**Biological Sciences**

The sixth chapter of this volume is by João Carvalho, Manuela Magalhães, and Selma Pena and covers the analysis of forest ecology for landscape planning. In "Spatial and Temporal Variability Regarding Forest – From Tree to the Landscape," the authors discuss the ramifications of scale on the assessment of the integrity, biodiversity, and viability of forests in Portugal. An important lesson described in this chapter is that spatial variability varies with spatial scale. Or to put it differently, one could possibly not see the forest for the trees and that attention to scale is vitally important to assessment. Such mindfulness to spatial scale should guide the selection of the metrics (biodiversity, forest fire risk, disturbance, fragmentation, etc.) by which the conditions of a forest are judged. Interventions in using forested lands must focus on clearly stated management goals and those goals need to vary with spatial scale and

by location. They demonstrate approaches to assessments of the spatial variable of the health and sustainability of forests.

In chapter 7, "Ecological and Social Impacts of Aquacultural Introduction to Philippines Waters of Pacific Whiteleg Shrimp Penaeus vannamei" by Marlon S. Alejos, Augusto E. Serrano Jr., Yashier U. Jumah, Rey dela Calzada, Cyril Tom B. Ranara, and Jumari C. Fernandez, we learn of the implications of introduced species for a region's ecosystems. The problem of introduced (i.e., non-native) species for indigenous ecologies and their human communities is a well-known matter. In this study, however, the authors review the evidence of ramifications from aquacultural farming of a species of shrimp from the other side of the ocean, a process of introduction that began more than 50 years ago. They examine the consequences of accidental releases of shrimp into the region's environments: the likelihood of survival and reproduction of escapees, the impacts to native shrimp, the impacts on other biota, the consequences of ecosystems, and human communities in the region. Their analysis of the evidence showed that much remains unknown about the matter, but that "no evidence" does not mean "no impact." They demonstrate the importance of the spatial variability of economic activities tied to disturbance of native species and ecosystems.
