The Iranian plateau is an ideal area for investigating the relationship be? tween ecological and sociological factors because of its stark aridity, on the one hand, and its historical role as a meeting place of ethnic and cultural movements on the other. The part of the plateau which forms the southeast corner of Persia is particularly interesting from this point of view. Over an area of some 2...

This paper proposes a framework for rethinking the conservation and appropriation of biological diversity from the perspective of social movements. It argues that biodiversity, although with concrete biophysical referents, is a discourse of recent origin. This discourse fosters a complex network of diverse actors, from international organizations and NGOs to local communities and social movemen...

Social dilemmas have long been studied formally as cooperation games that pit individual gains against those of the group. In the real world, individuals face an ecology of games where they play many such games simultaneously, often with overlapping co-players. Here, we study an agent-based model of an ecology of public goods games and compare the effectiveness of two institutional mechanisms f...

A rise in qualitative social science manuscripts published in ecology and conservation journals speaks to the growing awareness of the importance of the human dimension in maintaining and improving Earth’s ecosystems. Given the rise in the quantity of qualitative social science research published in ecology and conservation journals, it is worthwhile quantifying the extent to which this researc...

It is already common knowledge that ecology benefits from advances in various fields of mathematics. Network theory [1] introduced new opportunities in exploring species interactions incorporating trophic, mutualistic, facilitative, antagonistic relationships, by targeting superior level of integration compared to pair wise approach of classical ecology. Interactions are key elements of structu...

It is already common knowledge that ecology benefits from advances in various fields of mathematics. Network theory [1] introduced new opportunities in exploring species interactions incorporating trophic, mutualistic, facilitative, antagonistic relationships, by targeting superior level of integration compared to pair wise approach of classical ecology. Interactions are key elements of structu...

Human population biology is largely and appropriately an anthropological endeavor in which attempts are made to understand why our species is so adept at adjusting to change. The question is of obvious relevance, not only for understanding our evolutionary past and the factors contributing to present diversity, but also in trying to comprehend the limits of our biological capacity to adapt to t...

Understanding animal decision-making involves simultaneously dissecting and reconstructing processes across levels of biological organization, such as behavior, physiology, brain function, well considering the environment in which decisions are made. Over past few decades, foundational breakthroughs originating from a variety model systems disciplines have painted an increasingly comprehensive ...

Building upon ten years of empirical work, this paper refl ects on how to study increasingly complex user engagement with transmedial worlds. We examine our own analytical evolution from an initial aesthetic orientation to our current eff ort to incorporate the useŕ s own perspective through qualitative and quantitative studies. We argue that mapping user experience requires a sophisticated and...