The structure and function of grasslands worldwide have been disrupted by habitat fragmentation, the removal of native grazers and altered ?re frequency (Samson and Knopf 1994). Such changes threaten the integrity of native grassland communities of plants and animals in many ways and at many levels (Janzen 1983; Collins 2000; Cully and Michaels 2000). Habitat fragmentation alters size, spacing and context of habitat patches, which can result in an increase in the local rate of extinction of plant and animal species by reducing fecundity, population size and colonization of species from...
The structure and function of grasslands worldwide have been disrupted by habitat fragmentation, the removal of native grazers and altered ?re frequen...
This book brings together a selection of original studies that address biodiversity and conservation in Europe. The contributions are drawn from a wide range of countries and discuss diverse organism and habitat types. They collectively provide a snap-shot of the sorts of studies and actions being taken in Europe to address issues in biodiversity and conservation topical examples that make the volume especially valuable for use in conservation biology courses.
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This book brings together a selection of original studies that address biodiversity and conservation in Europe. The contributions are drawn from a ...
Despite their enormous bulk and complexity of architecture, plants make up only around a quarter of a million of the 8 million or so species on Earth. The major components of biodiversity, instead, are the smaller, largely unseen, silent majority of invertebrates most of which are arthropods. Vertebrates, a mere blip on the biotic horizon, are elevated in importance in the bigger scheme of things only by the human psyche.
This collection of more than 30 peer-reviewed papers focuses on the diversity and conservation of arthropods, whose species inhabit virtually every recess and...
Despite their enormous bulk and complexity of architecture, plants make up only around a quarter of a million of the 8 million or so species on Ear...
Marine, coastal and wetland habitats are threatened, not only through exploitation, but also by the prospect of climate change as ocean currents change course, sea levels rise, and rainfall patterns change. Even the once-common cod is now under threat from the combined effects of over-fishing and a dramatic change-induced decrease in the plankton that cod larvae feed on. Meanwhile, coral reefs remain especially vulnerable to rapid sea-level changes exacerbated by the effects of tourism and disease.
This book gathers together a wide range of papers reporting on key research into the...
Marine, coastal and wetland habitats are threatened, not only through exploitation, but also by the prospect of climate change as ocean currents ch...
Non-timber forest products (NTFP) hold economic and cultural signi?cance for millions of people across the globe. For instance, hundreds of millions of rural peoples currently derive a signi?cant portion of both their subsistence needs and cash income from gathered plant and animal products (Iqbal 1993; Vedeld et al. 2004). Thousands of wild NTFP are also harvested for local use in other cultural and religious activities, such as rituals, ceremonies and dances (e. g. FAO 1991). A growing body of literature has illustrated that NTFP harvest can have e- logical consequences at multiple...
Non-timber forest products (NTFP) hold economic and cultural signi?cance for millions of people across the globe. For instance, hundreds of millions o...
This book presents a wide range of contributions addressing diverse aspects of biodiversity exploitation and conservation. These collectively provide a snapshot of ongoing action and state-of-the-art research, rather than a series of necessarily more superficial overviews. Examples presented here derive from studies in 17 countries including Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. These reports will stimulate future work toward attaining a sustainable balance between the conservation and exploitation of biodiversity.
This book presents a wide range of contributions addressing diverse aspects of biodiversity exploitation and conservation. These collectively provi...
1 Plantation forests and biodiversity: Oxymoron or opportunity? Forests form the natural vegetation over much of the Earth's land, and they are critical for the survival of innumerable organisms. The ongoing loss of natural forests, which in some regions may have taken many millennia to develop, is one of the main reasons for the decline of biodiversity. Preventing the further destruction of forests and protecting species and ecosystems within forests have become central issues for environmental agencies, forest managers, and gove- ments. In this di?cult task science has an important role in...
1 Plantation forests and biodiversity: Oxymoron or opportunity? Forests form the natural vegetation over much of the Earth's land, and they are critic...
Natural forests with thousands of years of ecological continuity are unrivalled as the treasure store of terrestrial biodiversity on Earth. And while there is currently no fully comprehensive inventory of the biota associated with any given forest, it is reasonable to assume that in conserving natural forests we can conserve the myriads of unnamed bacteria, fungi, insects, mites and nematodes that forests support.
Drawing on diverse research from biodiversity experts around the world, this collection of papers reflects the diversity of forest types and forest issues that concern...
Natural forests with thousands of years of ecological continuity are unrivalled as the treasure store of terrestrial biodiversity on Earth. And while ...
There is still a widespread belief that microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, protists, and small multicellulars, have a cosmopolitan distribution due to a presumed easy dispersal by wind and water. However, the contributions collected in this book - ranging from protists to rotifers and mosses - show that microorganisms have community structures and biogeographies similar to those found in animals and vascular plants, although the ranges of many can be wider and local endemism is rarer. Accordingly, the cosmopolitan distribution model of Finlay and Fenchel is to be replaced by...
There is still a widespread belief that microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, protists, and small multicellulars, have a cosmopolitan dis...
This book brings together a selection of 22 original studies submitted to Biodiversity and Conservation that address aspects of methods and practice in biodiversity conservation. The contributions deal with a wide variety of approaches to site selection and management, especially the use of bioindicators, surrogates, and other approaches to site selection. As no complete inventory of all taxa in any one site has yet been achieved, alternative strategies are essential and bioindicators or surrogates come to the fore. The articles included cover a wide range of organisms used in such...
This book brings together a selection of 22 original studies submitted to Biodiversity and Conservation that address aspects of methods and practic...
