scaling, which emphasizes processes and mechanisms.

With case studies focusing on issues ranging from population to ecosystem processes; from biodiversity to landscape patterns; and from basic research to multidisciplinary management and policy-making, the book will appeal to both researchers and practitioners working on landscape issues. It will also provide a valuable resource for graduate students and professional trainees in ecology, environmental policy, resource management and global change science.

Dr. Jianguo (Jingle) Wu is Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Science, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. He obtained his Ph.D. in Ecology from Miami University, Oxford, OH in 1991, and was an NSF postdoctoral fellow at Cornell University and Princeton University between 1991 and1993. Dr. Wu’s research areas include landscape ecology, urban ecology, and sustainability science. His recent research has focused on urban landscape analysis and modeling, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, and spatial scaling. He is author of over 120 journal papers and book chapters, and has been Program Chair of the US Association of Landscape Ecology (US-IALE), Councilor-at-Large of US-IALE, and Chair of Asian Ecology Section of Ecological Society of America. Dr. Wu is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the international journal, Landscape Ecology.

Bruce Jones is a Landscape Ecologist in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Laboratory in Las Vegas, Nevada. His research interests include landscape ecology, biogeography, molecular evolution, and herpetology.

Harbin Li is a Research Ecologist with USDA Forest Service. His research interests include spatial modeling and analysis of landscapes, effects of forest fragmentation on wildlife habitat, and decision support tools for ecosystem management.

Orie L. Louck has been Ohio Eminent Scholar in Applied Ecosystem Studies and Professor of Zoology at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and currently President of ICValue Inc. His interests concern carbon and nutrient processing of forest ecosystems and the role of biological diversity in sustaining these processes.