Biology

This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology, and adopts a strong evolutionary focus. As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in the book is on the organisms that dominate this harsh environment, although conservation and experimental aspects are also considered. Deserts are defined by their arid conditions; a consequence of this aridity is that most of the area occupied by desert is barren and monotonous, leading many people to regard it as wasteland. However, deserts are widespread and represent surprisingly biodiverse environments, although it is the relative simplicity of these ecosystems that makes them more tractable for study than more complex environments. In these resource-poor locations, natural selection is working at its greatest extreme, and provides some of the best-known examples of Darwinian selection. The Biology of Deserts includes a wide range of ecological and evolutionary issues, including morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants and animals, species interactions, the importance of predation and parasitism, food webs, biodiversity, and conservation. It features a balance of plant and animal (both invertebrate and vertebrate) examples, and also emphasizes topical applied issues such as desertification and invasive species. The book concludes by considering the positive aspects of desert conservation.

Mangroves and seagrasses form extensive and highly productive ecosystems that are biologically diverse and economically valuable. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of the biology and ecology of mangroves and seagrasses, using a global range of examples. It deals with the adaptations of these plants to their exacting environment; the rich and diverse communities of organisms that depend on mangrove forests and seagrass meadows (including tree-climbing shrimps, synchronously flashing fireflies, and ‘gardening’ seacows); the links between mangrove, seagrass, and other habitats; the evolution, biodiversity, and biogeography of mangroves and seagrasses; and the likely effects of global climate change. The economic value of mangroves and seagrasses is also discussed, including approaches to rational management of these vital resources, and techniques for the restoration of degraded habitats. Particular emphasis is placed on the organisms that dominate these aquatic environments although pollution, conservation, and experimental aspects are also considered.

Peatlands form intriguing landscape elements in large parts of the world and play important roles for biodiversity and for the atmospheric carbon balance. The Biology of Peatlands begins with an overview of the main peatland types (marsh, swamp, fen, and bog), which provides the basis for a deeper understanding of the diversity of the entire range of biota present (microbes, invertebrates, plants, and vertebrates), together with their specific adaptations to peatland habitats. Detailed coverage is devoted to the moss genus Sphagnum, the most important functional plant group in northern peatlands. Throughout the book, the interactions between organisms and environmental conditions (especially wetness, availability of oxygen, and pH) are stressed, and key factors and processes including hydrology, nutrient cycling, light, and temperature are dealt with. Peatlands are archives of past vegetation and climate, and the authors describe the intriguing patterns and landforms characteristic of peatlands in different parts of the world, together with theories on how they have developed over centuries and millennia. The role of peatlands as sources or sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane, and their influence on climatic change, are also outlined. A final chapter considers peatland management, conservation, and restoration. The text is suitable for students and researchers of peatlands as well as the professional ecologists and conservation biologists.

There is now an increased awareness of the importance of polar regions in the Earth system, as well as their vulnerability to anthropogenic derived change, including of course global climate change. This text is the latest edition of this book and offers an introduction to polar ecology. It has been revised and updated, providing expanded coverage of marine ecosystems and the impact of humans. It incorporates a comparison of the Arctic and Antarctic systems, with a particular emphasis on the effects of climate change, and describes marine, freshwater, glacial, and terrestrial habitats. Much emphasis is placed on the organisms that dominate these extreme environments although pollution, conservation, and experimental aspects are also considered.

This book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date synthesis of what is known about soil biodiversity and the factors that regulate its distribution, as well as the functional significance of below-ground biodiversity for ecosystem form and function. It describes the vast diversity of biota that live in the soil environment — the most complex habitat on Earth — and discusses the factors that act as determinants of this diversity across different spatial and temporal scales. This book also considers how biotic interactions in soil influence the important soil processes of decomposition and nutrient cycling. It demonstrates how interactions and feedbacks between diverse plant and soil communities act as important drivers of ecosystem form and function. The importance of these relationships for understanding how ecosystems respond to global change phenomena, including climate change, is discussed in depth. Much is still to be learned about the soil biota and their roles in ecosystems, and the author highlights some of the many challenges that face ecologists in the exploration of soil. This book provides an introduction to the biology of soil, and also discusses the most recent developments in this progressive field of ecology. The importance of soil biotic interactions for community and ecosystem ecology is illustrated through the use of numerous examples and case studies.

Temporary waters are found throughout the world, including intermittent streams and ponds, episodic rain puddles, seasonal limestone lakes, and the water-retaining structures of plants, such as bromeliads and pitcher plants. They are populated by a variety of plant, animal, and microscopic communities ranging from the very simple to the highly complex. As such, they represent fascinating and significant arenas to study the properties of species, as the latter deals with the rigours of living in highly variable environments. Obligate temporary water species display a remarkable array of adaptations to the periodic loss of their primary medium that largely sets them apart from the inhabitants of permanent water bodies. The survival of individuals frequently depends upon exceptional physiological tolerance or effective migrational abilities that are timed to appropriate habitat phases. However, apart from their inherent biological interest, temporary waters are now in the limelight from a conservation perspective as these habitats come more and more into conflict with human activities. Traditionally, many temporary waters — be they ponds, pools, streams, or wetlands — have been considered as ‘wasted’ areas of land, potentially convertible to agriculture once drained. In reality, they are natural features of the global landscape representing distinct and unique habitats for many species — some that are found nowhere else, others that reach their maximum abundance there. Temporary waters are also very important from a human health perspective, since they function as breeding places for the vectors of many disease organisms.

After the chicken, the House Sparrow is the most widely distributed bird species in the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica and on most human-inhabited islands. Although its Latin name is Passer domesticus, it is certainly not domesticated. In fact, it is widely regarded as a pest species and is consequently not protected in most of its extensive range. This combination of ubiquity and minimal legal protection has contributed to its wide use in studies by avian biologists throughout the world. This book reviews and summarizes the results of these global studies on House Sparrows, and provides a springboard for future studies on the species. House Sparrows have been used to study natural selection in introduced species, circadian rhythms, and the neuroendocrine control of the avian annual cycle. One current question of considerable interest concerns the catastrophic House Sparrow population decline in several urban centers in Europe. Is the House Sparrow a contemporary canary in the mine? Other topics of broad interest include the reproductive and flock-foraging strategies of sparrows, and sexual selection and the function of the male badge in the species. The book also explores the role of the House Sparrow in disease transmission to humans and their domesticated animals.

This book outlines the main methods and techniques available to ornithologists. A general shortage of information about available techniques is greatly hindering progress in avian ecology and conservation. Currently this sort of information is disparate and difficult to locate with much of it widely dispersed in books, journals and grey literature. This book is a practical handbook describing the methods used in ornithological studies. Many of the chapters describe field methods, but there are also chapters devoted to laboratory techniques and the assessment of ill or dead birds. Two chapters focus on conservation methods: one describes habitat management techniques, and the other considers field manipulations.

Over the past two decades, an enormous effort has been mounted by numerous federal and state agencies to prepare America to defend against the possibility of a catastrophic bioterrorist attack. This effort jumped ahead at warp speed following the horrendous World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks of September, 2001, followed by the postal anthrax scares a few weeks later that killed five people. By the end of 2008, the US will have spent nearly fifty billion dollars upgrading almost every conceivable aspect of our ability to respond defensively to a bioterrorism attack. How likely is it that America will experience a future bioterrorist attack that could bring this country to its knees? What would it take to mount such an attack? Who could do it, and what weapons would they use? How would bioterrorism compare with the damage America would suffer from other forms of terrorism, or from a natural biocatastrophe like avian influenza? No nation has infinite resources, and we must accept that we may never be able to make ourselves completely safe from every threat we face. We will have to make rational assessments of those threats we can identify, and apportion our resources as intelligently as we can to deal with them. This book looks at the scientific, political, legal and social facets of bioterrorism that can guide us as we attempt to bring this particular threat into a realistic perspective for the 21st century.

We live on a very moldy planet. Microscopic fungi blossom on every scrap of plant debris and are part of every crumb of soil. Molds can also grow in great profusion in our homes and workplaces, colonizing damp walls and filling the air with their spores. Recently, these indoor molds have acquired a very bad reputation. In a textbook illustration of a media frenzy, black and toxic molds have been spotlighted as an insidious threat to the modern way of life. Stories of homes overrun by fungi have heightened the public’s awareness of indoor molds and the mere sight of a discolored shower curtain can be enough to provoke panic. Among the thousands of mold species, one fungus, Stachybotrys chartarum, has been singled out as a particular menace. This puzzling microbe was first identified on damp wallpaper in Prague in the 19th century, but is now known throughout North America. Stachybotrys produces an alarming range of toxins, but claims that its spores can cause lung damage, disrupt the immune system, and even impair memory have limited support from scientific studies. This book explores the case against Stachybotrys and other indoor molds, offering an objective assessment of the public and scientific perception of these intriguing microbes, their effects upon human health, and their significance in the courtroom.