Ecological Mechanics

Ecological Mechanics PDF Author: Mark Denny
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691163154
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 531

Get Book Here

Book Description
An in-depth exploration of how biomechanics and ecology work together Plants and animals interact with each other and their surroundings, and these interactions—with all their complexity and contingency—control where species can survive and reproduce. In this comprehensive and groundbreaking introduction to the emerging field of ecological mechanics, Mark Denny explains how the principles of physics and engineering can be used to understand the intricacies of these remarkable relationships. Denny opens with a brief review of basic physics before introducing the fundamentals of diffusion, fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, and heat transfer, taking care to explain each in the context of living organisms. Why are corals of different shapes on different parts of a reef? How can geckos climb sheer walls? Why can birds and fish migrate farther than mammals? How do desert plants stay cool? The answers to these and a host of similar questions illustrate the principles of heat, mass, and momentum transport and set the stage for the book's central topic—the application of these principles in ecology. Denny shows how variations in the environment—in both space and time—affect the performance of plants and animals. He introduces spectral analysis, a mathematical tool for quantifying the patterns in which environments vary, and uses it to analyze such subjects as the spread of invasive species. Synthesizing the book’s materials, the final chapters use ecological mechanics to predict the occurrence and consequences of extreme ecological events, explain the emergence of patterns in the distribution and abundance of organisms, and empower readers to explore further. Ecological Mechanics offers new insights into the physical workings of organisms and their environment.

Ecological Mechanics

Ecological Mechanics PDF Author: Mark Denny
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691163154
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 531

Get Book Here

Book Description
An in-depth exploration of how biomechanics and ecology work together Plants and animals interact with each other and their surroundings, and these interactions—with all their complexity and contingency—control where species can survive and reproduce. In this comprehensive and groundbreaking introduction to the emerging field of ecological mechanics, Mark Denny explains how the principles of physics and engineering can be used to understand the intricacies of these remarkable relationships. Denny opens with a brief review of basic physics before introducing the fundamentals of diffusion, fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, and heat transfer, taking care to explain each in the context of living organisms. Why are corals of different shapes on different parts of a reef? How can geckos climb sheer walls? Why can birds and fish migrate farther than mammals? How do desert plants stay cool? The answers to these and a host of similar questions illustrate the principles of heat, mass, and momentum transport and set the stage for the book's central topic—the application of these principles in ecology. Denny shows how variations in the environment—in both space and time—affect the performance of plants and animals. He introduces spectral analysis, a mathematical tool for quantifying the patterns in which environments vary, and uses it to analyze such subjects as the spread of invasive species. Synthesizing the book’s materials, the final chapters use ecological mechanics to predict the occurrence and consequences of extreme ecological events, explain the emergence of patterns in the distribution and abundance of organisms, and empower readers to explore further. Ecological Mechanics offers new insights into the physical workings of organisms and their environment.

An ecological consideration of Stimulus-Response Compatibility

An ecological consideration of Stimulus-Response Compatibility PDF Author: Wolf-Dietrich Heine
Publisher: Waxmann Verlag
ISBN: 9783830952763
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 212

Get Book Here

Book Description


Local Applications of the Ecological Approach To Human-Machine Systems

Local Applications of the Ecological Approach To Human-Machine Systems PDF Author: Peter A. Hancock
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1351434837
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 335

Get Book Here

Book Description
There is a growing consensus in the human factors/ergonomics community that human factors research has had little impact on significant applied problems. Some have suggested that the problem lies in the fact that much HF/E research has been based on the wrong type of psychology, an information processing view of psychology that is reductionistic and context-free. Ecological psychology offers a viable alternative, presenting a richer view of human behavior that is holistic and contextualized. The papers presented in these two volumes show the conceptual impact that ecological psychology can have on HF/E, as well as presenting a number of specific examples illustrating the ecological approach to human-machine systems. It is the first collection of papers that explicitly draws a connection between these two fields. While work in this area is only just beginning, the evidence available suggests that taking an ecological approach to human factors/ergonomics helps bridge the existing gap between basic research and applied problems.

Handbook of Research on Improving the Natural and Ecological Conditions of the Polesie Zone

Handbook of Research on Improving the Natural and Ecological Conditions of the Polesie Zone PDF Author: Rokochinskiy, Anatoliy
Publisher: IGI Global
ISBN: 1668482509
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 508

Get Book Here

Book Description
The wetlands of the Polish Polissya zone in previous centuries had a negative impact on the economic development of the region and were an obstacle to social transformation. Even in ancient times, humans were aware of the need for drainage measures, as evidenced by archaeological excavations and traces of preserved reclamation works dating back a thousand years. Unfortunately, little has survived testifying to the scale of hydro melioration until the second half of the 18th century. The Handbook of Research on Improving the Natural and Ecological Conditions of the Polesie Zone considers the results of many years of research and the production experience of leading scientists and specialists of the water management and melioration profile regarding natural, historical, social, economic, constructive, regime-technological, ecological, economic, and other aspects of land reclamation and development of the Polissya zone. Covering key topics such as water treatment, ecology, nature conservation, and environmental science, this premier reference source is ideal for industry professionals, researchers, academicians, practitioners, scholars, instructors, and students.

Handbook of Cognitive Science

Handbook of Cognitive Science PDF Author: Paco Calvo
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080466168
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 515

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Handbook of Cognitive Science provides an overview of recent developments in cognition research, relying upon non-classical approaches. Cognition is explained as the continuous interplay between brain, body, and environment, without relying on classical notions of computations and representation to explain cognition. The handbook serves as a valuable companion for readers interested in foundational aspects of cognitive science, and neuroscience and the philosophy of mind. The handbook begins with an introduction to embodied cognitive science, and then breaks up the chapters into separate sections on conceptual issues, formal approaches, embodiment in perception and action, embodiment from an artificial perspective, embodied meaning, and emotion and consciousness. Contributors to the book represent research overviews from around the globe including the US, UK, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

Perception & Control of Self-motion

Perception & Control of Self-motion PDF Author: Rik Warren
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780805809091
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 676

Get Book Here

Book Description
First Published in 1990. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology

Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology PDF Author: David H. Jonassen
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 0805841458
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 1195

Get Book Here

Book Description
This edition of this handbook updates and expands its review of the research, theory, issues and methodology that constitute the field of educational communications and technology. Organized into seven sectors, it profiles and integrates the following elements of this rapidly changing field.

Action Science

Action Science PDF Author: Wolfgang Prinz
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262312980
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 467

Get Book Here

Book Description
An overview of today's diverse theoretical and methodological approaches to action and the relationship of action and cognition. The emerging field of action science is characterized by a diversity of theoretical and methodological approaches that share the basic functional belief that evolution has optimized cognitive systems to serve the demands of action. This book brings together the constitutive approaches of action science in a single source, covering the relation of action to such cognitive functions as perception, attention, memory, and volition. Each chapter offers a tutorial-like description of a major line of inquiry, written by a leading scientist in the field. Taken together, the chapters reflect a dynamic and rapidly growing field and provide a forum for comparison and possible integration of approaches. After discussing core questions about how actions are controlled and learned, the book considers ecological approaches to action science; neurocogntive approaches to action understanding and attention; developmental approaches to action science; social actions, including imitation and joint action; and the relationships between action and the conceptual system (grounded cognition) and between volition and action. An emerging discipline depends on a rich and multifaceted supply of theoretical and methodological approaches. The diversity of perspectives offered in this book will serve as a guide for future explorations in action science. Contributors Lawrence W. Barsalou, Miriam Beisert, Valerian Chambon, Thomas Goschke, Patrick Haggard, Arvid Herwig, Herbert Heuer, Cecilia Heyes, Bernhard Hommel, Glyn W. Humphreys, Richard B. Ivry, Markus Kiefer, Günther Knoblich, Sally A. Linkenauger, Janeen D. Loehr, Peter J. Marshall, Andrew N. Meltzoff, Wolfgang Prinz, Dennis R. Proffitt, Giacomo Rizzolatti, David A. Rosenbaum, Natalie Sebanz, Corrado Sinigaglia, Sandra Sülzenbrück, Jordan A. Taylor, Michael T. Turvey, Claes von Hofsten, Rebecca A. Williamson

Self-organization in Biological Work Spaces

Self-organization in Biological Work Spaces PDF Author: Peter Noble Kugler
Publisher: North Holland
ISBN:
Category : Biological control systems
Languages : en
Pages : 344

Get Book Here

Book Description


Global Perspectives on the Ecology of Human-Machine Systems

Global Perspectives on the Ecology of Human-Machine Systems PDF Author: John M. Flach
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1351444654
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 429

Get Book Here

Book Description
There is a growing consensus in the human factors/ergonomics community that human factors research has had little impact on significant applied problems. Some have suggested that the problem lies in the fact that much HF/E research has been based on the wrong type of psychology, an information processing view of psychology that is reductionistic and context-free. Ecological psychology offers a viable alternative, presenting a richer view of human behavior that is holistic and contextualized. The papers presented in these two volumes show the conceptual impact that ecological psychology can have on HF/E, as well as presenting a number of specific examples illustrating the ecological approach to human-machine systems. It is the first collection of papers that explicitly draws a connection between these two fields. While work in this area is only just beginning, the evidence available suggests that taking an ecological approach to human factors/ergonomics helps bridge the existing gap between basic research and applied problems.