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1. Ecosystem Ecology

   https://doi.org/10.1093/OBO/9780199830060-0202  

   Moore, John C. (January 2018, Oxford Bibliographies in Ecology)

   Overview and history of Ecosystem Ecology 

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2. Introducing desirable patches to initiate ecosystem transitions and accelerate ecosystem restoration

   https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2910  

   Eppinga, Maarten B.; Michaels, Theo K.; Santos, Maria J.; Bever, James D. (October 2023, Ecological Applications)

   Abstract Meeting restoration targets may require active strategies to accelerate natural regeneration rates or overcome the resilience associated with degraded ecosystem states. Introducing desired ecosystem patches in degraded landscapes constitutes a promising active restoration strategy, with various mechanisms potentially causing these patches to become foci from which desired species can re‐establish throughout the landscape. This study considers three mechanisms previously identified as potential drivers of introduced patch dynamics: autocatalytic nucleation, directed dispersal, and resource concentration. These mechanisms reflect qualitatively different positive feedbacks. We developed an ecological model framework that compared how the occurrence of each mechanism was reflected in spatio‐temporal patch dynamics. We then analyzed the implications of these relationships for optimal restoration design. We found that patch expansion accelerated over time when driven by the autocatalytic nucleation mechanism, while patch expansion driven by the directed dispersal or resource concentration mechanisms decelerated over time. Additionally, when driven by autocatalytic nucleation, patch expansion was independent of patch position in the landscape. However, the proximity of other patches affected patch expansion either positively or negatively when driven by directed dispersal or resource concentration. For autocatalytic nucleation, introducing many small patches was a favorable strategy, provided that each individual patch exceeded a critical patch size. Introducing a single patch or a few large patches was the most effective restoration strategy to initiate the directed dispersal mechanism. Introducing many small patches was the most effective strategy for reaching restored ecosystem states driven by a resource concentration mechanism. Our model results suggest that introducing desirable patches can substantially accelerate ecosystem restoration, or even induce a critical transition from an otherwise stable degraded state toward a desired ecosystem state. However, the potential of this type of restoration strategy for a particular ecosystem may strongly depend on the mechanism driving patch dynamics. In turn, which mechanism drives patch dynamics may affect the optimal spatial design of an active restoration strategy. Each of the three mechanisms considered reflects distinct spatio‐temporal patch dynamics, providing novel opportunities for empirically identifying key mechanisms, and restoration designs that introduce desired patches in degraded landscapes according to these patch dynamics. 

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3. A Conceptual Framework to Integrate Biodiversity, Ecosystem Function, and Ecosystem Service Models

   https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biac074  

   Weiskopf, Sarah R; Myers, Bonnie J; Arce-Plata, Maria Isabel; Blanchard, Julia L; Ferrier, Simon; Fulton, Elizabeth A; Harfoot, Mike; Isbell, Forest; Johnson, Justin A; Mori, Akira S; et al (September 2022, BioScience)

   Abstract Global biodiversity and ecosystem service models typically operate independently. Ecosystem service projections may therefore be overly optimistic because they do not always account for the role of biodiversity in maintaining ecological functions. We review models used in recent global model intercomparison projects and develop a novel model integration framework to more fully account for the role of biodiversity in ecosystem function, a key gap for linking biodiversity changes to ecosystem services. We propose two integration pathways. The first uses empirical data on biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships to bridge biodiversity and ecosystem function models and could currently be implemented globally for systems and taxa with sufficient data. We also propose a trait-based approach involving greater incorporation of biodiversity into ecosystem function models. Pursuing both approaches will provide greater insight into biodiversity and ecosystem services projections. Integrating biodiversity, ecosystem function, and ecosystem service modeling will enhance policy development to meet global sustainability goals. 

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4. The watershed‐ecosystem approach

   https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13977  

   Likens, Gene E. (January 2021, Hydrological Processes)
5. The Vector Data Ecosystem

   https://doi.org/10.7274/27854508  

   Ryan, Sadie J; Johnson, Leah R; Lippi, Catherine A; Cator, Lauren; Pawar, Samraat; Rund, Samuel_S C (January 2023, University of Notre Dame)

   A growing body of information on vector-borne diseases has arisen as increasing research focus has been directed towards the need for anticipating risk, optimizing surveillance, and understanding the fundamental biology of vector-borne diseases to direct efforts to control and mitigation. The scope and scale of this information, in the form of data, comprising database efforts, data storage, and serving approaches, mean that it is distributed across many formats and data types. Data ranges from collections records to molecular characterization, geospatial data to interactions of vectors and traits, infection experiments to field trials. New initiatives arise, often spanning the effort traditionally siloed in specific research disciplines, and other efforts wane, perhaps in response to funding declines, different research directions, or lack of sustained interest. Thusly, the world of vector data - the Vector Data Ecosystem - can become unclear in scope, and the flows of data through these various efforts can become stymied by obsolescence, or simply by gaps in access and interoperability. As increasing attention is paid to creating FAIR (Findable Accessible Interoperable, and Reusable) data, simply characterizing what is ‘out there’, and how these existing data aggregation and collection efforts interact, or interoperate with each other, is a useful exercise. This website and related project presents a list of vector data curation efforts, a brief description of their stated scope and purpose, and level of accessibility. The Vector Data Ecosystem by the University of Notre Dame Center for Research Computing, and is being developed and maintained as part of the NSF funded VectorByte Initiative (www.vectorbyte.org). 

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