Interpretation of Information Theory (H') as an index of comunity structure.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37543/oceanides.v23i1-2.41Keywords:
Information theory, diversity, entropy, theoretical ecology, complexityAbstract
Information theory (IT) has been used in the many different disciplines of communication. However, only in few cases an examination for complying with the assumptions of IT have been carried out
and thus ensure that the results allow for the generation of theory. In this order, in this review several interpretations of the IT in ecological investigation are examined through consideration of the basis from which the IT algorithms have been derived, mainly H´. It was noted that three versions of the IT are used for describing ecologic phenomena, and that the measurement of information can be used as an indicator of diversity but requires conversion. Likewise, that a discrimination between diversity and information
measurements is convenient inasmuch the latter measures statistical structure which can be used to
describe community structure. This allows for exploring further interpretations of H´ such as its predictive capability.
Downloads
References
Branson, H.R. 1953. Information theory and the structure of proteins. En: H. Quastler (Ed.), Information theory in biology. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Brillouin, L. 1949. Life, thermodynamics, and cybernetics. American Scientist, 37: 554-568. https://doi.org/10.3109/00016484909120285
Brissaud, J. B. 2005. The meanings of entropy. Entropy, 7(1): 68-96. https://doi.org/10.3390/e7010068
Brower, J.E., J.H. Zar & C. N. Von Ende. 1998. Field and laboratory methods for general ecology. 4a. edición. W. C. B.-McGraw-Hill, E.U.A., 273 pp.
Hill, M. O. 1973. Diversity and evenness: a unifiying notation and its consequences. Ecology, 54(2):427-432. https://doi.org/10.2307/1934352
Hurd, L. E., M. W. Mellinger, L. L. Wolf & S. J. McNaughton. 1971. Stability and diversity at three trophic levels in terrestrial successional ecosystems. Science, 173: 1134-1136. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.173.4002.1134
Hulbert, S. H. 1971. The non-concept of species diversity: a critique and alternative parameters. Ecology, 52: 577-586. https://doi.org/10.2307/1934145
Jaynes, E. T. 1957. Information theory and statistical mechanics. Physical Rev., 106 (4): 620-630. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.106.620
Jaynes, E. T. 1963. New engineering applications of information theory, 163. En: Bogdanoff & F. Kozin (eds.) Engineering Uses of Random Function Theory and Probability. Wiley, New York.
Jost, L. 2006. Entropy and diversity. Oikos, 113(2): 363-375. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2006.0030-1299.14714.x
Kay, J.J. 1984. Self-Organization in Living systems. Tesis doctoral de la Ingeniería en diseño de sistemas, Univerdsidad de Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 458p.
Kay, J.J. & E. Sohngder. 1992. Thermodynamic and measures of ecosystem integrity, 159-1982. En: Ecological Indicators, Volume 1, D.H. McKenzie, D.E. Hyatt, V.J. Mc Donald (eds.), Proceedings of the International Symposium on Ecological Indicators, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4659-7_12
Kay, J. J., T. Allen, R. Fraser, J. Luvall, & R. Ulanowicz. 2001. "Can we use energy based indicators to characterize and measure the status of ecosystems, human, disturbed and natural?", 121-133. En: Ulgiati, S., Brown, M.T., Giampietro, M., Herendeen, R., Mayumi, K., (eds) Proceedings of the international work shop: Advances in Energy Studies: exploring supplies, constraints and strategies, Porto Venere, Italy.
Kolasa, J. & E. Biesiadka. 1984. Diversity concept in ecology. Acta Biotheor., 33:145-162. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00052643
Lovelock, J. 1979. Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth. Oxford University Press, 176 p.
Lovelock, J. 1988. Ages of Gaia. Oxford University Press, 305 p.
MacArthur, R. 1955. Fluctuations of animal populations and a measure of community stability. Ecology, 36: 533-536. https://doi.org/10.2307/1929601
Magurran, A. E. 1988. Ecological diversity and its measurement. Croom Helm, London, 179 p. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7358-0
Margalef, R. 1951. Diversidad de especies en las comunidades naturales. Publicaciones del Instituto de Biologia Aplicada, 9:15-27.
Margalef, R. 1957. La teoría de la información en Ecología. Memorias de la Real Academia de Ciencias y Artes de Barcelona, 32: 373-449.
Margalef, R. 1969. Diversity stability in ecological systems. BrookhavenSymposium of Biology, 22: 25-37.
Margalef, 1975. Diversity, stability and maturity in natural ecosystems, 161-170. En: Van Dobben & Lowe-McConnell. (Eds.) Unifying Concepts in Ecology. Junk. The Hague. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-1954-5_12
May, R. M. 1973. Stability and Complexity in Model Ecosystems. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Nicolis, G. & I. Prigogine. 1977. Self-Organization in Non-Equilibrium Systems. Wiley-Interscience. New York.
Nicolis, G. & I. Prigogine. 1989. Exploring Complexity. Freeman. New York.
Peet, P. K. 1974. The measurement of species diversity. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 15: 285-307. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.05.110174.001441
Pielou, E. C. 1966. The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collections. J. Theor. Biol., 13: 131-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-5193(66)90013-0
Pielou, E. C. 1969. An introduction to mathematical ecology. Wiley Interscience, New York, 286 p.
Pielou, E. C. 1975. Ecological diversity. Wiley. New York, 165 p.
Rubio, J. E. 1999. Autonomía epistemológica de los niveles de organización. Ludus Vitalis, 7(12): 59-72.
Schneider, E.D & J. J. Kay. 1994. "Complexity and Thermodynamics: Towards a New Ecology". Futures, 24(6): 626-647. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-3287(94)90034-5
Shannon, C.E. 1949. The mathematical theory of communication, 29-125. En: Shannon, C. E. & W. Weaver (Eds.) The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press. E.U.A. 125 p.
Simpson, E. H. 1949. Measurement of diversity. Nature, 163:668. https://doi.org/10.1038/163688a0
Siqueiros Beltrones, D. A. 2005. Una paradoja sobre uniformidad vs. orden y estabilidad en la medida de la diversidad de especies según la teoría de la información. Ludus Vitalis, 13(24): 83-92.
Solano Rojas, W. E. 1994. Orden y desorden: De las leyes de la naturaleza a la naturaleza de las leyes. Ludus Vitalis, 2(3): 115-136.
Ulanowicz, R.E. 2000. Toward the measurement of ecological integrity, 99-113. En: Pimentel, D., L. Westra & R.F. Noss (Eds.) Ecological Integrity: Integrating Environment, Conservation and Health. Island Press, Washington. DC.
Ulanowicz, R.E. 2001. Information theory in ecology. Comput. Chem., 25:393-399. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0097-8485(01)00073-0
Van Dam, H. 1982. On the use of measures of structure and diversity in applied diatom ecology. Nova Hedwigia, 48:97-115.
Washington, H.G. 1984. Diversity, biotic and similarity indices. Water Research, 18 (6): 653-694. https://doi.org/10.1016/0043-1354(84)90164-7
Weaver, W. 1963. Recent contributions to the mathematical theory of communication, 1-28. En: Shannon, C. E. y W. Weaver (Eds.) The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press. E.U.A., 125 p.
Whittaker, R. H. 1965. Dominance and diversity in land plant community. Science, 147: 250-260. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.147.3655.250
Yule, G. U. 1944. The statistical study of literary vocabulary. Cambridge University Press.
Xu, D. 1999. Energy, entropy and information potential for neural computation. Tesis doctoral. Universidad de Florida, Florida.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2008 O. U. Hernández Almeida
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
