Ecology : oso

Bioinvasions and Globalization

Charles Perrings, Harold Mooney, and Mark Williamson — 2010-05-01

Author:: CharlesPerringsecoSERVICES Group, Arizona State University, USAHaroldMooneyDepartment of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, USAMarkWilliamsonDepartment of Biology, University of York, UK
ISBN:: 9780199560158
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199560158.001.0001
Published in print:: 2009
Published Online:: 2010-05-01

Bioinvasions and Globalization synthesises our current knowledge of the ecology and economics of biological invasions, providing an in-depth evaluation of the science and its implications for managing the causes and consequences of one of the most pressing environmental issues facing humanity today. Emergent zoonotic diseases such as HIV and SARS have already imposed major costs in terms of human health, whilst plant and animal pathogens have had similar effects on agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. The introduction of pests, predators, and competitors into many ecosystems has disrupted the benefits they provide to people, in many cases leading to the extirpation or even extinction of native species. This book analyzes the main drivers of bioinvasions — the growth of world trade, global transport and travel, habitat conversion and land-use intensification, and climate change — and their consequences for ecosystem functioning. It shows how bioinvasions impose disproportionately high costs on countries where a large proportion of people depend heavily on the exploitation of natural resources. It considers the options for improving assessment and management of invasive species risks, and especially for achieving the international cooperation needed to address bioinvasions as a negative externality of international trade.

Stochastic Population Dynamics in Ecology and Conservation

Russell Lande, Steinar Engen, and Bernt-Erik Saether — 2010-04-01

Author:: Russell Lande, Steinar Engen, Bernt-Erik Saether
ISBN:: 9780198525257
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198525257.001.0001
Published in print:: 2003
Published Online:: 2010-04-01

All populations fluctuate stochastically, creating a risk of extinction that does not exist in deterministic models, with fundamental consequences for both pure and applied ecology. This book provides an introduction to stochastic population dynamics, combining classical background material with a variety of modern approaches, including previously unpublished results by the authors, illustrated with examples from bird and mammal populations, and insect communities. Demographic and environmental stochasticity are introduced with statistical methods for estimating them from field data. The long-run growth rate of a population is explained and extended to include age structure with both demographic and environmental stochasticity. Diffusion approximations facilitate the analysis of extinction dynamics and the duration of the final decline. Methods are developed for estimating delayed density dependence from population time series using life history data. Metapopulation viability and the spatial scale of population fluctuations and extinction risk are analyzed. Stochastic dynamics and statistical uncertainty in population parameters are incorporated in Population Viability Analysis and strategies for sustainable harvesting. Statistics of species diversity measures and species abundance distributions are described, with implications for rapid assessments of biodiversity, and methods are developed for partitioning species diversity into additive components. Analysis of the stochastic dynamics of a tropical butterfly community in space and time indicates that most of the variance in the species abundance distribution is due to ecological heterogeneity among species, so that real communities are far from neutral.

Otters

Hans Kruuk — 2010-04-01

Author:: Hans Kruuk
ISBN:: 9780198565871
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology, Animal Biology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198565871.001.0001
Published in print:: 2006
Published Online:: 2010-04-01

Hans Kruuk's previous Wild Otters was the first, and until now the only, book to cover both natural history and scientific research on behaviour and ecology of otters in Europe. The present book is a revision, rewrite, and update, now covering all species of otter in North America as well as Europe and elsewhere. Aimed at naturalists, scientists, and conservationists, in a personal style and with many illustrations, it describes the ecology and behaviour of some of the most charismatic and enigmatic mammals in our environment, as well as the research to understand their particular ecological problems. With over 650 references, there is up-to-date description of the most recent studies, including feeding ecology, foraging behaviour, relationships with prey species, and factors that limit populations, as well as social and breeding behaviour, molecular genetics, energetics, the problems of exposure to cold water, mortality, effects of pollution, and the serious, recent conservation problems. There are enchanting direct observations of the animals, as well as guidance about how and where to watch and study them, and what are the most serious questions facing researchers. From otters in the British and American lakes and rivers, to sea otters in the Pacific ocean, giant otters in the Amazon and other species in Africa and Asia, this book provides an enthusiastic, critical, and thorough approach to their fascinating existence, the science needed to understand it, and the threats to their survival.

The Estuarine Ecosystem

Donald S. McLusky and Michael Elliott — 2010-04-01

Author:: Donald S. McLusky, Michael Elliott
ISBN:: 9780198525080
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198525080.001.0001
Published in print:: 2004
Published Online:: 2010-04-01

For the inhabitants of many of the world's major cities and towns, estuaries provide their nearest glimpse of a natural habitat; a habitat which, despite the attempts of man to pollute or reclaim it, has remained a fascinating insight into a natural world where energy is transformed from sunlight into plant material, and then, through the steps of a food chain, is converted into a rich food supply for birds and fish. This book first outlines the estuarine environment and the physical and biological factors that are important within it. It then examines the responses of the animals and plants to these factors, considers the problems of life in estuaries and why so few species have adapted to it, and then proposes a food web for an estuary. The coastal waters of the sea, and especially the waters of estuaries, are widely polluted. Thus in practice, marine pollution is often essentially estuarine pollution. To reflect this large impact of mankind on estuaries, and to consider how mankind may either destroy or enrich the estuarine ecosystem, chapters consider pollution in estuaries, and the diverse uses and abuses of the estuarine habitat by man, as well as the methods used to study human-induced changes in estuaries, and the ways in which estuarine management can either monitor, control, or prevent pollution or destruction of the estuarine ecosystem.

Ecological Methods in Forest Pest Management

David Wainhouse — 2010-04-01

Author:: David Wainhouse
ISBN:: 9780198505648
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology, Plant Sciences and Forestry
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198505648.001.0001
Published in print:: 2004
Published Online:: 2010-04-01

This book aims to provide a critical appraisal of the theory and practice of key methods of forest pest management. The appropriate application of these ‘ecological methods’ in the development of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programmes depends on a clear understanding of pest biology and population dynamics, and an appreciation of the ecology and economic importance of both semi-natural and plantation forests. These aspects provide a focus for discussion throughout the book. The main themes of the first four chapters are the influence of forest composition and structure on the nature and severity of pest problems, the threat posed by the introduction of exotic pests in global trade, how risk-rating of forests can provide an early warning of outbreaks, and the role that silviculture can play in both contributing to and helping to reduce the impact of pests. The following four chapters discuss in turn the nature of tree resistance and its exploitation, the principles and practice of biological and microbial control, and the use of semiochemicals in manipulating insect populations. The final chapter on IPM includes a discussion of the economic and environmental impact of pests, with practical examples of IPM illustrated in a series of case studies. The potential impact of climate change is briefly discussed. Many of the examples and case studies relate to insect pests, but the term ‘pest’ is used in its widest sense to include fungal pathogens. Brief reference is also made to mammalian herbivores.

The Biology of Soil

Richard Bardgett — 2010-04-01

Author:: Richard Bardgett
ISBN:: 9780198525035
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198525035.001.0001
Published in print:: 2005
Published Online:: 2010-04-01

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.

The Biology of Peatlands

Hakan Rydin and John K Jeglum — 2010-04-01

Author:: Hakan Rydin, John K Jeglum
ISBN:: 9780198528722
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198528722.001.0001
Published in print:: 2006
Published Online:: 2010-04-01

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.

The Biology of Deserts

David Ward — 2010-04-01

Author:: David Ward
ISBN:: 9780199211470
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199211470.001.0001
Published in print:: 2008
Published Online:: 2010-04-01

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.

Nature's Chemicals

Richard Firn — 2010-02-01

Author:: Richard Firn
ISBN:: 9780199566839
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology, Biochemistry / Molecular Biology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199566839.001.0001
Published in print:: 2009
Published Online:: 2010-02-01

Natural Products (NPs) is the term used to describe the hundreds of thousands of chemical compounds or substances that are continually produced by living organisms (plants and microbes). Hundreds of millions of tons of these chemicals are generated annually, and the trade in just a few of these has dominated human economic activity for thousands of years. Indeed, the current world geopolitical map has been shaped by attempts to control the supply of a few of these compounds. Every day of our lives each human spends time and money trying to procure the NPs of their choice. However, despite their overwhelming influence on human culture, they remain poorly understood. A knowledge of NPs can help in our search for new drugs, further the debate about GM manipulation, help us address environmental pollution, and enable a better understanding of drug trafficking. This is the first book to describe Natural Products (NPs) in an evolutionary context, distilling the few simple principles that govern the way in which organisms (including humans) have evolved to produce, cope with, or respond to NPs. It neatly synthesizes a widely dispersed literature and provides a general picture of NPs, encompassing evolution, history, ecology, and environmental issues (along with some deeper theory relevant to biochemistry), with the goal of enabling a wider section of the scientific community to fully appreciate the crucial importance of Natural Products to human culture and future survival.

Conservation Biology for All

Navjot S. Sodhi and Paul R. Ehrlich — 2010-02-01

Author:: Navjot S.SodhiDepartment of Biological Sciences, National University of SingaporePaul R.EhrlichBiology Department, Stanford University, USA
ISBN:: 9780199554232
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199554232.001.0001
Published in print:: 2010
Published Online:: 2010-02-01

This book provides cutting-edge but basic conservation science for the inhabitants of both developing as well as developed countries. Authoritative chapters are written by top names in conservation biology. Important topics such as balancing conversion and human needs, climate change, conservation planning, designing and analyzing conservation research, ecosystem services, endangered species management, extinctions, fire, habitat loss, and invasive species are covered. Numerous textboxes describing additional relevant material or case studies are also included. The book is written for undergraduate and graduate students as well as scientists, managers, and personnel in governmental and non-governmental organizations. The book has all the necessary topics to become a required reading for various undergraduate and graduate conservation-related courses. English is kept at a level comprehensible to people with English as a second language. Overall, this book represents a project that the conservation community has deemed worthy of support by donations of time and effort.

Community Ecology

Herman A. Verhoef and Peter J. Morin — 2010-02-01

Author:: Herman A.VerhoefProfessor of Soil Ecology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The NetherlandsPeter J.MorinProfessor of Ecology, Evolution, & Natural Resources, Rutgers University, USA
ISBN:: 9780199228973
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199228973.001.0001
Published in print:: 2009
Published Online:: 2010-02-01

Community ecology is the study of the interactions between populations of coexisting species. This book provides a state of the art in theory, models and applications of community ecology, with special attention to its topology, dynamics, the importance of spatial and temporal scale as well as applications to emerging problems in human-dominated ecosystems (including the restoration and reconstruction of viable communities). It adopts a mainly theoretical approach and focuses on the use of network-based theories and models which are little explored in standard community ecology textbooks. The book includes discussion of the effects of biotic invasions on natural communities, the linking of ecological network structure to empirically measured community approaches, the effects of evolution on community patterns and processes, and the integration of fundamental interactions into ecological networks. A final chapter indicates future research directions for the discipline. As such, this book provides ideal graduate seminar course material. Community Ecology will be suitable for graduate-level students as well as professional researchers in the fields of population and community ecology, network biology and theoretical ecology.

Ant Ecology

Lori Lach, Catherine Parr, and Kirsti Abbott — 2010-02-01

Author:: LoriLachThe University of Western Australia, AustraliaCatherineParrOxford University Centre for the Environment, UKKirstiAbbottMonash University, Australia
ISBN:: 9780199544639
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology, Animal Biology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199544639.001.0001
Published in print:: 2009
Published Online:: 2010-02-01

From scorching, barren deserts to humid tropical forests, from deep in the soil, to high in the tree canopies, ants are everywhere! Comprising a substantial part of living biomass on earth, ants are integral to the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. More than 12,000 species have been described to date, and it is estimated that perhaps as many still await classification. Their social structure provides a rich ground for exploring how division of labour affects the acquisition of resources, foraging and defensive behaviours, and coevolution with the flora and fauna with which they interact. The study of ants has led to significant advances in our understanding of insect evolution, global diversity patterns, competitive interactions, mutualisms, ecosystem's responses to change, and biological invasions. Ant Ecology explores these and other key ecological issues and new developments in myrmecology across a range of scales. The book begins with a global perspective on species diversity in time and space and explores interactions at the community level before describing the population ecology of these social insects. The final section covers the recent ecological phenomenon of invasive ants: how they move across the globe, invade, affect ecosystems, and are managed by humans. Each chapter links ant ecology to broader ecological principles, provides a succinct summary, and discusses future research directions. The Synthesis and Perspectives highlights contributions of ant ecology to ecology more broadly, and outlines promising areas for future research.

Biodiversity, Ecosystem Functioning, and Human Wellbeing

Shahid Naeem, Daniel E. Bunker, Andy Hector, Michel Loreau, and Charles Perrings — 2009-09-01

Author:: ShahidNaeemDepartment of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, USADaniel E.BunkerDepartment of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, USAAndyHectorInstitute of Environmental Sciences, University of ZurichMichelLoreauDepartment of Biology, McGill University, CanadaCharlesPerringsecoSERVICES Group, Arizona State University, USA
ISBN:: 9780199547951
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199547951.001.0001
Published in print:: 2009
Published Online:: 2009-09-01

How will biodiversity loss affect ecosystem functioning, ecosystem services, and human wellbeing? In an age of accelerating biodiversity loss, this volume summarizes recent advances in biodiversity‐ecosystem functioning research and explores the economics of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The first section summarizes the development of the basic science and provides a meta-analysis that quantitatively tests several biodiversity and ecosystem functioning hypotheses. The second section describes the natural science foundations of biodiversity‐ecosystem functioning research, including: quantifying functional diversity, the development of the field into a predictive science, effects of stability and complexity, methods to quantify mechanisms by which diversity affects functioning, the importance of trophic structure, microbial ecology, and spatial dynamics. The third section takes research on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning further than it has ever gone into the human dimension. The first six chapters cover the most pressing environmental challenges humanity faces, including effects of diversity on: climate change mitigation, restoration of degraded habitats, managed ecosystems, pollination, disease, and biological invasions. The remaining chapters of section three that consider the economic perspective, including: a synthesis of the economics of ecosystem services and biodiversity, and the options open to policy-makers to address the failure of markets to account for the loss of ecosystem services; an examination of the challenges of valuing ecosystem services and, hence, to understanding the human consequences of decisions that neglect these services; and an examination of the ways in which economists are currently incorporating biodiversity and ecosystem functioning research into decision models for the conservation and management of biodiversity. The final section describes new advances in ecoinformatics that will help transform this field into a globally predictive science, and finally, summarizes the advancements and future directions of the field. The book's ultimate conclusion is that biodiversity is an essential element of any strategy for sustainable development.

Thermal Adaptation

Michael J. Angilletta Jr. — 2009-05-01

Author:: Michael J. Angilletta Jr.
ISBN:: 9780198570875
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology, Animal Biology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570875.001.1
Published in print:: 2009
Published Online:: 2009-05-01

Temperature pervasively impacts the phenotypes and distributions of organisms. These thermal effects generate strong selective pressures on behaviour, physiology, and life history when environmental temperatures vary over space and time. Despite this fact, progress toward a quantitative theory of thermal adaptation has lagged behind empirical descriptions of patterns and processes. This book draws on current evolutionary paradigms (optimization, quantitative genetics, and genetic algorithms) to establish a theory of thermal adaptation. It initially focuses on simple models that describe the evolution of thermosensitivity, thermoregulation, or acclimation. Later chapters focus on more complex models describing the coadaptation of traits or the coevolution of species. Throughout the book, various lines of evidence are used to question the major assumptions of these models. Furthermore, the predictions of these models are confronted with experimental and comparative data. Empirical examples represent a wide range of taxa, including bacteria, plants, fungi, and animals. The result is a synthesis of theoretical and empirical studies of thermal biology that offers insights about evolutionary processes.

Polar Lakes and Rivers

Warwick F. Vincent and Johanna Laybourn-Parry — 2009-01-01

Author:: Warwick F.VincentLaval University, Quebec, CanadaJohannaLaybourn-ParryUniversity of Tasmania, Australia
ISBN:: 9780199213887
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology, Aquatic Biology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213887.001.0001
Published in print:: 2008
Published Online:: 2009-01-01

Lakes, ponds, rivers and streams are prominent features of the Arctic landscape and are also common in many parts of Antarctica. These waters encompass a remarkable variety of conditions for aquatic life, and are proving to be attractive model systems for exploring general ecological themes. Some of these ecosystems have direct global implications, and are also sentinels of global climate change. This book brings together many of the world's leading researchers in polar limnology to describe these diverse aquatic environments and their ecology. It introduces each major ecosystem type including extreme ice shelf and glacial meltwaters; subglacial lakes and rivers; perennially ice-capped lakes; meromictic and epishelf lake systems; tundra lakes and ponds; seasonal streams; and the large Arctic rivers with their associated floodplain lakes. Separate chapters review the geomorphology of polar lake basins, high latitude paleolimnology; biogeochemistry; physical limnology; microbial processes; microbial biodiversity and biogeography; benthic photosynthetic communities including microbial mats and mosses; phytoplankton and primary production; zooplankton and benthic invertebrates; the ecology of high Arctic fish; food web structure and dynamics; and new and emerging themes in high latitude limnology. The book incorporates the overriding theme of climate change impacts as well as direct impacts resulting from human activity.

Ecology and Evolution of the Grass-Endophyte Symbiosis

Gregory P. Cheplick and Stanley Faeth — 2009-01-01

Author:: Gregory P. Cheplick, Stanley Faeth
ISBN:: 9780195308082
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195308082.001.0001
Published in print:: 2009
Published Online:: 2009-01-01

Symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi are extremely common in nature, ranging from highly parasitic to closely mutualistic. Grasses, which are common and ecologically important components of many ecosystems worldwide, are often infected by clandestine, endosymbiotic fungi that grow within their stems, leaves, and seeds. This book attempts to synthesize the accumulating literature on grass-endophyte symbioses within a modern ecological and evolutionary framework. Topics covered include effects of endophytes on host growth, physiology, reproduction, and competitive ability in both agronomically important forages such as tall fescue and perennial ryegrass and in native grasses. Also, endophyte-host interactions are explored in relation to abiotic (e.g., drought) and biotic stresses (e.g., herbivory). Possible effects of endophyte infection on community and ecosystem-level processes are discussed. The ecological outcomes and coevolutionary dynamics of grass-endophyte associations are shown to be highly contingent on host and endophyte genotypes as well as environmental conditions. In addition to synthesizing much of the current literature on grass-endophyte interactions in natural and managed habitats, this book highlights gaps in current knowledge of specific aspects of symbiosis ecology and suggests many avenues for future research. Endophytic fungi are common in plants yet the nature of these interactions and how they cascade upward to communities and ecosystems are largely unknown.

Radiological Risk Assessment and Environmental Analysis

John E. Till and Helen Grogan — 2008-09-01

Author:: John E.TillRadiological Assessments CorporationHelenGrogan
ISBN:: 9780195127270
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology, Biochemistry / Molecular Biology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195127270.001.0001
Published in print:: 2008
Published Online:: 2008-09-01

This book is an update and major revision to Radiological Assessment: A Textbook on Environmental Dose Analysis published by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 1983. It focuses on risk to the public because decision makers typically use that endpoint to allocate resources and resolve issues. Chapters in the book explain the fundamental steps of radiological assessment, and they are organized in a sequence that would typically be used when undertaking an analysis of risk. The key components of radiological risk assessment discussed include source terms, atmospheric transport, surface water transport, groundwater transport, terrestrial and aquatic food chain pathways, estimating exposures, conversion of intakes and exposures to dose and risk, uncertainty analysis, environmental epidemiology, and model validation. A chapter on regulations related to environmental exposure is also included. Contributors to the book are well known experts from the various disciplines addressed.

Foundations of Environmental Sustainability

Larry Rockwood, Ronald Stewart, and Thomas Dietz — 2008-09-01

Author:: LarryRockwoodGeorge Mason UniversityRonaldStewartGeorge Mason UniversityThomasDietzMichigan State University
ISBN:: 9780195309454
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195309454.001.0001
Published in print:: 2008
Published Online:: 2008-09-01

This book reviews and analyzes the period (roughly from the 1950s to the present) when the “environment” became an issue as important as economic growth, or war and peace. The aim is to assess the current situation, and begin planning for the challenges that lie ahead. Most people are aware of both the environmental destruction taking place around the world and of the specter of climate change. The devastation of New Orleans by hurricane Katrina illustrates the potential for disaster when climate change is combined with the mismanaged environmental policy. How did we get to this point? What has been done and what can be done to avoid future environmental disasters? Thirty-two contributing authors (among them, one of the principal drafters of the National Environmental Policy Act, Chief of the African Environment Division and the World Bank, Vice President of the Center for Conservation Innovation at the World Wildlife Fund, President of the Zoological Society of London, former President of the Ecological Society of America) use their unique, authoritative perspective to review the evolution of environmental science and policy in the past half century.

Environmental Change and Globalization

Robin Leichenko and Karen O'Brien — 2008-09-01

Author:: Robin Leichenko, Karen O'Brien
ISBN:: 9780195177329
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195177329.001.0001
Published in print:: 2008
Published Online:: 2008-09-01

This book explores the connections between two of the most transformative processes of the 21st century, namely global environmental change and globalization. It presents a conceptual framework for analyzing the interactions between these two processes, and illustrates, through case studies, how these interactions create situations of “double exposure.” Drawing upon case studies largely related to climate change, the book shows how prominent recent and current environmental events — recurring droughts in India, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and the melting of the Arctic ice sheet — demonstrate different pathways of interaction between globalization and global environmental change. Each of these pathways shows how broader human security concerns, including increasing inequality, growing vulnerability, and unsustainable rates of development, are integrally connected to both processes of global change. The double exposure framework not only sheds light on the dangers associated with these two global processes, but also reveals possibilities for using the interactions to generate opportunities for positive action. The book ultimately challenges the ways that global environmental change and globalization are viewed and addressed. By drawing attention to double exposure, the book shows how integrated responses to global environmental change and globalization can create new types of synergies that promote sustainability and enhance human security.

Dragonflies and Damselflies

Alex Córdoba-Aguilar — 2008-09-01

Author:: AlexCórdoba-AguilarInstituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
ISBN:: 9780199230693
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology, Animal Biology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199230693.001.0001
Published in print:: 2008
Published Online:: 2008-09-01

This book is a collection of nineteen chapters where summaries of major ecological and evolutionary questions have been asked and responded using dragonflies and damselflies as study subjects. Each chapter is written by a well-respected scientist. The topics covered are: demography, population and community ecology, life-history, distribution, abundance, migration, conservation, applied use, predator-prey interactions, mating isolation, lifetime reproductive success estimates, reproduction vs. survival, parasite-host relationships, cryptic female choice, sexual conflict, territoriality, sex-limited colour polymorphisms, sexual size dimorphism, flight performance, and wing evolution. Each chapter puts forward new data and hypothesis in relation to further ecological and evolutionary questions.

Bracing for Armageddon?

William R Clark — 2008-09-01

Author:: William R Clark
ISBN:: 9780195336214
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195336214.001.0001
Published in print:: 2008
Published Online:: 2008-09-01

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.

Dispersal in Plants

Roger Cousens, Calvin Dytham, and Richard Law — 2008-05-01

Author:: Roger Cousens, Calvin Dytham, Richard Law
ISBN:: 9780199299126
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology, Plant Sciences and Forestry
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199299126.001.0001
Published in print:: 2008
Published Online:: 2008-05-01

Ecologists, both practical and theoretical, now appreciate that to understand biological systems they must consider the spatial dimension. Consequently, dispersal has become one of the hottest topics in plant ecology. However, in the midst of so much research output on dispersal, there is a need for a stock-take to determine the needs of future research: what has been achieved to date, where do current studies fit in, and what still needs to be determined? What are the implications of dispersal for those engaged in managing plant populations and communities? This is the first book for many years to present a synthesis of research on dispersal and its implications for plant population dynamics. The book consists of three sections: Section A reviews information on the biological and environmental processes that determine the path of an individual dispersing propagule, usually a seed, and the theory that has been developed to predict these trajectories; Section B discusses the distributions of seeds resulting from dispersal from an entire plant, theoretical research predicting the shapes of these distributions and design issues for future dispersal studies; Section C explores the implications of dispersal for expansion of populations, structure within existing populations and communities, and the evolution of dispersal traits.

The Biology of Polar Regions

2008-05-01

Author:: D.N. Thomas, G.E. Fogg, P. Convey, C.H. Fritsen, J.-M. Gili, R. Gradinger, J. Laybourn-Parry, K. Reid, D.W.H. Walton
ISBN:: 9780199298112
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199298112.001.0001
Published in print:: 2008
Published Online:: 2008-05-01

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.

Yellowstone's Destabilized Ecosystem

Frederic H. Wagner, Wayne L. Hamilton, and Richard B. Keigley — 2007-09-01

Author:: Frederic H.WagnerUtah State UniversityWayne L.HamiltonRichard B.Keigley
ISBN:: 9780195148213
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195148213.001.0001
Published in print:: 2006
Published Online:: 2007-09-01

Historical accounts, park records, and biologists' observations indicated that wintering elk in Yellowstone's northern range were present in low numbers prior to and at park establishment in 1872; increased to 20,000-35,000 by the early 1900s when they heavily impacted the northern-range ecosystem; and declined to 3,172 censused animals in 1968 due to park control efforts. In 1967, the park announced a politically coerced natural-regulation policy terminating park control; and in 1971 posed a natural-regulation ecological hypothesis stating that northern-range elk had been numerous prior to 1872, had not risen to 20,000-35,000 in the early 1900s, and would stabilize at moderate numbers following recovery from control efforts without significantly affecting the northern-range ecosystem. Archaeological and historic evidence, park records, and censuses begun in the 1920s indicate a northern herd of ~5,000-6,000 in 1872, increasing to ~20,000-35,000 in the early 1900s, declining to a censused number of 3,172 in 1968 in response to control efforts, increasing to a census-based number of 21,071-25,920 in the 1980s and 1990s, then declining somewhat after 2000. This book reviews critically the published and unpublished records to test the natural-regulation hypothesis and propose a conceptual model of the northern-range ecosystem with inferences from system changes associated with the four stages of elk abundance, inside-outside exclosure comparisons, and system comparisons inside and outside park boundaries.

Principles and Standards for Measuring Primary Production

Timothy J. Fahey and Alan K. Knapp — 2007-09-01

Author:: Timothy J.FaheyCornell UniversityAlan K.KnappKansas State University
ISBN:: 9780195168662
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195168662.001.0001
Published in print:: 2007
Published Online:: 2007-09-01

Standardized approaches for the measurement of primary production — the rate of energy storage in the organic matter of plants — are essential to facilitate scientific comparisons and syntheses as well as policy and management on global climate change and the carbon cycle. This book provides an overview of the principles that should underlie every program of measurement of primary production in the Earth's major biomes. Each of seven biome-based chapters provides an overview of essential features of primary production processes in the biome and detailed descriptions of the procedures used to quantify primary production in grasslands, shrublands, forests, peatlands and tundra, salt marshes, marine pelagic, and freshwater ecosystems. Recent advances in the measurement of belowground production in terrestrial biomes are described. The book also provides detailed guidelines for information management based upon current experiences of the US Long-Term Ecological Research network. Advanced techniques are described for scaling up empirical measurements of primary production using remotely-sensed information. Finally, the principles and practices for quantifying uncertainty in primary production measurements are explored using examples from various biomes.

Fundamental Processes in Ecology

David M Wilkinson — 2007-09-01

Author:: David M Wilkinson
ISBN:: 9780198568469
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198568469.001.0001
Published in print:: 2006
Published Online:: 2007-09-01

This book raises and attempts to answer the following thought experiment: ‘For any planet with carbon-based life, which persists over geological time-scales, what is the minimum set of ecological processes that must be present?’. The main intention of this book is to use an astrobiological perspective as a means of thinking about ecology on Earth. Its focus on processes contrasts with the commoner focus in ecology textbooks on entities such as individuals, populations, species, communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere. The book suggests that seven ecological processes are fundamental (not including natural selection and competition, which characterize all of life rather than only ecology): energy flow (energy consumption and waste product excretion), multiple guilds (autotrophs, decomposers, and parasites), tradeoffs (specialization versus generalization, leading to biodiversity within guilds), ecological hypercycles (cycles within cycles), merging of organismal and ecological physiology (as life spreads over the planet, biotic and abiotic processes interact so strongly as to be inseparable), photosynthesis (which it suggests likely in most biospheres but not inevitable), and carbon sequestration. These fundamental processes lead to the emergence of nutrient cycling. The integration of Earth System Science with ecology is vitally important if ecological science is to successfully contribute to the massive problems and future challenges associated with global change. The book is heavily influenced by Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis.

Ecological Orbits

Lev Ginzburg and Mark Colyvan — 2007-09-01

Author:: Lev Ginzburg, Mark Colyvan
ISBN:: 9780195168167
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195168167.001.0001
Published in print:: 2003
Published Online:: 2007-09-01

The main focus of the book is the presentation of the inertial view of population growth. This view provides a rather simple model for complex population dynamics, and is achieved at the level of the single species without invoking species interactions. An important part of the account is the maternal effect. Investment of mothers in the quality of their daughters makes the rate of reproduction of the current generation depend not only on the current environment, but also on the environment experienced by the previous generation.

The Biology of African Savannahs

Bryan Shorrocks — 2007-09-01

Author:: Bryan Shorrocks
ISBN:: 9780198570660
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Biology, Ecology
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570660.001.0001
Published in print:: 2007
Published Online:: 2007-09-01

Savannahs are one of the largest biomes of the world, comprising about 20% of the land surface. Stated simply, they are tropical and subtropical grasslands, with scattered bushes and trees. Most savannah occurs in Africa, with a smaller amount in South America, India, and Australia. This book looks at: (1) the climate factors that determine the distribution of savannahs worldwide and briefly looks at savannahs in South America, Australia, India, and Africa; (2) the major plants (grasses, and trees such as Acacia) and large animals (mainly large mammals) that live in African savannahs; and (3) the biological and ecological factors that influence their population size, interactions (such as predation), and community composition. Conservation issues such as tourism, hunting, and the conflict between wildlife and farmers are discussed.