Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Problem-Solving -- Copyright -- Preface -- Contents -- Introduction -- STRUCTURE AND AUDIENCE OF THE REPORT -- Structure -- Audience -- TYPES OF ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE -- Complex Linkages -- Density Dependence -- The Uniqueness of Individuals -- Keystone Species -- Biological Magnification -- Population Fragmentation -- Stability Boundaries -- Aggregate Variables -- Complexity and Uncertainty -- Scales in Space and Time -- APPLICATIONS OF ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE -- Renewable-Resource Management -- Conservation of Species -- Control of Pests and Diseases -- Impact Assessment and Prediction of Effects -- Preservation of Communities -- Preservation of Habitat -- Contaminants and Toxic Substances -- Mitigation of Effects of Construction -- Restoration -- General Applications -- THE CASE STUDIES -- RECOMMENDATIONS -- REFERENCES -- I Kinds of Ecological Knowledge and Their Applications -- 1 Individuals and Single Populations -- IDENTIFYING KEY FACTORS -- BEHAVIOR -- Habitat Selection -- Mating Systems -- Social Interactions -- POPULATION DYNAMICS -- Population Regulation -- Population Stability -- Dispersion and Population Movements -- Growth Rates, Age, and Size -- Age Structure -- Sex Ratios and Sex Biases -- GENETIC AND EVOLUTIONARY CONCERNS -- The Evolution of Resistance to Pesticides -- Genetic Consequences of Differential Harvesting by Sex and Size -- Genetic Consequences of Small Population Size -- 2 Population Interactions -- PREDATOR-PREY INTERACTIONS -- COMPETITIVE INTERACTIONS -- MUTUALISTIC INTERACTIONS -- INDIRECT EFFECTS -- CONCLUSIONS -- 3 Community Ecology -- INTRODUCTION -- SPECIES COMPOSITION -- FACTORS AFFECTING SPECIES DIVERSITY -- Predation -- Competition -- Productivity -- Spatial Factors -- Summary -- COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION -- STABILITY AND RESILIENCE OF ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES -- INVADABILITY.

SUBSTITUTABILITY -- ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION -- CONCLUSIONS -- 4 Materials and Energy -- PERTURBATIONS AND PRODUCTIVITY -- CHEMICAL PATHWAYS AND BIOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION -- NUTRIENT FLUXES -- INTERACTIONS AMONG PRODUCTIVITY, BIOMASS, AND NUTRIENTS -- INDEXES OF ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING -- CONCLUSIONS -- 5 Scales in Space and Time -- PATCHINESS AND COMMUNITY COMPOSITION -- Species-Area Relationship -- Extinction of Small Populations -- Patch Geometry and Edge Effects -- DISTRIBUTION OF PATCHES IN SPACE AND TIME -- Spatial Considerations -- Temporal Considerations -- CONCLUSIONS -- 6 Analog, Generic, and Pilot Studies and Treatment of a Project as an Experiment -- INTRODUCTION -- ANALOG STUDIES -- GENERIC STUDIES -- PILOT-SCALE EXPERIMENTS -- TREATING A PROJECT OR ACTION AS AN EXPERIMENT -- 7 Indicator Species and Biological Monitoring -- CHOICE OF ORGANISMS TO USE FOR BIOLOGICAL MONITORING -- MONITORING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIMEN BANKING -- MONITORING OF BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES -- MONITORING AND THE IDEA OF A PROJECT AS AN EXPERIMENT -- 8 Dealing With Uncertainty -- SOURCES OF UNCERTAINTY -- Complexity -- Natural Variability -- Random Variation -- Errors of Estimation -- Lack of Knowledge -- MANAGING IN THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY -- 9 The Special Problem of Cumulative Effects -- THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM -- KINDS OF CUMULATIVE EFFECTS -- DEFINITION OF CUMULATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS -- DIFFICULTIES IN PREDICTING AND CONTROLLING CUMULATIVE EFFECTS -- SCALE AND THE RATES OF CRITICAL PROCESSES -- MANAGING CUMULATIVE EFFECTS: BEYOND A CASE-BY-CASE APPROACH -- RECOMMENDATIONS -- 10 A Scientific Framework For Environmental Problem-Solving -- DEFINING ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS AND SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS -- SCOPING THE PROBLEM -- ESTABLISHING STUDY BOUNDARIES -- DEVELOPING AND TESTING HYPOTHESES -- SPECIFYING PREDICTIONS AND DETERMINING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EFFECTS -- MONITORING.

SUMMARY: DEVELOPING A STUDY STRATEGY -- 11 References -- II Selected Case Studies -- 12 North Pacific Halibut Fishery Management -- Case Study -- INTRODUCTION -- BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF MANAGEMENT -- Assessment of Stock -- Relationship Between Stock and Recruitment -- Catchability -- Migration Patterns -- Natural and Fishing Mortality -- Growth Rates -- GENERAL APPROACH TO MANAGEMENT -- Boundaries -- Monitoring -- Cumulative Effects -- SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE -- Ecological Facts -- Theory and General Principles -- Specific Models of Stock Abundance -- Project as Experiment -- ROLE OF ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Committee Comment -- References -- 13 Vampire Bat Control in Latin America -- Case Study -- INTRODUCTION -- THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS -- APPROACHES TO CONTROLLING VAMPIRE BATS -- Ecology of Vampire Bats -- Development of Control Methods -- Control Techniques -- Vaccines -- KINDS OF ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE USED -- Ecological Facts -- Pilot Studies -- Project as Experiment -- UTILIZATION AND TRAINING -- EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROGRAM -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Committee Comment -- 14 Biological Control of California Red Scale -- Case Study -- INTRODUCTION -- THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM -- ECOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM -- USES OF KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING -- Ecosystem Definition -- Significance of Impact -- Study Strategy and Monitoring -- Established Boundaries -- Developing and Implementing a Study Strategy -- Specific Predictions and Hypotheses -- Developing and Implementing a Monitoring Program -- Future Goals -- SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE -- Generally Accepted Ecological Facts -- General Theory and General Principles of Ecology -- Specific Models -- Analog Studies -- Project as Experiment -- Expert Judgment -- CONTRIBUTION OF ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE TO PROJECT RESULTS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES.

Committee Comment -- References -- 15 Experimental Control of Malaria in West Africa -- Case Study -- INTRODUCTION -- THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS -- GENERAL APPROACH -- DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT -- Boundaries -- Study Strategy and Monitoring -- USES OF KNOWLEDGE -- The Mosquito -- The Malaria Parasite -- GENERAL THEORY -- A SPECIFIC MODEL -- CONCLUSION: THE CASE STUDY AND ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE -- REFERENCES -- Committee Comment -- Reference -- 16 Protecting Caribou During Hydroelectric Development in Newfoundland -- Case Study -- INTRODUCTION -- THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS -- Caribou and the Upper Salmon Development -- Ecological Questions and Issues -- OBTAINING RELEVANT ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE -- Population Characteristics, Migration, and Distribution -- Behavior -- Sensitivity Criteria -- Conclusions -- USES OF ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING -- Valued Ecosystem Components -- Significance of Impacts -- Establishment of Boundaries -- Development and Implementation of Study Strategy -- Development of Predictions and Hypotheses -- Monitoring -- Cumulative Effects -- SOURCES OF ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE -- Ecological Facts -- Theory and General Principles -- Specific Models -- Analog Studies -- Pilot Studies -- The Project as an Experiment -- Expert Judgment -- CONTRIBUTION OF ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE -- REFERENCES -- Committee Comment -- 17 Conserving a Regional Spotted Owl Population -- Case Study -- INTRODUCTION -- THE BASIC PROBLEM AND APPROACH -- ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE USED IN DEVELOPING THE MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES -- Studies of the Ecology of Spotted Owls -- Long-Term Population Viability -- THE PLANNING PROCESS FOR SPOTTED OWLS -- CONTRIBUTION OF ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE TO THE CASE STUDY RESULTS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Committee Comment -- References -- 18 Restoring Derelict Lands in Great Britain -- Case Study -- INTRODUCTION.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN REINSTATEMENT -- APPROACHES TO RECREATING SEMINATURAL GRASSLAND -- USES OF KNOWLEDGE -- Low-Productivity Swards -- Sward Diversification -- Soil Seed Banks -- Succession in Urban Grassland -- SOURCES OF ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION -- Ecological Facts -- Ecological Theory -- Analog Studies -- Expert Judgment -- CONTRIBUTION OF ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Committee Comment -- References -- 19 Optimizing Timber Yields in New Brunswick Forests -- Case Study -- INTRODUCTION -- THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS -- THE APPROACH -- USES OF KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING -- Valued Ecosystem Component -- Significance of Impacts -- Bounding the Problem -- Study Strategy Development -- Hypotheses -- Cumulative Effects -- SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING -- Generally Accepted Ecological Facts -- Specific Models -- CONTRIBUTION OF RESULTS TO ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE -- APPLICATION OF THE TOOL -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- Committee Comment -- References -- 20 Control of Eutrophication in Lake Washington -- Case Study -- REFERENCES -- Committee Comment -- References -- 21 Raising the Level of a Subarctic Lake -- Case Study -- REFERENCES -- Committee Comment -- References -- 22 Ecological Effects of Nuclear Radiation -- Case Study -- INTRODUCTION -- THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS -- APPROACHES TO THE PROBLEM OF RADIOACTIVITY IN THE ENVIRONMENT -- Movement of Radionuclides in the Environment -- Radiation Effects -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- APPENDIX: SOME SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON RADIOECOLOGY -- Committee Comment -- References -- 23 Ecological Effects of Forest Clearcutting -- Case Study -- INTRODUCTION -- BACKGROUND -- APPROACHES TO EVALUATING LOSSES -- Leaching and Erosion -- Biomass Removal -- Nutrients Remaining in Soil -- Nutrient Replenishment -- Budgets and Sensitivity Analysis -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES.

Committee Comment.