Kategoria BISAC: Nature >> Ecology

Lakes and rivers of the tropics are rich with variety and human relevance, yet do not figure prominently in surveys of general freshwater biology and limnology. The details of the scientific exploration of these lakes and rivers are mostly represented only in regional and specialist descriptions and analyses. In this book, the authors take a generalized view, on a worldwide scale, that is dynamic and quantitative in outlook. They integrate events and processes under tropical conditions--not only geographically, but also within a continuum of physics, chemistry, and biology--to provide a...

This study presents an systematic approach to water quality assessment, hybrid modelling and decision support for eutrophication management in deep reservoirs. It is found that during the summer monsoon the catchment runoff into the Yongdam reservoir induces a trandsfer of pollutants from a middle stratified layer to the surface layer. Although the transport mechanism limits nutrient accumulation on the bottom of the reservoir, it also offers an opportunity for on-going algae production in the surface water. Physically based modelling is used to understand the process of micro-scale turbulent...

Taking a broad and innovative informational approach, Sustainable Agriculture and New Biotechnologies is the first book to apply omic technologies to address issues related to understanding and improving agricultural sustainability in the food production process. The transformation from industrial to sustainable agriculture is discussed within the frameworks of new biotechnologies and global environmental changes. While considering this transformation, the book covers:

• The use of new biotechnologies to help in the creation of more sustainable agricultural...

Aliens live among us. Thousands of species of nonnative flora and fauna have taken up residence within U.S. borders. Our lawns sprout African grasses, our roadsides flower with European weeds, and our homes harbor Asian, European, and African pests. Misguided enthusiasts deliberately introduced carp, kudzu, and starlings. And the American cowboy spread such alien life forms as cows, horses, tumbleweed, and anthrax, supplanting and supplementing the often unexpected ways "Native" Americans influenced the environment. Aliens in the Backyard recounts the origins and impacts of these and other...

In the face of decreasing biodiversity and ongoing global changes, maintaining ecosystem functioning is seen both as a means to preserve biological diversity as well as for safeguarding human wellbeing by securing the services ecosystems provide. The concept today is prominent in many fields of ecology and conservation biology, such as biodiversity research, ecosystem management, or restoration ecology. Although the idea of ecosystem functioning is important, the concept itself remains rather vague and elusive. This book provides a novel analysis and integrated synthesis of different...

The fastest animal on earth dive-bombs him from the skies. A young black bear bounds up a mountain trail a few yards away. Poisonous snakes swirl at his feet. A thousand bats careen past his head in a pitch-black roost. Pods of dolphins swim right past him by the scores. Who? Experienced naturalist David Wheeler. Where? In Wild New Jersey, of course.

Wild New Jersey invites readers along Wheeler's whirlwind year-long tour of the most ecologically diverse state for its size in America. Along with the expert guidance of charismatic wildlife biologists and local conservationists, he explores...

Native only to the California Channel Islands, the island fox is the smallest canid in North America. Populations on four of the islands were threatened to extinction in the 1990s due to human-mediated predation and disease. This is the first account of the natural history and ecology of the island fox, illustrating both the vulnerability of island ecosystems and the efficacy of cooperative conservation measures. It explains in detail the intense conservation actions required to recover fox populations, such as captive breeding and reintroduction, and large-scale ecosystem manipulation. These...

In the face of decreasing biodiversity and ongoing global changes, maintaining ecosystem functioning is seen both as a means to preserve biological diversity as well as for safeguarding human wellbeing by securing the services ecosystems provide. The concept today is prominent in many fields of ecology and conservation biology, such as biodiversity research, ecosystem management, or restoration ecology. Although the idea of ecosystem functioning is important, the concept itself remains rather vague and elusive. This book provides a novel analysis and integrated synthesis of different...

The introduction and rapid spread of the zebra mussel in North American waters has caused great concern among industrial and recreational users of these waters. This bivalve mollusk is a biofouler that attaches to any firm substrate (e.g. rocks, piers, water intake pipes, boat hulls) and has already created significant problems for raw water users such as water treatment plants and power plants. This title provides essential information regarding the biology of the zebra mussel in North America and Europe, presents case studies of environmental and industrial impacts, and outlines control...

Award-winning geneticist John C. Avise guides this delightful voyage around the planet in search of answers to nature's mysteries. He demonstrates how scientists directly examine DNA to address long-standing questions about wild animals, plants, and microbes. Through dozens of stories that span the world, nature emerges as a realm where truth can be far stranger than fiction. From a 100-ton mushroom to egg-swapping birds, extinct ground sloths to microbes inside our bodies, Avise examines a cornucopia of natural-history topics and explains how today's modern genetic techniques offer novel...

It is estimated that roughly 1000 new ecological and environmental models join the ranks of the scientific literature each year. The international peer-reviewed literature reports some 20,000 new models spanning the period from 1970-2010. Just to keep abreast of the field it is necessary to design a handbook of models that doesn't merely list them, but rather draws the state-of-the-art development of models for ecosystem and environmental management.

Published first in 1996, Handbook of Models Applied in Ecosystem and Environmental Management applies...

As humans continue to encroach on wildlands, quality and quantity of wildlife habitat decreases before our eyes. A housing development here, a shopping mall there, a few more trees cut here, another road put in there, each of these diminishes available habitat. Unless the cumulative effects of multiple simultaneous development projects are recognized and incorporated at the beginning of project development, we will continue to see wildlife habitat disappear at unprecedented rates.

Divided into two parts, Cumulative Effects in Wildlife Management emphasizes...

It had once been called the Tipping Point. We didn't know what it might be, but we were warned that it might be dangerous. For Winston Doe, the Tipping Point is a memory: A war called the Jazz War. Battling it to a standstill had taken two generations of soldiers. They gave their lives, and their memories to fight the Jazz War. The media says the war has been won. But how could we win over our environment if it seeks to address an imbalance? Particularly when that imbalance has altered the very nature of human existence. What weapons do we have left? Where is the battlefield? And how do we...

Nina Becker's research provides a thorough analysis of the economics of carbon sequestration from an interdisciplinary perspective on the impacts of climate change on forest resources. The analysis is based on an integrated assessment that links a climate-yield model with a profitability analysis. In specific, Nina Becker investigates tree productivity under global and regional climate change scenarios. Furthermore, she demonstrates the potential effects of increasing tree productivity on the profitability of carbon credit sales. For this purpose, she conducted a case study on teak (Tectona...

Essay from the year 2002 in the subject Biology - Ecology, grade: 1.1 (A), Oxford University (New College), 3 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Biological invasion happens when an organism, any sort of organism, arrives somewhere beyond its previous range. Nowadays, most invasions come from human actions, deliberate or accidental. But natural invasions happen too, from minor changes of range to major invasions across continents. One reason for studying invasions is that many invasive species have become serious pests. The cumulative losses in the USA from some...

For the people of Kivalina, Alaska, the price of further climate change denial could be the complete devastation of their lives and culture. Their village must be relocated to survive, and neither the fossil fuel giants nor the U.S. government are willing to take full responsibility.