Episode 4: Zooming In and Out with Heterogeneity and Scale

In order to understand the object or system of study, we need to first identify the lens or boundaries we are using to conduct the observation. This is as true for resilience as any other area of scientific study. Heterogeneity and scale are the concepts we use to assess the appropriate boundaries for studying a particular object or system. Together, these two ideas account for differences we see in an object or system over a physical area or over time. In today’s episode, we describe heterogeneity and scale, explain important components within these two ideas, and apply them to a few examples in social and ecological systems. Funding support from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center for Great Plains Studies, https://www.unl.edu/plains/welcome Contact Us: whrapodcast@gmail.com Council for Resilience Education website: cre.unl.edu Online module for heterogeneity: https://passel2.unl.edu/view/lesson/693436a85575 Online module for scale: https://passel2.unl.edu/view/lesson/ab491bda9f88 References: Chrobak, U. 2020, Nov. 24. Severe wildfires raise the chance for future monstrous blazes. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/severe-wildfires-raise-the-chance-for-future-monstrous-blazes/ Fuhlendorf, S. D., Fynn, R. W. S., McGranahan, D. A., and Twidwell, D. 2017. Heterogeneity as the Basis for Rangeland Management. In D. D. Briske (Ed.), Rangeland Systems: Processes, Management and Challenges, 169–196. Springer, Cham. Souza, F.L., Valente-Neto, F., Severo-Neto, F., Bueno, B., Ochoa-Quintero, J.M., Laps, R.R., Bolzan, F., and de Oliveira Roque, F. Impervious surface and heterogeneity are opposite drivers to maintain bird richness in a Cerrado city. 2019. Landscape and Urban Planning, 192, 103643. Stokstad, E. 2020, Dec. 8. In surprising sign of resilience, some corals can survive long heat waves. Science Magazine. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/12/surprising-sign-resilience-some-corals-can-survive-long-heat-waves Music licensed from www.purple-planet.com