Ecological science, the Biosphere Books

The importance of the Neotropics to the world's climate, biogeochemical cycling and biodiversity cannot be questioned.  This book suggests that gradients are key to understanding both these issues and Neotropical ecosystem structure, function and...

Maize is one of the most generally grown cereal crops at global level, followed by wheat and rice. Maize is the major crop in China both in terms of yield and acreage. In 2012, worldwide maize production was about 840 million tons. Maize has long been a...

In dieser Arbeit wird das Recht als Instrument zur Bewältigung der Herausforderungen des Meeresspiegelanstiegs untersucht. Da sich die beiden exemplarisch ausgewählten Länder in ihren Anpassungsstrategien und den entsprechenden rechtlichen Regelungen...

This book focuses on tropical coasts, which are highly vulnerable due to a multitude of stressors. Population growth is substantial, habitats are lost and biodiversity is reduced at an alarming rate, severely affecting many ecosystem services. This...

This book integrates three decades of owl monkey research conducted since 1994 when the first and only book focused on the genus Aotus was published. Owl monkeys were one of the least understood primates then; knowledge from wild populations was only...

This book introduces an innovative approach to sustainable and regenerative mountain development. Transdisciplinary to biophysical and biocultural scales, it provides answers to the "what, when, how, why, and where" that researchers question on...

The Anthropocene is the "age of human influence", an epoch well known for its urban impact. More than half of all people already live in cities, and this proportion is expected to rise to almost 70 percent by 2050. Like other species in urban areas, bats...

Climate change is one of the most severe dangers for mankind worldwide. Beside the temperature increase, the sea level will rise and flood wide coastal areas, which is already remarkable today. The effects will be dramatic, in particular, at coasts with...

Environmental contaminants are chemicals that accidentally or deliberately enter the environment, often, but not always, as a result of human activities. Some of these contaminants may have been manufactured for industrial use, and because they are very...

Aspects of Brazilian Floristic Diversity: From Botany to Traditional Communities offers a unique approach in floristic diversity of the Neotropical region, specifically encompassing the Brazilian flora. This volume combines both theoretical and applied...

This book analyses the adaptive reuse potential of inner-city modern movement car parking structures for controlled environment agriculture systems and the contribution of such a transformation to urban development. Modern movement garages built over the...

Walleye, one of the most sought-after species of freshwater sport fishes in North America, has demonstrated appreciable declines in their numbers from their original populations since the beginning of the 20th century. Similarly, Yellow Perch, once...

The book provides a comprehensive account of a tropical lake, Alchichica, considering that tropical limnology is by far less known and well-understood than temperate. Many of the well-known temperate limnology paradigms do not apply in tropical...

This book contains the papers presented at the conferences of the International Association Vegetation Science of Pirenopolis (2016) on Applied Mapping for Conservation and Management: from Plant and of Palermo (2017) on Vegetation Patterns in...

This proceedings book focuses on advanced technologies to monitor and model urban soils, vegetation and climate, including internet of things, remote sensing, express and non-destructive techniques. The Smart and Sustainable Cities (SSC) conference is a...

This volume builds on an international workshop held in 2019, inspired by James Lovelock's "The Revenge of Gaia - Why the Earth Is Fighting Back, and How We Can Still Save Humanity". It, therefore, understands the Gaia concept as an umbrella term for the...

This book focuses on sustainability concepts in architecture and urban design, environmental issues, and natural resources. Today it has become essential to reduce carbon emissions, protect habitats, and preserve the delicate ecosystems of our planet...

This book fills a void in the literature around how urban agricultural education can be used to create opportunities to educate youth and citizens who live in urban areas about growing food. To date, very little has been written about program design and...

This book will fill a void in the literature around research and program design and the impact of such experiences on learning outcomes within urban agricultural contexts.  In particular, this book will cover topics such as STEM integration, science...

There has been growing academic interest in local food plants. This is a subject that lies at the frontiers of knowledge of various areas, such as environmental sciences, nutrition, public health, and humanities. To date, however, we do not have a book...

The contributed volume puts emphasis on a superior role of water in (bio)systems exposed to a mechanical stimulus. It is well known that water plays an extraordinary role in our life. It feeds mammalian or other organism after distributing over its...

The Alboran Sea represents a regional Mediterranean space where North and South worlds merges, creating a geopolitical region where marine resources and maritime activities should be managed from a national and international perspectives. It is widely...

This atlas presents a concrete tool to identify xylophagous activity by the remains they left in wooded areas in Western Europe. Xylophagous insects are among the largest predators of woody tissues. They leave discriminating traces, different...

Population genomics is revolutionizing wildlife biology, conservation, and management by providing key and novel insights into genetic, population and landscape-level processes in wildlife, with unprecedented power and accuracy. This pioneering book...

This book explores the bioclimatic approach to building design. Constant innovations in the field are evident, including the need to face climate changes and increase the local resilience at different scales (regional, urban, architectural). Differently...

Marine Animal Forests (MAFs) are spread all over the world. Composed by suspension feeding organisms (e.g. corals, gorgonians, sponges, bryozoans, bivalves, etc.), MAFs constitute a vast number of marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, cold water corals,...

Natural resources and associated biological diversity provide the basis of livelihood for human population, particularly in the rural areas and mountain regions across the globe. Asia is home to the world's highest mountain regions including the...

This book brings together a wide range of sampling methods for investigating different arthropod groups. Each chapter is organized to describe and evaluate the main sampling methods (field methods, materials and supplies, sampling protocols, effort...

This book covers a broad spectrum of topics related to GMOs and allied new gene-based technologies, biodiversity, and ecosystem processes, bringing together the contributions of researchers and regulators from around the world. The aim is to offer a...

This book highlights the results from over a year of ethnobotanical research in a rural and an urban community in Jamaica, where we interviewed more than 100 people who use medicinal plants for healthcare. The goal of this research was to better...

An increasing population has put tremendous pressure on agricultural productivity to fulfill the demands of human consumption. Numerous agricultural activities and techniques have been developed to raise annual crop production globally. While agriculture...

It is widely acknowledged that life has adapted to its environment, but the precise mechanism remains unknown since Natural Selection, Descent with Modification and Survival of the Fittest are metaphors that cannot be scientifically tested. In this...

Plant-herbivore interactions are a central topic in evolutionary ecology. Historically, their study has been a cornerstone for coevolutionary theory. Starting from classic ecological studies at the phenotypic level, it has since expanded to molecular and...

In their rapid colonization of soil exposed by fires, floods, and grazing animals, weeds resemble the human specialists we label Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Weeds are the first responders when disasters occur in nature. They occupy bare soil...

This book explores a specific ecosystem in depth, in order to weave a story built on place and history. It incorporates the theme of a journey to help reveal the environment-human-health-food system-problem. While drawing on a historical...

In a world where habitats are constantly changing and the impact of anthropization on the environment is increasingly intense, interactions between human and wildlife are becoming more and more complex. Some species pose problems for human activities...

Great Salt Lake is an enormous terminal lake in the western United States. It is a highly productive ecosystem, which has global significance for millions of migrating birds who rely on this critical feeding station on their journey through the American...

Nearshore hardbottom reefs of Florida's east coast are used by over 1100 species of fishes, invertebrates, algae, and sea turtles. These rocky reefs support reproduction, settlement, and habitat use, and are energy sources and sinks. They are also buried...

A practical guide for surveyors and ecologists to assist in field studies when using the classification for mires and heaths. It delivers a detailed account of 38 mire and 22 heath communities, providing information on their composition, structure,...

Detailed information on all aspects of bat surveying - The Bat Workers' Manual is an essential reference for anyone wishing to obtain a licence to carry out bat work in the UK. With excellent drawings by Tom McOwat.

Designed for use in the field, this small-format guide provides valuable information on techniques for environmental audit. Information is contained on the rationale and history of Phase 1 survey, giving advice on planning the survey, habitat mapping,...

An in-depth guide to writing high-quality and effective professional ecological reports. Mike Dean distils the knowledge and experience gained over a period of more than 20 years working as an ecological consultant, during which time he has written and...

Measuring the abundance of individuals and the diversity of species are core components of most ecological research projects and conservation monitoring. This book brings together in one place the methods used to estimate the abundance of individuals in...

The authors make this much-needed Naturalists' Handbook accessible by confining themselves to aphids living on broad-leaved trees. This has reduced the problems of identification to manageable proportions.

This is a book about the scientific process and how it is applied to data in ecology. We will learn how to plan for data collection, how to assemble data, how to analyse data and finally how to present the results. The book uses Microsoft Excel and the...

Ponds and small lakes support an extremely rich biodiversity of fascinating organisms. Many people have encountered a few unfamiliar creatures, such as dragonfly nymphs and caddisfly larvae. However, there is a far richer world of microscopic organisms,...

This book presents a detailed overview of the ecology and behaviour of the Eurasian beaver. It shows how to recognise the presence and activities of beavers. It provides tried and tested methods for mitigating adverse impacts of beaver behaviour and...

The Effective Ecologist covers the stuff that no-one told you about at university - how to develop your business and office-related skills to succeed in your career as a professional ecologist. It will provide you with the skills and effective behaviours...