Phase 1 question preview

1. Please identify any states or phases which should be omitted from the state-and-transition model. You may select more than one.

2. Please identify any states or phases which are currently not in the model, but should be added to the state and transition model.

[Please briefly list structural properties like dominant species or overall vegetative cover (whatever you feel is important to mention), and functional properties & processes such as fire return intervals, or low soil stability, or whatever may be important. Please indicate any feedback mechanisms which tend to maintain these states.]

3. Please identify any transitions which should be omitted from the state-and-transition model. You may select more than one.

4. Please identify any transitions which are currently not in the model but should be added to the state and transition model.

[For each addition provide, the starting state/phase and ending state/phase for which the transition applies. Identify plausible trigger mechanisms. Also please provide a brief explanation of the process that brings about the transition, e.g. fire, insect outbreak, drought, grazing. Please note the dominant scale of the trigger mechanism, and the importance of temporal convergence and order with other mechanisms (e.g. simultaneous drought and grazing may function as a trigger when either alone do not). Also suggest monitor-able indicators.]

5. Please estimate your overall confidence that a new revised model which takes into account your proposed modifications is the correct model of the most important ecosystem states, processes and dynamics of the ecosite in question.

[Please answer on a subjective scale of 0 – 100% certainty. Enter any value in this range. To help you answer: 0% means “It’s anyone’s guess, this model is no better than any other model”, 50% means “Because this model is reasonable I would tend to believe it until evidence to the contrary is presented”, 100% means “The model is so well-supported by evidence and accumulated knowledge, that I am certain it is correct.”]

6. If your level of confidence in any particular state/phase or transition differs from the value above please estimate your confidence (any value, 0 - 100%) for that model component in the appropriate box. In case you are estimating a confidence in a state or transition suggested by you in questions 2 and 4, please use the “other” options to identify it.

[If you do not provide answers to 6 we will assume they are the same as the answers to 5 in all cases.]

7. Please take a moment to think of any individual, or group of individuals, who is/are to your knowledge the best qualified to develop a state-and-transition model for this ecosite. This could include yourself, or any other persons. “Best” qualified may or may not mean highly qualified; sometimes no one is highly qualified. Now, in the hypothetical scenario that this person, or group of persons, had prepared a state-and-transition model for this ecosite using all of the data, knowledge and experience available to them, estimate how much confidence you would have that it is the correct model of the most important ecosystem states, processes and dynamics of the ecosite in question.

[Please answer on a subjective scale of 0 – 100% certainty. Enter any value in this range. To help you answer: 0% means “It’s anyone’s guess, any person could produce an equally good or bad model”, 50% means “Because this model is reasonable I would tend to believe it until evidence to the contrary is presented”, 100% means “The model is so well-supported by evidence and accumulated knowledge, that I am certain it is correct”.]

8. Use this box for additional comments that do not fit the previous question. Please identify yourself. This will not be viewable by other respondants, but will enable us to know which of the finite qualified respondents have answered so we can acknowledge them. Also if you like, tell us what you like/dislike about this survey and how it could be improved. We are also interested in hearing suggestions of people we should contact who might know this ecosystem.