This volume contains the contributions of numerous participants at the IUFRO Landscape Ecology Working Group International Conference, which took place in Bragança, Portugal, from 21 to 24 of September 2010. The conference was dedicated to the theme Forest Landscapes and Global Change - New Frontiers in Management, Conservation and Restoration. The 128 papers included in this book follow the structure and topics of the conference. Sections 1 to 8 include papers relative to presentations in 18 thematic oral and two poster sessions. Section 9 is devoted to a wide-range of landscape ecology fields covered in the 12 symposia of the conference. The Proceedings of the IUFRO Landscape Ecology Working Group International Conference register the growth of scientific interest in forest landscape patterns and processes, and the recognition of the role of landscape ecology in the advancement of science and management, particularly within the context of emerging physical, social and political drivers of change, which influence forest systems and the services they provide. We believe that these papers, together with the presentations and debate which took place during the IUFRO Landscape Ecology Working Group International Conference – Bragança 2010...

The practice of planning and management at the landscape scale has increased over the year and in some fields, such as forestry, hydrology, or biodiversity conservation, the landscape approach is already a requirement. Management at this scale is a challenging task due to the complexity of the socio-economicecological systems under consideration but mostly due to the level of uncertainty of current and future drivers of change and their effects. Theoretical foundations and methods to support management of landscapes can be found within landscape ecology, an emerging science field in the 1990’s and 2000’s but now fully established despite the diversity of perspectives. In Portugal, landscape ecology has also emerged in the 1990’s but applications in real world cases are infrequent. The goal of this work was to analyse the role of the science of landscape ecology in meeting or contributing to meet challenges in landscape management in Portugal. We analysed approaches and methods used to address the sustainable management of landscapes as well as particular case studies in forestry, fire hazard reduction, biodiversity conservation and regional planning where landscape ecology based knowledge or methods have been applied. Considering the insufficiency of applications in Portugal revealed by this work...

Psicologia e Ecologia são duas áreas onde se expressa com a qualidade de vida do ser humano. O processo de degradação ambiental com o uso irracional dos recursos não renováveis é uma preocupação crescente da população mundial. A busca de um meio ambiente saudável para todos é perpassado por processos de aprendizagem e construção de identidade dos indivíduos. A psicologia busca alternativas para auxiliar nesta conquista através de muitas áreas, como a psicologia ambiental, psicologia social entre outras. Neste trabalho proponho a análise da ecologia nos processos de defesa ambiental através da Psicologia Moral. É importante para a psicologia moral estender seu campo de análise a áreas fundamentais da necessidade e relações humanas, e nesta relação com a ecologia as pesquisas são incipientes. A tese que se apresenta é de que a ecologia é moral. Líderes ambientais do estado de Rondônia, selecionados através do método de Bom Meihy (1996) para a construção de redes, ao falar de suas atividades na defesa ambiental, descrever o histórico através do qual construíram uma consciência ecológica, apresentar um juízo moral através de dilemas e entrevistas inquérito, corroboram a tese, demonstrando a existência de uma personalidade moral ecológica...

A partir da perspectiva do fortalecimento da autonomia social dos diversos povos da Humanidade em relação ao Estado e às grandes corporações financeiras, a pesquisa aborda a atualidade dos conceitos e das práticas da educação integral e da ecologia social. Por um lado, procuro analisar criticamente a incorporação das ciências da educação e da ecologia no processo de transnacionalização do capital. Pelo outro lado, enfatizo as possibilidades de práticas de educação e ecologia na construção de relações sociais voltadas para as habilidades de auto-governo de comunidades e populações tradicionais. Assim, apresento alguns dos antecedentes históricos da educação integral e da ecologia social, e em seguida ressalto experiências inovadoras atuais nessas áreas do conhecimento. Durante este trabalho, destaco a experiência da Escola da Ponte, em Portugal. Finalmente, procuro estabelecer relações entre as novas formas de preconceito social e a visão urbanocêntrica de desenvolvimento humano, e alguns dos impactos sócioambientais e genocídios culturais contemporâneos sofridos pelas pessoas que não concordam com este caminho de existência humana.; Under the perspective of strengthening of the social autonomy of the various peoples of humanity in relation to the State and to the financial corporations...

Não há dúvidas de que os campos da Ecologia e da Educação Ambiental estão intimamente relacionados. No entanto, a epistemologia destes dois campos tem mostrado algumas imprecisões na forma e no entendimento de como a Ecologia vem sendo apropriada pela Educação Ambiental, tornando esta relação menos direta do que uma visão superficial possa sugerir. Este trabalho teve como objetivo central compreender as relações entre esses dois campos do conhecimento, por meio de uma análise das pesquisas - teses e dissertações - em EA no Brasil. A partir da questão central "Em que medida e extensão as pesquisas em EA incorporam e se apropriam de aspectos e conhecimentos da Ecologia", esta pesquisa propôs-se a: a) Identificar, por meio de uma perspectiva histórica da Ecologia, a evolução dos principais conceitos e questões deste campo científico; b) Analisar as teses e dissertações em EA relacionadas ao campo da Ecologia, tendo como referencial teórico a perspectiva histórica construída anteriormente e referenciais do campo da EA e c) Discutir as implicações pedagógicas dos aspectos da Ecologia presentes nestas teses e dissertações em EA, apontando possíveis contribuições da área da Ecologia para estas pesquisas. Este trabalho insere-se num projeto de pesquisa maior intitulado "A Educação Ambiental no Brasil: análise da produção acadêmica (teses e dissertações)"...

A presente pesquisa visou ampliar os conhecimentos sobre a percepção docente e a construção de conhecimentos na formação continuada de professores de Biologia em cursos oferecidos na modalidade Educação a Distância (EaD). Os sujeitos desta pesquisa são 47 professores/cursistas que participaram da Disciplina Ecologia do curso de Especialização em Ensino de Biologia (EspBio)/2010 da Rede São Paulo de Formação docente (RedeFor). Os objetivos específicos foram: (1) identificar as percepções gerais desses professores/cursistas sobre a Educação a Distância quando associada às Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação (TIC); (2) conhecer suas percepções sobre as viabilidades e dificuldades do Ensino de Biologia, mais especificamente Ecologia, na modalidade EaD; (3) investigar os conhecimentos docentes construídos através da disciplina Ecologia, oferecida na modalidade EaD, frente às percepções dos professores/cursistas. A investigação teve natureza basicamente qualitativa. Foram utilizados como instrumentos de coleta de dados dois questionários, postados no próprio Ambiente Virtual de Aprendizagem. Quantos aos dois primeiros objetivos, analisamos os dados utilizando categorização aberta proposta por Strauss e Corbin (2008)...

Analisou-se a fala de uma monitora presente nas atividades de Educação Ambiental desenvolvidas durante uma trilha monitorada realizada no Parque Municipal Vila dos Remédios, da cidade de São Paulo. A partir da análise da referida fala, buscou-se, como objetivo central da pesquisa, propor um modelo de Transposição Didática para o Saber Ecológico produzido no parque e identificar as características do Saber Ecológico ensinado nas atividades de Educação Ambiental, bem como suas possíveis relações com valores e práticas sociais. A análise do material foi conduzida por meio de uma abordagem qualitativa, com uso de alguns elementos provenientes da metodologia da análise do conteúdo. Como resultado da pesquisa, foi delineada uma proposta de diagrama de transposição didática do saber ecológico, considerando as especificidades do contexto de um parque municipal, como também as bases teóricas fornecidas pelo modelo KVP, assumindo o saber ecológico como o saber resultante da interação entre o Saber Sábio da Ciência Ecológica e o Saber oriundo do Ecologismo. A análise das características do Saber Ecológico ensinado no parque mostrou a priorização de conteúdos factuais e conceituais, sendo identificada, também...

Este trabalho reconstrói, mediante estudos da geomorfologia e da sedimentologia glacial, a evolução do ambiente atual de deglaciação das geleiras Wanda e Ecology, ilha Rei George, Antártica. Os dados foram obtidos pela coletas de amostras de sedimentos em campo seguindo por análises laboratorial granulométrica e morfoscópica, interpretação de fotografias aéreas e de imagens de satélites SPOT. Nos ambientes de deglaciação nas zonas proglaciais das duas geleiras foram identificados os seguintes tipos de depósitos sedimentares: flutes, terraços de kame, cordões morâinicos, pavimento de clastos, rochas estriadas e eskers. Nos dois ambientes sedimentares estudados predominam sedimentos desgastados e transportados subglacialmente, com a presença de água de degelo. Desde 1956 essas geleiras estão recuando rapidamente, sem períodos de reavanço. No entanto, é possível observar diferenças nos processo de deglaciação entre elas, na geleira Ecology ocorreu maior perda de área (1,35 km2) do que na geleira Wanda (0,64 km2) em cinco décadas. A retração da geleira Ecology, nesse período, foi maior na parte norte da zona proglacial, já ao sul observam-se morainas frontais não muito elevadas, o que indica pouco tempo de estabilização da frente de gelo. Na geleira Wanda...

Soil zoology and soil ecology have become very active fields of research since the early 1990s. A search in the ISI Web of Science databases showed a steady increase in publications about that theme over the last two decades, and 3,612 bibliographic references were found for that theme for the period of 2004 to 2008. The researches covered mostly soil environmental issues, toxicology and ecology. The issue of theoretical development in soil ecology is discussed, and arguments are presented against the idea that the soil ecology theory is deficient. Finally, the need for a general model of soil function and soil management is discussed and some options are presented to reach this goal.

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) in the families Heterorhabditidae and Steinernematidae have a mutualistic–symbiotic association with enteric γ-Proteobacteria (Steinernema–Xenorhabdus and Heterorhabditis–Photorhabdus), which confer high virulence against insects. EPNs have been studied intensively because of their role as a natural mortality factor for soil-dwelling arthropods and their potential as biological control agents for belowground insect pests. For many decades, research on EPNs focused on the taxonomy, phylogeny, biogeography, genetics, physiology, biochemistry and ecology, as well as commercial production and application technologies. More recently, EPNs and their bacterial symbionts are being viewed as a model system for advancing research in other disciplines such as soil ecology, symbiosis and evolutionary biology. Integration of existing information, particularly the accumulating information on their biology, into increasingly detailed population models is critical to improving our ability to exploit and manage EPNs as a biological control agent and to understand ecological processes in a changing world. Here, we summarize some recent advances in phylogeny, systematics, biogeography, community ecology and population dynamics models of EPNs...

The desire to predict the consequences of global environmental change has been the driver towards more realistic models embracing the variability and uncertainties inherent in ecology. Statistical ecology has gelled over the past decade as a discipline that moves away from describing patterns towards modelling the ecological processes that generate these patterns. Following the fourth International Statistical Ecology Conference (1–4 July 2014) in Montpellier, France, we analyse current trends in statistical ecology. Important advances in the analysis of individual movement, and in the modelling of population dynamics and species distributions, are made possible by the increasing use of hierarchical and hidden process models. Exciting research perspectives include the development of methods to interpret citizen science data and of efficient, flexible computational algorithms for model fitting. Statistical ecology has come of age: it now provides a general and mathematically rigorous framework linking ecological theory and empirical data.

Few areas of science have benefited more from the expansion in sequencing capability than the study of microbial communities. Can sequence data, besides providing hypotheses of the functions the members possess, detect the evolutionary and ecological processes that are occurring? For example, can we determine if a species is adapting to one niche, or if it is diversifying into multiple specialists that inhabit distinct niches? Fortunately, adaptation of populations in the laboratory can serve as a model to test our ability to make such inferences about evolution and ecology from sequencing. Even adaptation to a single niche can give rise to complex temporal dynamics due to the transient presence of multiple competing lineages. If there are multiple niches, this complexity is augmented by segmentation of the population into multiple specialists that can each continue to evolve within their own niche. For a known example of parallel diversification that occurred in the laboratory, sequencing data gave surprisingly few obvious, unambiguous signs of the ecological complexity present. Whereas experimental systems are open to direct experimentation to test hypotheses of selection or ecological interaction, the difficulty in “seeing ecology” from sequencing for even such a simple system suggests translation to communities like the human microbiome will be quite challenging. This will require both improved empirical methods to enhance the depth and time resolution for the relevant polymorphisms and novel statistical approaches to rigorously examine time-series data for signs of various evolutionary and ecological phenomena within and between species.; Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

Soil zoology and soil ecology have become very active fields of research since the early 1990s. A search in the ISI Web of Science databases showed a steady increase in publications about that theme over the last two decades, and 3,612 bibliographic references were found for that theme for the period of 2004 to 2008. The researches covered mostly soil environmental issues, toxicology and ecology. The issue of theoretical development in soil ecology is discussed, and arguments are presented against the idea that the soil ecology theory is deficient. Finally, the need for a general model of soil function and soil management is discussed and some options are presented to reach this goal.; 2009

Deep ecology distinguishes itself from alternate environmental philosophies by considering ecological issues in term of their broader context. That is, deep ecology takes the socio-cultural issues surrounding environmental destruction into account when considering their appropriate solutions. This comprehensive methodology is based on an eight-fold philosophy, which includes the principles of theoretical pluralism, interconnectivity, and non-violence towards the natural world. Similar principles are found within the Jain tradition of Northern India, and are known as anekāntavāda (non-absolutism), parasparopagraho jīvānām (interrelatedness), and ahimsā (non-violence). This similarity has lent itself to easy comparisons between deep ecology and Jainism, in which Jainism is depicted as a religious tradition with inherent environmental values based on deep ecology principles. Yet, scholars such as Devall, Sessions, and Warwick have written of this correlation have focused only narrowly on Jain doctrine, and disregarded the nuanced understanding and complex representations of the living tradition of Jainism. They have failed to take into account the lived reality of Jain practices in their immediate social and cultural context, and consequently...

'Language Ecology and Language Planning in Chiang Rai, Thailand' had three main aims: to study the language ecology and sub-ecologies of Chiang Rai province, to study the factors and forces that affect the language ecology, and to study language plans and language policies in Chiang Rai. This study employed two main frameworks: theoretical and methodological framework. The theoretical construct is based on a parameter rich linguistic theory, Ecolinguistics, where concepts and parameters from linguistics and non-linguistics disciplines are employed. The parameter rich theory assists immensely in the understanding of language as it believes that language is interconnected with the world and the world with language. The study was conducted using ethnography as the methodological framework due to it allowing a wide array of data collection methods which include document studies, observation, participant observation, recorded and unrecorded interviews, personal communications and field notes. Moreover, ethnography provided an opportunity to reflect on the researcher's multiple identities and in varying degrees as insider and outsider. Data collection was conducted in Chiang Rai and six villages in three districts; two districts in the Greater Mae Khong Subregion (G1-IS) area namely Chiang Khong and Chiang Saen; and one district in a special economic border zone area Maesai district. The districts were chosen based on economic influences while the six villages were randomly selected. The villages studied were Wiang Mok and Huay Kok villages in Chiang Khong district; Sop Ruak and Santhaat villages in Chiang Saen province; and Phamee and Payaang Chum in Maesai district. Data were also collected from stakeholders concerned in language planning namely government and nongovernment organizations. There were two main findings in accordance with the research aims. Firstly...

Despite being a highly studied carnivore, the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) still offers the opportunity to explore many aspects of its ecology and behaviour that are poorly known or have only been investigated in temperate areas. From April 2007 to October 2010, the OPA research project (Otter Project in Alentejo) was conducted in the south-central Alentejo region of Portugal, in an area of roughly 800 km2. Through the capture and subsequent radio-tracking of 16 wild Lutra lutra individuals (9 males and 7 females) for an average of 139 radio-locations per animal (about 126 days), together with the genotyping of 51 individual otters, the project aimed to provide a set of basic data on the biology and ecology of the species that were missing or limited throughout its extent of occurrence or in the Mediterranean environment. This thesis focus on some of the aspects of the referred project, such as: (1) extent of home ranges (HR) and movement patterns, including their relationships to seasonality and the availability (and its variability) of water resources; (2) genetic spatial structure, dispersal and social interactions; (3) activity rhythms; (4) habitat selection, with particular focus on the modality and frequency of use of reservoirs; (5) testing of a GPS GSM/GPRS telemetry system in riparian habitats and on free-ranging wild otters. Concerning point (1)...

Habitat restoration can play an important role in recovering functioning ecosystems and improving biodiversity. Restoration may be particularly important in improving habitat prior to species reintroductions. We reintroduced seven brown treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus) social groups into two nature reserves in the Australian Capital Territory in south-eastern Australia. This study provided a unique opportunity to understand the interactions between restoration ecology, behavioural ecology and habitat ecology. We examined how experimental restoration treatments (addition of coarse woody debris, variations in ground vegetation cover and nest box installation) influenced the behaviour and microhabitat use of radio-tracked individuals to evaluate the success of restoration treatments. The addition of coarse woody debris benefited the brown treecreeper through increasing the probability of foraging on a log or on the ground. This demonstrated the value of using behaviour as a bio-indicator for restoration success. Based on previous research, we predicted that variations in levels of ground vegetation cover would influence behaviour and substrate use, particularly that brown treecreepers would choose sites with sparse ground cover because this allows better access to food and better vigilance for predators. However...

The ecology education community has focused on the suite of knowledge and competencies that constitute environmental literacy, including self-knowledge, evidence-based habits of mind, and ecological concepts and connections (Jordan et al., 2009). Whereas the environmental education (EE) community also is concerned with knowledge, it further embraces goals related to changing attitudes and behavior. In both of these sub-disciplines, educational researchers most often focus on outcomes of specific interventions. Less attention has been paid to the interrelations among the ecological or environmental education activities themselves and the larger social-ecological system. This poster will explore the notion of an ecology of EE, and will attempt to situate EE within a social-ecological framework, such as those proposed by Grimm, Pickett and other ecological researchers who focus on coupled human-natural systems. Using civic ecology education as an example, we explore the interrelations among an educational program and the social and bio-geo-physical components of a larger system. Civic ecology education refers to youth programs where learning is situated in community gardening, community forestry, habitat restoration...

Ecology, as a scientific discipline, has scarcely been studied relative to other fields of science. In general its epistemic changes were described as a cumulative trajectory of scientific progress, such as the one proposed by classical philosophers of science, or as a model of successive ruptures, as in Kuhn’s interpretation of scientific change. In this paper we attempt to show that, like in other scientific disciplines, the trajectory of change in ecology can be different from these dynamics s. Focus is placed on the analysis of controversies in ecology, one of the main sources of self-criticism in the discipline. In some cases, persistent controversies are seen as evidence of the immaturity and/or weakness of this field. In this study controversies are not assumed to be detrimental. Even when controversies do not achieve a synthesis, as many in ecology do not, they can be progressive from an epistemic perspective. In this study two of the most prominent debates in the history of ecology are analyzed: the debate about plant succession and the debate on the role of competition as the principal force structuring natural communities. It is found that, contrary to the common perception of controversies as problems to be avoided, they can produce epistemic progress by means of the incorporation of new questions and the increase in rigor in hypothesis-testing.