The Importance of Ecological Redundancy for Ecosystems Restoration

Restoration ecology is a multidisciplinary science that exchanges several concepts with other scientific fields to improve its practices. In this article, I discuss the ecological redundancy concept and its implications and applications on ecological restoration. Ecological redundancy was coined in the early 1990s to characterize those species that play similar (equivalent) functions in the ecosystem. The concept made it possible to segregate species into functional groups that operate in maintaining the system. I searched the literature and found that although some restoration models naturally consider this concept, studies in areas undergoing restoration which directly measure and test the ecological redundancy are still rare (n = 14). I provide evidence that distinguishing redundant species and identifying key species is feasible for ecological restoration. Additionally, I suggest that redundancy should also be part of the restoration monitoring, for example, by checking if functional groups have been recovered. Theory predicts that if ecological redundancy is correctly incorporated in restoration, projects with more chances of success will be created because redundancy tends to increase ecosystem resilience. Resilience is a crucial factor for restoration sustainability in a changing environment

Who Wants to be an Environmental Justice Advocate?: Options for Bringing an Environmental Justice Complaint in the Wake of Alexander v. Sandoval

The Supreme Court’s decision in Alexander v. Sandoval significantly altered options for bringing an environmental justice claim. Several causes of action still remain, however, that can be an effective means of achieving environmental justice. This Article will explore these causes of action and show that each has unique characteristics and can present distinct opportunities. This Article will also address the importance of tailoring environmental justice claims to best suit the plaintiff. Finally, this Article will present a case study of a proposal to build a geothermal power plant in an area of California that is sacred to Native Americans, and suggest an effective strategy for bringing an environmental justice claim

Thermomechanical modeling of the Colorado Plateau-Basin and range transition zone

The Colorado Plateau (CP) basin and range (B & R) boundary is marked by a transition zone on the order of 75 to 150 km in width. As one moves westward across this transition from the CP interior to the B & R there is a variation in the surface topography, surface heat flow, Bouguer gravity, seismicity, and crustal structure. This transition extends eastward into the western CP from the Wastach-Hurricane fault line and is largely coincident with the high plateaus of Utah and the Wasatch Mountains. It has been suggested that this transition zone marks a thermal and tectonic encroachment of the CP by the B & R. A simple two dimensional numerical model of the thermal regime for the transition zone was constructed to test the hypothesis that the observed geophysical signatures across the transition are due to lateral heat conduction from steady state uniform extension within the B & R lithosphere. Surface heat flow, uplift due to flexure from thermal buoyant loading, and regional Bouguer gravity are computed for various extension rates, crustal structures, and compensation depths

Pleistocene Equus Sp. from Sandusky Co., Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Geology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohi

Single-Shot Decoding of Linear Rate LDPC Quantum Codes With High Performance

We construct and analyze a family of low-density parity check (LDPC) quantum codes with a linear encoding rate, distance scaling as nϵ for ϵ>0 and efficient decoding schemes. The code family is based on tessellations of closed, four-dimensional, hyperbolic manifolds, as first suggested by Guth and Lubotzky. The main contribution of this work is the construction of suitable manifolds via finite presentations of Coxeter groups, their linear representations over Galois fields and topological coverings. We establish a lower bound on the encoding rate k/n of 13/72=0.180… and we show that the bound is tight for the examples that we construct. Numerical simulations give evidence that parallelizable decoding schemes of low computational complexity suffice to obtain high performance. These decoding schemes can deal with syndrome noise, so that parity check measurements do not have to be repeated to decode. Our data is consistent with a threshold of around 4% in the phenomenological noise model with syndrome noise in the single-shot regime

Uma união fracassada entre padronização e incentivismo: Perspectivas divergentes sobre os objetivos da compensação baseada em desempenho em Xangai, China

The Chinese province of Shanghai has gained international recognition as a high performing education system with strong teaching and learning outcomes. One accountability mechanism in Shanghai’s education reform strategy is statewide performance-based compensation (PBC), also known as performance- or merit pay. Providing a first time account of PBC in the Shanghai context, this study investigated variance in stated and perceived aims of this policy instrument. To explore this variance, the study drew on data from national, state, and school level policy documents, and data from interviews with 20 teachers and the principal in a high performing elementary school. The analysis revealed that PBC was intended to improve teaching quality. However, the teachers’ perceived merit pay was meant to increase teacher enthusiasm, job satisfaction, and participation in teacher and student development activities. Importantly, the teachers perceived these aims as tangential from instructional improvement goals. Based on these findings, I argue that this particular PBC policy, as a manifestation of the marriage of standardization and incentivism, is unable to fulfill the promises of this marriage – to link incentives with homogenous, uniform metrics associated with a generic and shared notion of teaching quality.La provincia china de Shangai ha ganado reconocimiento internacional como un sistema educativo de alto rendimiento con fuertes resultados de enseñanza y aprendizaje. Un mecanismo de responsabilización en la estrategia de reforma de la educación en todo el estado de Shangai es la compensación basada en el desempeño (PBC), también conocido como rendimiento o pago por mérito. Proporcionar una primera cuenta de época del PBC Shanghai en el contexto, este estudio investigó Dicho y varianza en AIMS percibidos de este instrumento de política. Para explorar esta variación, el estudio se basó en datos de documentos de política nacional, estatal y escolar, y datos de entrevistas con 20 profesores y el director en una escuela primaria realizando alta. El análisis reveló que la PBC pretendía mejorar la calidad de la enseñanza. Sin embargo, percibido pago por mérito de los profesores fue significada de aumentar el entusiasmo de profesores, satisfacción en el trabajo y alumno y profesor participación en actividades de desarrollo. Importante, los profesores percibieron esos objetivos como tangentes a los objetivos de mejora instruccional. En base a estos resultados, y argumenta que esta política PBC particular, como una manifestación del matrimonio de estandarización e incentivismo, es incapaz de cumplir las promesas de este matrimonio - para vincular incentivos con métricas homogéneas y uniformes asociadas a una noción genérica y compartida de la calidad docente.A província chinesa de Xangai ganhou reconhecimento internacional como um sistema educacional de alto desempenho com fortes resultados de ensino e aprendizagem. Um mecanismo de responsabilização na estratégia de reforma da educação em todo o estado de Xangai é a compensação baseada no desempenho (PBC), também conhecido como desempenho- ou pagamento por mérito. Proporcionar um primeiro conta época do PBC Shanghai no contexto, este estudo investigou Dito e variância em AIMS percebidos de este instrumento de política. Para explorar esta variação, o estudo baseou-se em dados de documentos de política nível nacional, estadual e escolares, e dados de entrevistas com 20 professores e o diretor em uma escola primária realizando alta. A análise revelou que a PBC pretendia melhorar a qualidade do ensino. No entanto, percebida pagamento por mérito dos professores foi significada de aumentar o entusiasmo de professores, satisfação no trabalho e aluno e professor participação em atividades de desenvolvimento. Importante, os professores perceberam esses objetivos como tangentes aos objetivos de melhoria instrucional. Com base nestes resultados, e argumenta que esta política PBC particular, como uma manifestação do casamento de padronização e incentivism, é incapaz de cumprir as promessas de este casamento - para vincular incentivos com métricas homogêneos e uniformes associadas a uma noção genérica e compartilhada dos qualidade docente

A Devonian Brachiopod with Epifauna

Author Institution: Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio 43402Recognition of epifauna-host relationships are difficult to ascertain in fossil material. Distribution and orientation of epifaunal elements, repair of the host shell, deformation of the host by the epifauna, and continued growth of the host provides evidence of the type of relationship. Brachiopods in the Devonian Silica Formation of northwestern Ohio commonly have abundant epifauna. A specimen of Paraspirifer bownockeri Stewart, collected from this formation shows evidence of a parasitic, in part antagonistic, relationship with the boring sponge Clionoides thomasi Fenton and Fenton and commensal relationships with the worm Cornulites cingulatus? Hall, the inarticulate brachiopod Lingulodiscina marginalis Whitfield, and possibly the bryozoans Hederella canadensis (Nicholson) and H. cirrhosa (Hall). Distribution of the epifaunal elements indicate the life position of the host to be vertical, with the beaks down, or possibly lying on the posterior portion of the pedicle valve after atrophy of the pedicle had taken place