This volume was first published in 1981. The history of man's use of arid lands is a sad record of deterioration of the natural resource base and of low and declining living standards for the 300 million people who live in them. One prerequisite to meeting the challenge of reversing the deterioration and of raising living standards is a sound knowledge of the natural ecosystems.

This book was first published in 1979. If we are to improve our control and conservation of the food resources of the oceans of the world it is particularly important to increase our understanding of the basic mechanisms that control the abundance, distribution and production of marine organisms. The Productivity Marine (PM) section of the IBP filled an important role in concentrating international effort on specific problems of production, ecosystem structure and function, aquaculture, and the effects of mankind upon the marine environment.

First published in 1980, this important book brings together the results of worldwide research (from the tropics to the Arctic) to determine the relative productivity of different freshwater environments, especially lakes. The investigations are presented in a comparative manner and the underlying causes considered. In addition this book is a useful summary of the extensive work done in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and it makes these results available to a wider audience. The many authors are internationally recognized authorities and their syntheses are based on special studies...

Mussels represent an important food source in many parts of the world, including Europe, South America and the Far East, and they have considerable potential as a protein source for many developing countries. In addition, mussels are widely used in pollution studies, and in fundamental ecological and physiological investigations. This book, first published in 1976, is a critical review of information on this group of animals, and sets out the material with suggestions for the future direction of research. The subjects covered include the ecology, physiology, biochemistry, genetics and the...

Social insects are amongst the most successful species. This study concentrates on the production ecology of ants and termites. Ants and termites are highly socialised and their groupings in their most developed form enable them to function as large organisms comparable with the larger mammals in their influence in ecosystems. In spite of their social mode of life, quantitative investigations are not easy and this volume emphasises the importance of developing reliable techniques. The account deals critically with production, food and feeding habits, respiration and energy flow, nutrient...

The International Biological Programme investigated the biology of circumpolar human populations in the period 1967 1974. This research was carried out by multidisciplinary teams and covered demography, genetics, craniofacial development, growth, ophthalmology, nutrition physiology and behaviour. The populations studied include Eskimos, Lapps and Ainu as well as certain of those from Russia. The environment inhabited by the populations has low temperatures, seasonal extremes of light and dark and relatively meagre ecological resources, but despite such harsh conditions the groups have...

One of the objectives of investigations carried out within the Human Adaptability section of the International Biological Programme was to obtain comparable data on population characteristics over a wide range of ecosystems. This volume provides a brief survey of the variables affecting the physiological work capacity of various populations. The items considered include body weight, fatness, maximum oxygen intake, muscular strength, and the process of oxygen transport from the air to the working muscles. The discussion is based largely on data collected under the auspices of the IBP, using...

This volume is a collection of eleven studies conducted during the International Biological Programme on the biological structure of human populations.

This volume, which is based upon years of research effort and numerous meetings by a large number of scientists throughout the world, brings together different 'schools' of ecological investigation of woodlands. After a description of the structure and floristic composition of the research sites, involving a comparison of boreal, temperate, Mediterranean and tropical forest, the study goes on to consider the dynamic aspects of the woodland formation. These include growth and succession, carbon dioxide balance, water relations, soil processes and chemical cycling. Further chapters discuss...

The peoples of the high-altitude regions of the world have long fascinated both scientists and laymen from the lowlands. This book, while it draws heavily on the research conducted in the International Biological Programme, is a comprehensive review of our knowledge about the biology of the high-altitude peoples of the world. While several other accounts have considered the general problems of human populations living and working under the reduced oxygen pressure found at high altitude, this volume is the first attempt to analyse the total human biology of the peoples of the world living in...