Methods in Ecosystem Science

✍ Scribed by Osvaldo E. Sala, Robert B. Jackson, Harold A. Mooney, Robert W. Howarth (auth.), Osvaldo E. Sala, Robert B. Jackson, Harold A. Mooney, Robert W. Howarth (eds.)

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 441
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Ecology at the ecosystem level has both necessitated and benefited from new methods and technologies as well as those adapted from other disciplines. With the ascendancy of ecosystem science and management, the need has arisen for a comprehensive treatment of techniques used in this rapidly-growing field. Methods in Ecosystem Science answers that need by synthesizing the advantages, disadvantages and tradeoffs associated with the most commonly used techniques in both aquatic and terrestrial research.
The book is divided into sections addressing carbon and energy dynamics, nutrient and water dynamics, manipulative ecosystem experiements and tools to synthesize our understanding of ecosystems. Detailed information about various methods will help researchers choose the most appropriate methods for their particular studies. Prominent scientists discuss how tools from a variety of disciplines can be used in ecosystem science at different scales.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages i-xxii
Introduction. Methods in Ecosystem Science: Progress, Tradeoffs, and Limitations....Pages 1-3
Front Matter....Pages 5-5
Stand Structure in Terrestrial Ecosystems....Pages 7-30
Methods of Estimating Aboveground Net Primary Productivity....Pages 31-43
Global Terrestrial Gross and Net Primary Productivity from the Earth Observing System....Pages 44-57
Methods of Estimating Belowground Net Primary Production....Pages 58-71
The Measurement of Primary Production in Aquatic Ecosystems....Pages 72-85
Benthic Respiration in Aquatic Sediments....Pages 86-103
Decomposition and Soil Organic Matter Dynamics....Pages 104-116
Stable Isotope Tracers and Mathematical Models in Soil Organic Matter Studies....Pages 117-137
Microbial Carbon Cycling in Pelagic Ecosystems: Microbial Methods for Ecosystem Scientists....Pages 138-150
Herbivory in Terrestrial Ecosystems....Pages 151-157
Front Matter....Pages 159-159
Canopy Fluxes....Pages 161-180
Assessing Ecosystem-Level Water Relations Through Stable Isotope Ratio Analyses....Pages 181-198
Measuring Water Availability and Uptake in Ecosystem Studies....Pages 199-214
Nutrient Transformations....Pages 215-234
Biogenic Trace Gas Exchanges....Pages 235-248
Ecosystem Nutrient Balance and Dynamics....Pages 249-264
Deposition of Nutrients and Pollutants to Ecosystems....Pages 265-276
Landscape and Regional Biogeochemistry: Approaches....Pages 277-288
Front Matter....Pages 289-289
Nutrient Manipulations in Terrestrial Ecosystems....Pages 291-307
Front Matter....Pages 289-289
Biotic Manipulations of Aquatic Ecosystems....Pages 308-317
Biotic Manipulations Involving Belowground Animals....Pages 318-329
Assessing the Effects of Acidification on Aquatic Ecosystems: Insights from Lake Experiments....Pages 330-340
Large-Scale Water Manipulations....Pages 341-352
Ecosystem Climate Manipulations....Pages 353-369
Front Matter....Pages 371-371
Ecosystem Modeling....Pages 373-388
Stoichiometric Analysis of Pelagic Ecosystems: The Biogeochemistry of Planktonic Food Webs....Pages 389-406
Back Matter....Pages 407-421

✦ Subjects

Ecology; Environmental Management