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Ecology of Marine Bivalves: An Ecosystem Approach, Second Edition (Crc Marine Science Ser.)
by Richard F. DameExploring the potential use of bivalves as indicators and monitors of ecosystem health, this book describes live and computer simulated experiments, mesocosm studies, and field manipulation experiments. This second edition discusses major new developments, including phase shifts in many coastal and estuarine ecosystems dominated by suspension-feeding bivalves, the invasion or introduction of alien bivalve species, the rapid growth of environmental restoration focused on bivalves, and the examination of geological history with regard to global climate change and its impact on bivalve-dominated systems.
Ecology of Marine Invertebrate Larvae (Crc Marine Science Ser. #6)
by Larry McEdwardThis is the first book to provide a detailed treatment of the field of larval ecology. The 13 chapters use state-of-the-art reviews and critiques of nearly all of the major topics in this diverse and rapidly growing field. Topics include: patterns of larval diversity, reproductive energetics, spawning ecology, life history theory, larval feeding and nutrition, larval mortality, behavior and locomotion, larval transport, dispersal, population genetics, recruitment dynamics and larval evolution. Written by the leading new scientists in the field, chapters define the current state of larval ecology and outline the important questions for future research.
Ecology of Meromictic Lakes
by Ramesh D. Gulati Egor S. Zadereev Andrei G. DegermendzhiThis volume presents recent advances in the research on meromictic lakes and a state-of-the art overview of this area. After an introduction to the terminology and geographic distribution of meromictic lakes, three concise chapters describe their physical, chemical and biological features. The following eight chapters present case studies of more than a dozen meromictic lakes, showing the variety of physical and biochemical processes that promote meromixis. The result is a broad picture of the ecology and biochemistry of meromictic lakes in tropical and cold regions, in man-made pit lakes and euxinic marine lakes, and in freshwater as well as hypersaline lakes. In the final chapter the editors provide a synthesis of the topic and conclude that the study of meromictic lakes also offers new insights into the limnology of inland lakes. The book appeals to researchers in the fields of ecology, limnology, environmental physics and biophysics.
The Ecology of Mycobacteria: Impact on Animal's and Human's Health
by Jindrich Kazda Joseph O. Falkinham III Karel Hruska Ivo PavlikThe Ecology of Mycobacteria principally emphasizes the ecological characteristics of the environmental mycobacteria. It is now well understood that the incidence and prevalence of potentially pathogenic mycobacteria is increasing in humans and animals. Further, proof that mycobacteria are normal inhabitants of drinking water distribution systems and household water systems, indicates that humans and animals are surrounded by mycobacteria and thus at risk. It is anticipated that the emphasis on ecology and routes of infection will result in a text of widespread use for clinicians and for research scientists in medicine, academia, and industry. In addition to identifying habitats and thereby sources of mycobacteria infecting humans and animals, the text identifies those mycobacterial characteristics that determine its range of habitats. Additionally, the text comments critically on the available methods to identify those protocols with values in mycobacterial research. In that manner, although there are no chapters specifically devoted to methods, superior methods for mycobacteria will be identified.
Ecology of North America
by Brian R. Chapman Eric G. BolenNorth America contains an incredibly diverse array of natural environments, each supporting unique systems of plant and animal life. These systems, the largest of which are biomes, form intricate webs of life that have taken millennia to evolve. This richly illustrated book introduces readers to this extraordinary array of natural communities and their subtle biological and geological interactions. Completely revised and updated throughout, the second edition of this successful text takes a qualitative, intuitive approach to the subject, beginning with an overview of essential ecological terms and concepts, such as competitive exclusion, taxa, niches, and succession. It then goes on to describe the major biomes and communities that characterize the rich biota of the continent, starting with the Tundra and continuing with Boreal Forest, Deciduous Forest, Grasslands, Deserts, Montane Forests, and Temperature Rain Forest, among others. Coastal environments, including the Laguna Madre, seagrasses, Chesapeake Bay, and barrier islands appear in a new chapter. Additionally, the book covers many unique features such as pitcher plant bogs, muskeg, the polar ice cap, the cloud forests of Mexico, and the LaBrea tar pits. “Infoboxes” have been added; these include biographies of historical figures who provided significant contributions to the development of ecology, unique circumstances such as frogs and insects that survive freezing, and conservation issues such as those concerning puffins and island foxes. Throughout the text, ecological concepts are worked into the text; these include biogeography, competitive exclusion, succession, soil formation, and the mechanics of natural selection. Ecology of North America 2e is an ideal first text for students interested in natural resources, environmental science, and biology, and it is a useful and attractive addition to the library of anyone interested in understanding and protecting the natural environment.
Ecology of North American Freshwater Fishes
by Stephen T. RossThe North American freshwater fish fauna is the most diverse and thoroughly researched temperate fish fauna in the world. Ecology of North American Freshwater Fishes is the only textbook to provide advanced undergraduate and graduate students and researchers with an up-to-date and integrated view of the ecological and evolutionary concepts, principles, and processes involved in the formation and maintenance of this fauna. Ecology of North American Freshwater Fishes provides readers with a broad understanding of why specific species and assemblages occur in particular places. Additionally, the text explores how individuals and species interact with each other and with their environments, how such interactions have been altered by anthropogenic impacts, and the relative success of efforts to restore damaged ecosystems. This book is designed for use in courses related to aquatic and fish ecology, fish biology, ichthyology, and related advanced ecology and conservation courses, and is divided into five sections for ease of use. Chapter summaries, supplemental reading lists, online sources, extensive figures, and color photography are included to guide readers through the material and facilitate student learning. Part 1: Faunal origins, evolution, and diversity Presents a broad picture--both spatially and temporally--of the derivation of the fauna, including global and regional geological and climatological processes and their effects on North American fishes. Part 2: Formation, maintenance, and persistence of local populations and assemblages Focuses on how local fish populations and assemblages are formed and how they persist, or not, through time. Part 3: Form and function Deals with the relationship of body form and life history patterns as they are related to ecological functions. Part 4: Interactions among individuals and species Discusses the numerous interactions among individuals and species through communication, competition, predation, mutualism, and facilitation. Part 5: Issues in conservation Focuses on several primary conservation issues such as flow alterations and the increasing biotic homogenization of faunas.
Ecology of parasite-vector interactions
by Sander Koenraadt Willem TakkenVector-borne diseases continue to be one of the most important determinants affecting human and animal health. Large numbers of people suffer from diseases like malaria, dengue, filariasis and leishmaniasis, especially in the tropics. Whereas these diseases were eradicated from the temperate climate zones, in recent years the rising incidence of 'emerging' vector-borne diseases such as bluetongue, West Nile Virus, Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis and the recent outbreaks of chikungunya and dengue in southern Europe provide evidence that these diseases are resilient and can disperse to other regions and continents where before they were not present or relevant. Many tools for the management of vector-borne diseases are currently under pressure because of increasing drug and insecticide resistance, as well as the realization of biological variation of parasites and vectors and their ecosystems. At the same time, progress in our understanding of genetics, immunology, population biology and epidemiology allow for a better understanding of parasite-vector interactions. Here the state-of-the-art of these interactions is being reviewed, and means for using this information for advanced strategies of vector-borne disease control are proposed. This 3rd edition of ECVD aims to provide a rapid overview of recent developments in the field of parasite-vector interactions and how this can be used for more effective and sustainable disease control.
The Ecology of Place: Contributions of Place-Based Research to Ecological Understanding
by Ian Billick Mary V. PriceEcologists can spend a lifetime researching a small patch of the earth, studying the interactions between organisms and the environment, and exploring the roles those interactions play in determining distribution, abundance, and evolutionary change. With so few ecologists and so many systems to study, generalizations are essential. But how do you extrapolate knowledge about a well-studied area and apply it elsewhere? Through a range of original essays written by eminent ecologists and naturalists, The Ecology of Place explores how place-focused research yields exportable general knowledge as well as practical local knowledge, and how society can facilitate ecological understanding by investing in field sites, place-centered databases, interdisciplinary collaborations, and field-oriented education programs that emphasize natural history. This unique patchwork of case-study narratives, philosophical musings, and historical analyses is tied together with commentaries from editors Ian Billick and Mary Price that develop and synthesize common threads. The result is a unique volume rich with all-too-rare insights into how science is actually done, as told by scientists themselves.
The Ecology of Plant Litter Decomposition in Stream Ecosystems
by Christopher M. Swan Luz Boyero Cristina CanhotoWith almost 90% of terrestrial plant material entering the detrital pool, the processing of this significant carbon source is a critical ecosystem function to understand. Riverine ecosystems are estimated to receive, process and transport nearly 1.9 Pg of terrestrial carbon per year globally, highlighting the focus many freshwater ecologists have on the factors that explain decomposition rates of senesced plant material. Since Webster and Benfield offered the first comprehensive review of these factors in 1986, there has been an explosion of research addressing key questions about the ecological interactions at play. Ecologists have developed field and laboratory techniques, as well as created global scale collaborations to disentangle the many drivers involved in the decomposition process. This book encapsulates these 30+ years of research, describing the state of knowledge on the ecology of plant litter decomposition in stream ecosystems in 22 chapters written by internationally renowned experts on the subject.
The Ecology of Plant Secondary Metabolites
by Glenn R. Iason Marcel Dicke Susan E. HartleyPlant secondary metabolites (PSM's) such as terpenes and phenolic compounds are known to have numerous ecological roles, notably in defence against herbivores, pathogens and abiotic stresses and in interactions with competitors and mutualists. This book reviews recent developments in the field to provide a synthesis of the function, ecology and evolution of PSM's, revealing our increased awareness of their integrative role in connecting natural systems. It emphasises the multiple roles of secondary metabolites in mediating the interactions between organisms and their environment at a range of scales of ecological organisation, demonstrating how genes encoding for PSM biosynthetic enzymes can have effects from the cellular scale within individual plants all the way to global environmental processes. A range of recent methodological advances, including molecular, transgenic and metabolomic techniques, are illustrated and promising directions for future studies are identified, making this a valuable reference for researchers and graduate students in the field.
The Ecology Of Plants
by Jessica Gurevitch Gordon A. FoxNow in full color, this thoroughly revised and updated second edition of The Ecology of Plants incorporates many new illustrations and hundreds of new references. The text covers a range of topics that you might find in a general ecology textbook, but with the focus on the interactions between plants and their environment over a range of scales. Some of the subjects covered are unique to plants, such as photosynthesis and the ecology of plant--soil interactions; other topics, such as resource and mate acquisition, emphasize the distinctive ways plants (in contrast to mobile animals) deal with their environments. The book is unusual in emphasizing the importance of evolutionary and other historical processes for current ecology. Throughout the text, human environmental influences are discussed. While the book is written for an undergraduate college course in plant ecology, the engaging style, thorough coverage of the field, and contemporary perspective make it accessible and useful to others as well, from graduate students in conservation biology to evolutionary biologists and resource managers.
The Ecology of Playful Childhood: The Diversity and Resilience of Caregiver-Child Interactions among the San of Southern Africa (Palgrave Studies on the Anthropology of Childhood and Youth)
by Akira TakadaWhile studies of San children have attained the peculiar status of having delineated the prototype for hunter-gatherer childhood, relatively few serious ethnographic studies of San children have been conducted since an initial flurry of research in the 1960s and 1970s. Based on the author’s long-term field research among several San groups of Southern Africa, this book reconsiders hunter-gatherer childhood using “play” as a key concept. Playfulness pervades the intricate practices of caregiver-child interactions among the San: immediately after birth, mothers have extremely close contact with their babies. In addition to the mother’s attentions, other people around the babies actively facilitate gymnastic behavior to soothe them. These distinctive caregiving behaviors indicate a loving, indulgent attitude towards infants. This also holds true for several language genres of the San that are used in early vocal communication. Children gradually become involved in various playful activities in groups of children of multiple ages, which is the major locus of their attachment after weaning; these playful activities show important similarities to the household and subsistence activities carried out by adults. Rejuvenating studies of San children and hunter-gatherer childhood and childrearing practices, this book aims to examine these issues in detail, ultimately providing a new perspective for the understanding of human sociality.
The Ecology of Predation at the Microscale
by Edouard Jurkevitch Robert J. MitchellThe book will provide an update on our understanding of predator-prey through the prism of ecology, physiology, molecular biology, and mathematical modelling. The integration of these different perspectives while focusing on the microbial realm will highlight the importance of scale in ecological interactions, and their importance in applications. This book should thereby contribute to theoretical as well as to applied ecologists and microbiologists. Furthermore, the detailed but amenable chapters could serve as the basis of teaching advanced courses in (microbial) ecology and environmental microbiology.This work is a collection of articles that discuss microbial predation from a variety of perspectives. It provides the readers a concise resource describing factors that are critical for several different predatory microbes, including Myxobacterium spp. and Bdellovibrio-and-like organisms (BALOs), including the mechanisms involved, ecological conditions that adversely impact it and potential applications in aquaculture and bioproduction. The first half of this collection focuses more on ecological aspects of predation, with in-depth discussions on “wolf pack” predators, the presence and activities of predators in waste-water treatment plants and the role of intraguild predatory relationships, i.e., when two different predators are competing for a single prey but also interact with one another. The reader will gain a deeper understanding of the predatory mechanisms involved and their ecological roles. In the latter half, emphasis is given more to the application and limitations of predators. In addition to discussing secondary metabolite production within different microbial predators, the readers will also learn how predators are being used to purify secondary metabolites from prey. This section also discusses the expanding and promising role of predation in aquaculture, focusing on the application of predators to reduce pathogenic populations, but includes some important caveats for young researchers to consider and follow when working with Bdellovibrio. This work is written for both experienced researchers already in the field and for young scientists who are captivated by the thought of predation at the microscale and its growing importance within a wide-array of fields.
Ecology of Protozoa: The Biology of Free-living Phagotrophic Protists (Brock/springer Series In Contemporary Bioscience Ser.)
by Genoveva F. Esteban Tom M. FenchelThis book emphasises the important role that protozoa play in many natural ecosystems. To shed new light on their individual adaptive skills, the respective chapters examine the ecology and functional biology of this diverse group of eukaryotic microbes. Protozoa are well-established model organisms that exemplify many general problems in population ecology and community ecology, as well as evolutionary biology. Their particular characteristics, like large population sizes, life cycles and motile sensory behaviour, have a profound impact on their survival, distribution, and interaction with other species. Thus, readers will also be introduced to protozoan habitats in a broad range of environments. Even though this group of unicellular organisms is highly diverse, the authors focus on shared ecological patterns. Students and scientists working in the areas of eukaryotic microbiology and ecology will appreciate this updated and revised 2nd Edition as a valuable reference guide to the “lifestyles” of protozoa.
Ecology of Streams and Rivers
by Eugene AngelierAiming to describe the role of dominant ecological factors and of human activities on the organisms of running water and the functioning of the ecosystem, this work covers the few European water courses that are well known in ecological studies.
Ecology of the Marine Fishes of Cuba
by Lynne R. Parenti Rodolfo Claro Kenyon C. LindemanSituated at the convergence of the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba's coastal waters are home to one of the most diverse fish faunas in the Western Hemisphere. However, until now, information in English about Cuban marine fishes and their habitats has been limited. This comprehensive guide to the region's fishes fills that void.Originally published in Spanish in 1994, Ecology of the Marine Fishes of Cuba has been completely updated and revised for this English edition. The book collects and expands on the findings of more than 20 years of work by and international team of ichthyologists and marine biologists studying the coastal fishes and habitats of Cuba. In chapters arranged topically, the thirteen contributors detail the physical characteristics of the Cuban coast; document the physiology, behavior, reproduction, feeding patterns, and growth patterns of the region's fishes; and survey Cuba's fisheries management programs.The result is an unparalleled integration of English- and Spanish-language references on coastal fishes of the western Atlantic, complete with a comprehensive bibliography that constitutes a valuable reference in its own right. The extensive information presented here establishes an important foundation for comparisons of regional biological variations and demonstrates the need for proactive habitat and fishery management policies in the area.
Ecology of Threatened Semi-Arid Wetlands
by David G. Angeler Salvador Sánchez-CarrilloPlaying a critical role in both influencing climate change and mitigating its impacts, the world's diverse wetlands have become one of the world's most threatened ecosystems as unsustainable land-use practices coupled with irrational use of water have already resulted in large-scale wetlands loss and degradation. To develop sound management and conservation schemes to assure wetlands sustainability in the long term requires long-term understanding of wetlands ecology. Yet until now, long-term interdisciplinary research into these systems has been limited to only a few systems from tropical or temperate climates (such as the Florida Everglades, and Czech biosphere reserve). This new book adds to the existing wetlands literature, providing a unique reference in basic and applied Mediterranean wetland ecology, based on results from long-term interdisciplinary research at the RAMSAR and UNESCO Biosphere site, of Las Tablas de Daimiel, Spain. Dating back to the early 1990s the research highlights changes in the biotic and abiotic environment in response to cumulative anthropogenic stressors, and provide guidance on applying this understand to sound management and conservation. With particular relevance to researchers dealing with semi-arid wetlands in the Mediterranean and elsewhere, as well as to resource managers, the book discusses the complexity of the interacting abiotic and biotic environment across different spatial and temporal scales and across various levels of biological hierarchy is highlighted, and reveals how management based on poor knowledge causes more damage than repair. The book will be of interest to researchers interested in freshwater ecology, hydrobotany, hydrology, geology, biogeochemistry, landscape ecology and environmental management.
Ecology of Wild Bird Diseases
by Sasan FereidouniThe book focuses on the ecology of the most important infectious diseases of wild avian hosts, especially those with high morbidity and mortality rates. Disease ecology is an important scientific approach to study the relationships and interactions between living organisms, their environment, and potential pathogens. Birds have high diversity, and the very special ability to fly and migrate. They migrate over long distances, and share ecosystems with other animals, even humans. They serve as the most important natural source of several pathogens with zoonotic potential. Bird-pathogen interactions are increasingly changing due to the continuous anthropogenic disturbances in habitats and ecosystems. With intensified climate change and improved environmental conditions for vectors, as well as higher susceptibility of avian hosts due to simultaneous exposure to environmental stressors (e.g., contamination, food limitation, etc.), the probability of emerging new infections and their expansion into new territories increase tremendously. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that neglected ecological and epidemiological interactions between wildlife, domestic animals and humans are paramount to global health.The book has a different approach to understanding complex and multiscale interactions among various ecological factors for the most important infectious diseases of wild birds. It provides valuable data to students and everyone who deals with avian species including biologists, researchers, conservationists, and policymakers.
Ecology of Wildfire Residuals in Boreal Forests
by Lisa Buse Ajith PereraThis book will draw attention to the residuals in pan-boreal forest fires and synthesize the state of knowledge. It will do so by: (a) Examining the concept of fire residuals from different perspectives, (b) Reviewing the growing body of scientific literature on the topic, (c) Conceptualizing the process of residual formation in relation to scale of fire disturbance, (d) Discussing the roles of fire residuals in ecological processes, (e) Describing approaches and methods of studying fire residuals, (f) Compiling and summarizing what is known about fire residual vegetation with respect to their extent, spatial patterns, and temporal changes, (g) Discussing how the knowledge of fire residuals is applied in forest management, including social perspective, and (h) Synthesizing the state of knowledge, identifying its uncertainties and gaps, and proposing research hypotheses. The authors use pan-boreal scientific literature on boreal fire residuals as well as fire behaviour, fire ecology, habitat ecology, and geochemical processes. For readers this book will be a reference for knowledge to date and a meta-analysis of research trends during the past few decades. In addition, the authors judiciously include views constructed from their observations and research experience, from boreal Canada, when they synthesize and conceptualize the knowledge. They also incorporate information extracted from their discussions and interactions with North American and European ecologists, forest managers, and conservationists to provide insight to different views and perspectives on the fire residuals of the boreal forest system. This book will inform researchers and students who study boreal forest ecology, as well as policymakers and forest managers who apply forest ecological knowledge in forest management. This book provides a review and coalescence of the current knowledge of boreal forest fire residuals, which at present is sporadic and has not been unified or synthesized. Moreover, these are presently viewed myopically and parochially, rather than holistically. The intent of the synthesis is to identify knowledge uncertainties and gaps and propose topics for future research. Most importantly, it brings together fire behaviour, ecological scale, vegetation ecology, and conservation biology to conceptualize forest fire residuals. Although focused on boreal forests, the contents and principles presented are also be pertinent to other large-scale fire driven forest systems, such as dry montane forests in North America and Australian eucalypt forests. This book will add to the current knowledge base by providing a source of significant literature to-date, an in-depth examination of baseline concepts of forest fire residuals, as well as questions and research ideas to address the identified gaps. The timing is ideal because the knowledge base is beginning to expand and the interest in the topic is increasing: such a synthesis would provide an important foundation for future advances in this very relevant topical area. The book is a compact, yet comprehensive, dissertation of remnant vegetation in boreal forest fires with respect to their formation, role in ecological processes, applied importance, and a synthesis of state-of-the-knowledge and future research directions. The scope is boreal forests worldwide, including North America, Europe, and Asia. Brief TOC: Why the interest in boreal fire residuals; what are fire residuals; how are fire residuals formed; what are the ecological roles of the fire residuals; what is the role of residuals in forest management applications; synthesis, knowledge, uncertainties and research needs.
Ecology of Wildlife Diseases in the Neotropics
by Gerardo Acosta-Jamett Andrea ChavesThis contributed volume focuses on the Neotropical region, and explores the environmental, ecological and socio-economic components that facilitate the emergence of zoonotic diseases. This book highlights the primary ecological, environmental, social, and economic variables associated with the risk of maintenance, transmission, and dissemination of emerging, re-emerging, and neglected infectious diseases, in which Neotropical vertebrates are involved. It compiles up-to-date knowledge and research for the neotropical region, as well as discusses the current needs of knowledge improvement. The chapters include various examples of the cycles of infectious diseases, all with world-wide relevance where neotropical wild vertebrates are affected or involved.
Ecology Revisited
by Kurt Jax Astrid SchwarzAs concerns about humankind's relationship with the environment move inexorably up the agenda, this volume tells the story of the history of the concept of ecology itself and adds much to the historical and philosophical debate over this multifaceted discipline. The text provides readers with an overview of the theoretical, institutional and historical formation of ecological knowledge. The varied local conditions of early ecology are considered in detail, while epistemological problems that lie on the borders of ecology, such as disunity and complexity, are discussed. The book traces the various phases of the history of the concept of ecology itself, from its 19th century origins and antecedents, through the emergence of the environmental movement in the later 20th century, to the future, and how ecology might be located in the environmental science framework of the 21st century. The study of 'ecological' phenomena has never been confined solely to the work of researchers who consider themselves ecologists. It is rather a field of knowledge in which a plurality of practices, concepts and theories are developed. Thus, there exist numerous disciplinary subdivisions and research programmes within the field, the boundaries of which remain blurred. As a consequence, the deliberation to adequately identify the ecological field of knowledge, its epistemic and institutional setting, is still going on. This will be of central importance not only in locating ecology in the frame of 21st century environmental sciences but also for a better understanding of how nature and culture are intertwined in debates about pressing problems, such as climate change, the protection of species diversity, or the management of renewable resources.
Ecology, Systematics, and the Natural History of Predaceous Diving Beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)
by Donald A. YeePredaceous diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) constitute one of the largest families of freshwater insects (~ 4,200 species). Although dytiscid adults and larvae are ubiquitous throughout a variety of aquatic habitats and are significant predators on other aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates, there are no compilations that have focused on summarizing the knowledge of their ecology, systematics, and biology. Such knowledge would benefit anyone working in aquatic systems where dytiscids are an important part of the food web. Moreover, this work will allow a greater appreciation of dytiscids as model organisms for investigations of fundamental principles derived from ecological and evolutionary theory Contributed chapters are by authors who are actively engaged in studying dytiscids and each chapter offers a synthesis of the current knowledge of a variety of topics and will provide future directions for research.
Ecology, Systematics, and the Natural History of Predaceous Diving Beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)
by Donald A. YeeThe 2nd edition of this comprehensive book provides one of the most complete overviews of the aquatic beetles in the family Dytiscidae, also known as predaceous diving beetles. Dytiscids constitute one of the largest families of freshwater insects with approximately 4,650 named species that come in a variety of sizes, colors, and habitat affinities. Although dytiscid adults and larvae are ubiquitous throughout a variety of aquatic habitats, and are important predators on other aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates, there are no compilations that have focused on summarizing the knowledge on aspects of their ecology, systematics, and biology. Chapters in this book summarize hitherto scattered topics, including their anatomy and habitats, chemical and community ecology, phylogenies and larval morphology including chaetotaxy, sexual systems, predation, dispersal, conservation, and cultural and historical aspects. The 2nd edition offers updates on the newest scientific findings on dytiscids and also includes a new chapter on the subterranean fauna from Australia. The information in this new edition is potentially beneficial to anyone working in aquatic systems where dytiscids are an important part of the food web. Moreover, readers will gain a greater appreciation of dytiscids as model organisms for investigations of fundamental principles derived from ecological and evolutionary theory. Contributed chapters are by authors who are actively engaged in studying dytiscids, and each chapter provides color photos and future directions for research.
Ecology Third Edition
by Michael L. Cain William D. Bowman Sally D. HackerThe new Third Edition of Ecology remains focused on the primary goal of this bestselling book: to be the best teaching tool possible for students taking their first course in ecology. Toward that end, the authors updated, replaced, or cut sections of the text as appropriate, and they added a new chapter on Behavioral Ecology, an exciting and growing subfield of ecology that always draws high levels of student.
EcoMind: Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want
by Frances Moore LappeIn Eco Mind, Frances Moore Lappé-a giant of the environmental movement-confronts accepted wisdom of environmentalism. Drawing on the latest research from anthropology to neuroscience and her own field experience, she argues that the biggest challenge to human survival isn’t our fossil fuel dependency, melting glaciers, or other calamities. Rather, it’s our faulty way of thinking about these environmental crises that robs us of power. Lappé dismantles seven common "thought traps”-from limits to growth to the failings of democracy- that belie what we now know about nature, including our own, and offers contrasting "thought leaps” that reveal our hidden power. Like her Diet for a Small Planet classic, Eco Mind is challenging, controversial and empowering.