How a Forest Ecosystem is Defined

How a Forest Ecosystem is Defined Forest ecosystems are defined by a salient or common set of characteristics that make the forest ecology of a particular area unique. These very complex sets of forest conditions are studied by forest ecologists who try to isolate and classify the common structural patterns that continually reoccur in a particular forests environment. The perfect forest ecosystem is where simpler biotic communities live in the same approximate space with increasingly more complex biotic communities to each communities benefit. In other words, it is where many individual biotic communities symbiotically live in harmony with other biotic communities in perpetuity for the benefit of all neighboring forest organisms. Foresters have developed a somewhat limited classification based on plant climax types, or, the type of vegetative communities that would develop under idealized stable conditions over the long-term. These classifications are then named for the dominant overstory trees and key indicator plant species that live together in the understory. These classifications are necessary in the everyday practice of forest management. So, timber or cover types have been developed by forest scientists and resource managers from extensive sampling within vegetation zones that have similar elevational, topographic, and soil relationships. These forest/tree types have been neatly and nicely mapped for the largest forested areas in North America. Maps of these type classes are also created for single and multiple forests as part of a forest management plan. Unfortunately, these somewhat rudimentary forest ecosystem classifications do not completely define all flora and fauna biology that determine a true but complex forest ecosystem and certainly not the whole ecosystem itself. Forest Ecology Charles Darwin, famous for his Theory of Evolution, came up with a metaphor he called the tree of life. His Tree of Life imagery illustrates that there is but one common biological nature and origin and that all living species experience and must share space together. His enlightened studies ultimately fathered a new science called Ecology - from the Greek oikos meaning household - and following by necessity comes the study of forest ecology. All ecology deals with the organism and its place to live. Forest ecology is an ecological science dedicated to understanding the complete biotic and abiotic systems within a defined woodland area. A forest ecologist has to deal with basic biology and community population dynamics, species biodiversity, environmental interdependence and how they coexist with human pressures including aesthetic preferences and economic necessity. That person also must be trained to understand the nonliving principles of energy flow, water and gas cycles, weather and topographical influences that effect the biotic community. An Example of a Forest Ecosystem We would love to provide you with a neat description of the perfect forest ecosystem. It would be lovely to find forest ecosystems that are cataloged by similarity and nicely listed by region. Alas, ecosystems are dynamic living things and always subject to things like ecological aging, environmental catastrophe and population dynamics. Its like asking a physicist to seamlessly unify everything from the infinitely small to the infinitely large. The problem with defining a forest ecosystem is the variability of its size with a limited understanding of the systems within systems which are extremely complicated. A forest ecologists job is safe. Defining a forests size in a forest ecosystem that covers several states is completely different than one that occupies just several acres. You can readily see that there could be innumerable systems, depending on the definition of parameters and depth of each study. We may never know all there is to complete the study nor gather all the information necessary to our final satisfaction. We end with this definition of a forest ecosystem developed by the Convention of Biological Diversity: A forest ecosystem can be defined at a range of scales. It is a dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their abiotic environment interacting as a functional unit, where trees are a key component of the system. Humans, with their cultural, economic and environmental needs are an integral part of many forest ecosystems.

Comitia Curiata

Comitia Curiata Definition The Comitia Curiata was an archaic political assembly in ancient Rome that survived in vestigial form until the end of the Republic. Most of what is said about it is supposition. Curiata comes from the term curia, a place of meeting. This location term was applied to curiae, which refers to the 30 kinship groups into which the Roman families were divided and that provided men for the military. These curiae were split among the three tribes of the period of the first king, Romulus. The three Romulan tribes were the Ramnenses, Titienses, and Luceres, supposedly named for: Romulus and connected with the Palatine Hill,the Sabine Titus Tatius and connected with the Quirinal Hill, andan Etruscan warrior named Lucumo, associated with the Caelian. It acted on the votes of its constituent members (the curiae). Each curia had one vote that was based on the majority of the votes of the members of that curia. The function of the Comitia Curiata was to confer imperium and to play certain formal roles, like witnessing adoptions and wills. It may have played a role in the selection of kings. The power of the king and the Senate dwarfed that of the Comitia Curiata during the Regal period. Examples Edward E. Best writes: [The] functions [of the comitia curiata] by the last century of the Republic had become a formality performed by 30 lictors representing each of the curiae. Sources: Literacy and Roman Voting, by Edward E. Best; Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, Bd. 23, H. 4 (4th Qtr., 1974), pp. 428-43.A History of the Roman World 753-146 B.C., by H.H. Scullard; 1961The Beginnings of Rome, by T.J. Cornell; 1995The Servian ReformsHugh LastThe Journal of Roman Studies Vol. 35, Parts 1 and 2 (1945), pp. 30-48.

Post Election Violence in Kenya Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Post Election Violence in Kenya - Essay Example This paper will look into the extent the rigged election brought about the Post Election Violence and also how the other factors contributed to the violence. BACKGROUND During the 2002 election, the opposition of the country which was composed of many parties like, The Democratic Party (DP), led by Mwai Kibaki, Social Democratic Party (SDP), led by Charity Ngilu, Forum for Democratic Change in Kenya (FORD Kenya), under Kijana Wamalwa and a contingent of other minority parties joined hands in an attempt to oust the dominant party Kenya National African Union (KANU) from power. The coalition that was formed by the opposition parties was called the National Alliance of Kenya (NAK) and it was making very serious progresses towards bring an end to the KANU rule, which had been in power since independence in the year 1963. KANU felt threatened and President Moi, in an attempt to win the election tried various strategies in ensuring that the party would win the elections (The Nation, 2008). There were other developments in the ruling party KANU and one of the most destructive was the move by President Moi to support Uhuru Kenyatta to take the chairmanship of the party, which constitutionally would lead Uhuru Kenyatta to become the next president of the country if the party won the elections. This did not go down well with some major party officials who deemed that Uhuru did not have the experience to take up the responsibility that would be bestowed upon him. The president was relentless in his efforts to make Uhuru the president of the country. During the 2002 party elections, Uhuru won the chairmanship and some of the party officials, who also doubled up as ministers in the KANU... During the 2002 election, the opposition of the country which was composed of many parties like, The Democratic Party (DP), led by Mwai Kibaki, Social Democratic Party (SDP), led by Charity Ngilu, Forum for Democratic Change in Kenya (FORD Kenya), under Kijana Wamalwa and a contingent of other minority parties joined hands in an attempt to oust the dominant party Kenya National African Union (KANU) from power. The coalition that was formed by the opposition parties was called the National Alliance of Kenya (NAK) and it was making very serious progresses towards bring an end to the KANU rule, which had been in power since independence in the year 1963. KANU felt threatened and President Moi, in an attempt to win the election tried various strategies in ensuring that the party would win the elections. There were other developments in the ruling party KANU and one of the most destructive was the move by President Moi to support Uhuru Kenyatta to take the chairmanship of the party, which constitutionally would lead Uhuru Kenyatta to become the next president of the country if the party won the elections. This did not go down well with some major party officials who deemed that Uhuru did not have the experience to take up the responsibility that would be bestowed upon him. The president was relentless in his efforts to make Uhuru the president of the country. During the 2002 party elections, Uhuru won the chairmanship and some of the party officials resigned and formed a political movement of their own known as the Liberal Democratic Party

Criminal Organization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal Organization - Research Paper Example MS-13 was formed in 1980s on the streets of Los Angeles’ Rampart and Pico-Union barrios by immigrants running away from civil war in El Salvador. Initially, MS-13 referred to itself as the Mara Salvatrucha Stoners2. It stressed partying and friendship, and the members defended each other from Hispanic bunch of criminals that intimidated them. MS-13 has evolved into a latent, atrocious, transnational criminal organization right from its foundation as a turf-oriented street gang. MS-13 had its origin in the barrios of 1980s Los Angeles (LA). It was started with an objective of providing its members with a means of negotiating economic adversity, victimization and social isolation by other gangs just like any other LA gangs. Gangs advance an alternative, yet powerful individuality for individual associates in doing so, and usual provide entry into wider criminal activities3. MS-13, translated slackly as street-smart Salvadoran group, appeared as a means for Salvadoran immigrants to unite together against exploitation by the then dominant 18th Street gang. The Mara Salvatrucha Stoners evolved into Mara Salvatrucha 13 when it became a section of the constellation of Sureà ±os- gangs in the red fealty to the Mexican mafia prison gang referred to as La Eme. The 13 refers to the letter M (Eme) the 13th letter of the alphabet, not 13th street as is usually incorrectly stipulated. Since it was formed, the gang known as ms-13 has been evolving from a territorial gang to a more sophisticated gang that is working in the disguise of development activities, like influencing on good grounds and creating opportunities. Instead, the gang that was formed with positive intension has turned out to be a gang of thugs. They have been divided in order of ranks. Members of this gang assume that the gang is brought together by peaceful links and co-existence amongst themselves4. Hence, it is assumed that members from Los Angeles and San

Is Was Unfortunate That AIDS Hit The Gay Community First :: Gay Lesbian Issues Essays

Is Was Unfortunate That AIDS Hit The Gay Community First If the United States had known 20 years ago what it knows now about the transmission and progression of HIV, it would have most likely taken greater steps to contain the spread of the virus. However, it was then unknown that each diagnosed case of AIDS represented hundreds of cases of undiagnosed HIV in the greater population. It was also unknown that HIV's eight-year incubation coupled with its mode of sexual transmission would rapidly result in one of the worst epidemics in modern history. In hindsight it is unfortunate that AIDS first broke out among a sector of american society which was as marginalized and sexually liberated as was the gay male sector of american society. Despite all the positive measures taken by the gay community to promote AIDS awareness and research after the epidemic broke out, the adversarial relationship they had with the Reagan administration and the promiscuity associated with their sexual revolution contributed towards the spread of AIDS. In the HBO movie, And the Band Played On, adapted from Randy Shilts's best-selling book of the same title, it is suggested that the spread of the AIDS epidemic could have been contained had the health issue been given appropriate attention and funding from the outset. This may not be true. Whether or not AIDS could have been contained may have depended on the population it was affecting. If so, the fact that AIDS hit the homosexual population first may have been particularly unfavorable for two reasons. First, according to the best information on the risk of transmission associated with certain behaviors made available by the CDC, anal sex is the act mostly likely to transmit AIDS. Anal sex is practiced in the male homosexual population far more than in any other sector of american society. Second, the gay male population was considerably promiscuous in the early 1980s as a result of their recent sexual revolution. Sexually transmitted disease such as syphilis, gonorrhea, and HIV ran rampant through public bath houses, where gay men would engage in anonymous sex with other men. These two factors contributed significantly to the spread of AIDS. While it is impossible to know if the AIDS epidemic could have been completely contained, it is certainly true that an earlier understanding of the HIV virus and its modes of transmission would have dissuaded some people from engaging in the types of high-risk behaviors associated with HIV transmission, and hence saved lives.

Compare the suitability of Greenfield and Brownfield sites for housing development

A) Compare the suitability of Greenfield and Brownfield sites for housing development If new homes were built, then some would be in rural areas and some in the cities. There are major arguments over the proportion of the new households that should be in cities, rural areas, villages and towns. This has become the debate other whether new homes should be on Greenfield or Brownfield land, which are vague terms. Brownfield land is sometimes used to refer to land in urban areas. A more narrow definition is land urban areas that have been previously developed often for industry, offices and housing. Some Brownfield sites will have been cleared of old building, others will not. Brownfield land can be found in both major cities and small towns. Greenfield land is land that has never been developed and includes wasteland that no one ever wanted to build on, protected areas such as the green belt, and parks, golf courses and playing fields. There is both rural Greenfield land and urban Greenfield land. It is not the same as greenbelt land. The target set by the Government is for 60% of new houses to be on Brownfield land. Countryside and environmental organisations have argued the figure should be nearer 75%. The Urban Task Force, established in 1998 by the government argued that the 60% target would not be met for 3 reasons: there is a mismatch between where land is available (northern England) and where pressure for housing is the greatest (south east England); too much Greenfield land is already allocated for housing; the supply for Brownfield land is quite limited, sometimes in undesirable locations and often as high development costs due to clearing old buildings and contamination. Those who support a high proportion of new houses on urban Brownfield sites claim that it has economic, social and environmental benefits. Urban residents will be near to work and leisure activities will be able to use public transport, this would mean less car-related energy use and pollution. Brownfield development would protect rural lifestyles and the countryside and increase in car use would be averted. Arguments for building on rural Greenfield sites claim that land is usually cheaper to develop in rural areas because it has not been built on before. There is still plenty of rural land. In 1991, only 10.6% of land in England was in urban use and if development patterns continued as they have done then this figure would rise to only 11.9% by 2016. Much agricultural land is doing nothing. In 1995, 545,000 hectares of farming land (5.8% of the total) were set aside and receiving European Union subsidy. Also many farmers are experiencing difficulties, 60,000 farming jobs have been lost in the last decade. People want to live in environmentally pleasant rural areas because they have less pollution, crime and noise. This includes many of the new households that will be single person households, such as divorced people with children and widowers, many of whom will not want to live in densely populated cities. B) What are the consequences of re-urbanisation in Brighton and Hove and to what extent has this resulted in gentrification. Examples of gentrification have been shown in the consequences of Brighton and Hove's re urbanisation. Gentrification is the process where by sustained buildings in an inner area of a city are bought and improved to become homes for the middle class and wealthy. This has occurred in a number of areas in Brighton and Hove. An example of the renovation of Brighton and Hove is shown at City College in Richmond Terrace, where the windows have been designed with ‘stained' glass. Previous windows had suffered deterioration through lack of maintenance and investment since the 1960's. The main cause of this deterioration was due to the fact that the Richmond Terrace site had very little money to pay for repairs and maintenance for the windows as not many students were taking up the science and engineering courses the site had to offer. This was mainly due to the fact that there was a reduction in apprenticeship schemes. This eventually led to the abandonment of the site. Amenities and other additions made the redevelopment of the site a costly process. However, this was helped by private investments. One and two bedroom apartments have been created within the college and the prices for these starts at around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½200,000. Since the re urbanisation of Brighton and Hove, many sites, like Richmond Terrace, have been recognised as having potential for gentrification. The modernisation of houses in Pelham Square within the North Laine area is another example. These run-down terrace houses now accommodate the wealthy. Private homeowners have gentrified them with no direct intervention from the Council. Gentrification also occurred after the Argus offices re-located out of this zone to an industrial estate. The building was left empty before a major fire in the winter of 1999/2000; this led to it becoming derelict. However, this has now led to it becoming an area of high status designer homes. Although to a large extent Brighton and Hove's re urbanisation has resulted in gentrification, there have been other consequences. The renovation of the North Laine area has been sensitive to preserve its character, an example of which is the improvement made to the Sydney Street. The narrow street has been made a one-way thoroughfare so less traffic passes through. It also has a widened pavement to accommodate for pedestrians and has been repaved. There are also sections of raised road to slow cars, and bollards have been erected to discourage parking on the pavements thereby making the street more pleasant. Brighton and Hove has received Single Regeneration Budget funding from the government for urban improvement because the council has proved to be effective in this area, this funding is also there because the area has been recognized as having a relatively high incidence of social problems and unemployment. To gain this funding, the council must locate matched investment, thus contributing to Brighton and Hove's re urbanisation and revitalisation as ‘the place to be'.

Evaluation Of A Use Case Analysis - 1392 Words

6.0 USE CASE ANALYSIS The Use Case analysis is a method which focuses highly on the systems functional Requirements and when completed will consist of a Use Case Model. The model consists of actors, Use cases, use case scenarios and other criteria which helps represents the use case. Within a use case Model there are many relationships (generalization, include and extends) which help represent the flow and functionality of the system and its entity’s. A Use case describes the behaviour of a process within a system and usually has relationships with actors (external sources who interact with system). A Use Case scenario is identifying the specific executions carried out during a Use Case and these help create and gather requirements. Requirement Specification Approaches Evaluations Volere O’ Brien Use Case analysis Advantages Reduces Risk Of Requirements not being executed Easier for business directors to understand approach Manages the complexity of the system Follows a highly recommendable structure Highly supported for Testing Shows interaction with the system in an understandable way Reduces Risk of Scope changes Focuses from the start on business goals Helps envisage the outcomes from the system by analysing processes Allows for the business requirements to be modified Easy to organize architecturally important requirements Shows inputs to the processes and is the basis for requirements Disadvantages Requires a high amount of business time and resources MethodShow MoreRelatedApplications for Big Data Analysis1806 Words   |  7 Pagesintelligence, neural networks and other advanced analytics methods \cite{russom}. 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