The Biology of Coastal Sand Dunes

ISBN-13: 9780198570356 / Angielski / Twarda / 2009 / 288 str.

M. Anwar Maun

Opis

Coastal zones are becoming increasingly topical (and politically sensitive) as they face relentless pressures from urban expansion, recreational development and sea level rise due to climate change. This timely book provides a comprehensive introduction to the formation, dynamics, maintenance and perpetuation of coastal sand dune systems. It describes the interactions between living organisms and the physical processes of geomorphology, with particular emphasis on conservation and management issues due to this habitat's increasingly endangered status. A global range of examples enhance the book's international appeal, which also includes coverage of the latest methods/techniques and experimental approaches with suggestions for student-based field studies and projects.
This accessible text is suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in coastal zone management, marine biology, plant ecology, restoration ecology and conservation biology, as well as the many professional ecologists and conservation biologists requiring a concise but authoritative overview of the topic. The book will also be of relevance and use to coastal managers, planners and naturalists.

Recenzje

...the book is a mine of information, especially from a historical point of view, and provides a refreshing reminder of the efforts of past researchers...This posthumous work is to be greatly welcomed as it is the synthesis of a lifetime of perspective observation and experimentation into coastal duno systems throughout the world, and is an excellent addition to any ecological library, public or private.

O autorze

Anwar Maun attended Punjab University in Lahore, where he received a Merit Scholarship as well as both a BSc and MSc (agricultural botany). After completing another MSc at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon he won the Graduate Exchange Scholarship to Washington State University where he completed his PhD in crop ecology. In 1968 Anwar moved to the University of Western Ontario as a postdoctoral fellow, and in 1971 he was appointed to Assistant Professor, rising to the rank of Professor in 1986. Anwar was the author of more than 100 scientific papers and articles, with the majority focused on sand dune ecology, a field in which he became recognized as a world expert. For many years Anwar was an Associate Editor of the Canadian Journal of Botany, in addition to being on the editorial board of the Journal of Coastal Research. Anwar retired from UWO in 2000, and sadly passed away in September 2007.