State and Transition Modeling: An Ecological Process Approach

Stringham, Tamzen K.; Krueger, William C.; Shaver, Patrick L.

doi:10.2307/4003893

Cited by 256 publications

(133 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…This is because different areas provide different environmental limitations (Belsky 1990;John et al 2007;Walker 1987), species have physiological limits (Weiner 1992) and they respond to other species (Agrawal 2001). Such limitations mean that a small, finite number of possible states exist (Stringham, Krueger & Shave 2003). Conservationists may consider systems to reflect the 'balance' versus the 'flux' of nature (Pimm 1991), which depends on the temporal and spatial scale perceived, whether assumed or enforced ( Figure 1).…”

Section: Thresholds Of Potential Concern Revisitedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this context state-transition models (e.g. Stringham et al 2003) may hold great value in helping to prioritise which transitions are undesirable (usually human induced -see Chapin et al (2000) and Daszak et al (2000)) in the context of set objectives and allow conservationists to define TPCs to indicate such transitions or changes. Measuring state change can be applied to intact or recovering degraded systems.…”

Section: Thresholds Of Potential Concern Revisitedmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From numbers to ecosystems and biodiversity: A mechanistic approach to monitoring

Ferreira

Deacon

Sithole

et al. 2011

Koedoe

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Diverse political, cultural and biological needs epitomise the contrasting demands impacting on the mandate of the South African National Parks (SANParks) to maintain biological diversity. Systems-based approaches and strategic adaptive management (learn by doing) enable SANParks to accommodate these demands. However, such a management strategy creates new information needs, which require an appropriate analytical approach. We use conceptual links between objectives, indicators, mechanisms and modulators to identify key concerns in the context of and related to management objectives. Although our suggested monitoring designs are based mostly on defined or predicted underlying mechanisms of a concern, SANParks requires inventory monitoring to evaluate its key mandate. We therefore propose a predictive inventory approach based on species assemblages related to habitat preferences. Inventories alone may not always adequately serve unpacking of mechanisms: in some cases population size needs to be estimated to meet the information needs of management strategies, but actual population sizes may indirectly affect how the species impact on other values. In addition, ecosystem objectives require multivariate assessments of key communities, which can be used in trend analysis. SANParks therefore needs to know how to detect and define trends efficiently, which, in turn, requires precision of measures of variables. Conservation implications: Current research needs with regard to monitoring should focus on defining designs to yield optimal precision whilst taking methodology, survey trade-offs and analytical approaches into account. Use of these directives and research will guide monitoring during evaluation of SANParks objectives at various scales.How to cite this article: Ferreira, S., Deacon, A., Sithole, H., Bezuidenhout, H., Daemane, M. & Herbst, M., 2011, ‘From numbers to ecosystems and biodiversity: A mechanistic approach to monitoring’, Koedoe 53(2), Art. #998, 12 pages. doi:10.4102/koedoe.v53i2.998

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Section: Thresholds Of Potential Concern Revisitedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Thresholds Of Potential Concern Revisitedmentioning

confidence: 99%

From numbers to ecosystems and biodiversity: A mechanistic approach to monitoring

Ferreira

Deacon

Sithole

et al. 2011

Koedoe

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“…Management practices were associated with many states, but several were also related to variation in soils and topography. Without having yet incorporated evidence of differences in ecological processes in each state (e.g., Stringham et al 2003) at the time of the knowledge integration workshops, we did not identify thresholds but instead treated each group with significantly different species composition as different states. Some have argued that the burden of proof ought to be on showing alternate states do not exist, given the ecological and economic consequences of a transition (Scheffer 2009).…”

Section: Ecological Data (Ed)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some argue that quantitative ecological data is the most reliable basis for modeling ecosystems (Allen-Diaz and Bartolome 1998, Stringham et al 2003). Because long-term data are not available for many types of land, model building efforts often turn to observational studies comparing areas that have been managed differently (Petersen et al 2009).…”

Section: Ecological Data (Ed)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Variants of states with similar processes are called communities within a state. Transitions between states occur when one or more of the processes maintaining a state degrade, often triggered by a perturbation from management or disturbance (Stringham et al 2003, Briske et al 2008, Scheffer 2009). The result is a loss in resilience and a change to an alternate state with different structure and function (Briske et al 2008, Scheffer 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tools for Resilience Management: Multidisciplinary Development of State-and-Transition Models for Northwest Colorado

Kachergis¹,

Knapp²,

Fernández‐Giménez³

et al. 2013

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Building models is an important way of integrating knowledge. Testing and updating models of social-ecological systems can inform management decisions and, ultimately, improve resilience. We report on the outcomes of a six-year, multidisciplinary model development process in the sagebrush steppe, USA. We focused on creating state-and-transition models (STMs), conceptual models of ecosystem change that represent nonlinear dynamics and are being adopted worldwide as tools for managing ecosystems. STM development occurred in four steps with four distinct sets of models: (1) local knowledge elicitation using semistructured interviews; (2) ecological data collection using an observational study; (3) model integration using participatory workshops; and (4) model simplification upon review of the literature by a multidisciplinary team. We found that different knowledge types are ultimately complementary. Many of the benefits of the STM-building process flowed from the knowledge integration steps, including improved communication, identification of uncertainties, and production of more broadly credible STMs that can be applied in diverse situations. The STM development process also generated hypotheses about sagebrush steppe dynamics that could be tested by future adaptive management and research. We conclude that multidisciplinary development of STMs has great potential for producing credible, useful tools for managing resilience of social-ecological systems. Based on this experience, we outline a streamlined, participatory STM development process that integrates multiple types of knowledge and incorporates adaptive management.

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Assessing how cover crops close the soil health gap in on‐farm experiments

Krupek

Mizero

Redfearn

et al. 2022

Agricultural & Env Letters

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Assessing the success of cover crops (CCs) as a way to promote soil health at the farm scale remains a challenge. At four on‐farm CC experiments in Nebraska, we quantified soil health relative to a reference soil. We examined physical, chemical, and biological properties in near‐surface soil. Cover crops reduced the soil health gap between bare (no‐CC) and reference soil in the short (3‐yr) timescale, but the magnitude of responses depended on cropland management history and ecological dynamics of reference site plant communities. Increases in soil health relative to reference soils showed some relationship to increases in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and corn (Zea mays L.) yields. Clear discrimination of reference from bare soils was most influenced by organic matter and infiltration measurements conducted under the highest sampling intensity. Framing soil metrics relative to reference soils and ensuring appropriate sampling intensity are important to quantify the effects of CC on farm landscapes.

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State and Transition Modeling: An Ecological Process Approach

Cited by 256 publications

References 28 publications

From numbers to ecosystems and biodiversity: A mechanistic approach to monitoring

From numbers to ecosystems and biodiversity: A mechanistic approach to monitoring

Tools for Resilience Management: Multidisciplinary Development of State-and-Transition Models for Northwest Colorado

Assessing how cover crops close the soil health gap in on‐farm experiments

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