SCALING AND UNCERTAINTY ANALYSIS IN ECOLOGY [electronic resource] / edited by JIANGUO WU, K. BRUCE JONES, HARBIN LI, ORIE L. LOUCKS.

I - CONCEPTS AND METHODS -- CONCEPTS OF SCALE AND SCALING -- PERSPECTIVES AND METHODS OF SCALING -- UNCERTAINTY ANALYSIS IN ECOLOGICAL STUDIES:AN OVERVIEW -- MULTILEVEL STATISTICAL MODELS AND ECOLOGICAL SCALING -- DOWNSCALING ABUNDANCE FROM THE DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIES: OCCUPANCY THEORY AND APPLICATIONS -- SCALING TERRESTRIAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES CONTRASTING INTACT AND MODEL EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEMS -- A FRAMEWORK AND METHODS FOR SIMPLIFYING COMPLEX LANDSCAPES TO REDUCE UNCERTAINTY IN PREDICTIONS -- BUILDING UP WITH A TOP-DOWN APPROACH: THE ROLE OF REMOTE SENSING IN DECIPHERING FUNCTIONAL AND STRUCTURAL DIVERSITY -- II - CASE STUDIES -- CARBON FLUXES ACROSS REGIONS: OBSERVATIONAL CONSTRAINTS AT MULTIPLE SCALES -- LANDSCAPE AND REGIONAL SCALE STUDIES OF NITROGEN GAS FLUXES -- MULTISCALE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS AND NITROGEN CONCENTRATIONS IN STREAMS -- UNCERTAINTY IN SCALING NUTRIENT EXPORT COEFFICIENTS -- CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF LAND USE CHANGE IN THE NORTH CAROLINA PIEDMONT: THE SCOPE OF UNCERTAINTY -- ASSESSING THE INFLUENCE OF SPATIAL SCALE ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AVIAN NESTING SUCCESS AND FOREST FRAGMENTATION -- SCALING ISSUES IN MAPPING RIPARIAN ZONES WITH REMOTE SENSING DATA: QUANTIFYING ERRORS AND SOURCES OF UNCERTAINTY -- SCALE ISSUES IN LAKE-WATERSHED INTERACTIONS: ASSESSING SHORELINE DEVELOPMENT IMPACTS ON WATER CLARITY -- SCALING AND UNCERTAINTY IN REGION-WIDE WATER QUALITY DECISION-MAKING -- III - SYNTHESIS -- SCALING WITH KNOWN UNCERTAINTY: A SYNTHESIS.

Presenting the current state of the art in scaling and uncertainty in ecology, Wu et al's Scaling and Uncertainty Analysis in Ecology is the first book of its kind - explicitly considering uncertainty and error analysis as an integral part of scaling. 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.