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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Zoology & animal sciences > Animal ecology

Killing, Capture, Trade and Ape Conservation: Volume 4 (Hardcover): Arcus Foundation Killing, Capture, Trade and Ape Conservation: Volume 4 (Hardcover)
Arcus Foundation
R2,357 Discovery Miles 23 570 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The illegal trade in live apes, ape meat and body parts occurs across all ape range states and poses a significant and growing threat to the long-term survival of wild ape populations worldwide. What was once a purely subsistence and cultural activity, now encompasses a global multi-million-dollar trade run by sophisticated trans-boundary criminal networks. The challenge lies in teasing apart the complex and interrelated factors that drive the ape trade, while implementing strategies that do not exacerbate inequality. This volume of State of the Apes brings together original research and analysis with topical case studies and emerging best practices, to further the ape conservation agenda around killing, capture and trade. This title is also available as Open Access via Cambridge Core.

The Gnu's World - Serengeti Wildebeest Ecology and Life History (Paperback): Richard D. Estes The Gnu's World - Serengeti Wildebeest Ecology and Life History (Paperback)
Richard D. Estes
R1,012 Discovery Miles 10 120 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This volume is the first scholarly book on the antelope that dominate the savanna ecosystems of eastern and southern Africa. It presents a synthesis of research conducted over a span of fifty years, mainly on the wildebeests in the Ngorongoro and Serengeti ecosystems, where eighty percent of the world's total wildebeest population lives. Wildebeest and other grazing mammals drive the ecology and evolution of the savanna ecosystem. Estes describes this process as well as detailing the wildebeest's life history, focusing on its social organization and unique reproductive system, which are adapted to the animal's epic annual migrations. He also examines conservation issues that affect wildebeest, including range-wide population declines.

Cognitive Ecology (Paperback, New): Reuven Dukas Cognitive Ecology (Paperback, New)
Reuven Dukas
R1,520 Discovery Miles 15 200 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

How does the environment shape the ways an animal processes information and makes decisions? How do constraints imposed on nervous systems affect an animal's activities? To help answer these questions, "Cognitive Ecology" integrates evolutionary ecology and cognitive science, demonstrating how studies of perception, memory, and learning can deepen our understanding of animal behavior and ecology.
Individual chapters consider such issues as the evolution of learning and its influence on behavior; the effects of cognitive mechanisms on the evolution of signaling behavior; how neurobiological and evolutionary processes have shaped navigational activities; functional and mechanical explanations for altered behaviors in response to changing environments; how foragers make decisions and how these decisions are influenced by the risks of predation; and how cognitive mechanisms affect partner choice.
"Cognitive Ecology" will encourage biologists to consider how animal cognition affects behavior, and will also interest comparative psychologists and cognitive scientists.

Great White Sharks - The Biology of Carcharodon carcharias (Paperback, New edition): A. Peter Klimley, David G Ainley Great White Sharks - The Biology of Carcharodon carcharias (Paperback, New edition)
A. Peter Klimley, David G Ainley
R2,091 Discovery Miles 20 910 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, is a marquee predator made famous by movie and myth. This text brings together the real evidence of both ecology and behaviour of these animals. This international team of separates fact from fiction and establishes a baseline from which additional research of great white sharks and sharks in general might proceed. The chapters are divided into sections on the geographic distribution, evolutionary history, behaviour with particular emphasis on the predatory relationship to seals and sea lions, movements and abundance of the species, and its interactions with man. Many of the scientific contributions resulted from the 1993 symposium in Bodega Bay, California, that attracted more than 80 specialists from around the world.

Spatial Dynamics and Ecology of Large Ungulate Populations in Tropical Forests of India (Paperback, 1st ed. 2021): N. Samba... Spatial Dynamics and Ecology of Large Ungulate Populations in Tropical Forests of India (Paperback, 1st ed. 2021)
N. Samba Kumar, K. Ullas Karanth, James D. Nichols, Srinivas Vaidyanathan, Beth Gardner, …
R2,865 Discovery Miles 28 650 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Large ungulates in tropical forests are among the most threatened taxa of mammals. Excessive hunting, degradation of and encroachments on their natural habitats by humans have contributed to drastic reductions in wild ungulate populations in recent decades. As such, reliable assessments of ungulate-habitat relationships and the spatial dynamics of their populations are urgently needed to provide a scientific basis for conservation efforts. However, such rigorous assessments are methodologically complex and logistically difficult, and consequently many commonly used ungulate population survey methods do not address key problems. As a result of such deficiencies, key parameters related to population distribution, abundance, habitat ecology and management of tropical forest ungulates remain poorly understood. This book addresses this critical knowledge gap by examining how population abundance patterns in five threatened species of large ungulates vary across space in the tropical forests of the Nagarahole-Bandipur reserves in southwestern India. It also explains the development and application of an innovative methodology - spatially explicit line transect sampling - based on an advanced hierarchical modelling under the Bayesian inferential framework, which overcomes common methodological deficiencies in current ungulate surveys. The methods and results presented provide valuable reference material for researchers and professionals involved in studying and managing wild ungulate populations around the globe.

Diversity of Functional Traits and Interactions - Perspectives on Community Dynamics (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020): Akihiko Mougi Diversity of Functional Traits and Interactions - Perspectives on Community Dynamics (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020)
Akihiko Mougi
R2,865 Discovery Miles 28 650 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book presents new theoretical perspectives on ecological community dynamics and in so doing casts fresh light on the enduring complexity-stability debate. Real ecological communities do not simply comprise diverse species and interactions, which respectively represented the nodes and links of the classic network theory. Rather, they are characterized by different types of complexity, and this book explains how this diversity of complexity is key to understanding the dynamics of ecological communities. It is shown how various properties in natural communities, such as life history, adaptation, density dependence, sex, interaction types, space, functional traits, and microbial processes, can dramatically increase the complexity in ecological communities. Furthermore, innovative methods are introduced that may be applied to cast light on very complex communities. With each chapter presenting the latest advances and approaches, the book sets the direction for future research on ecological community dynamics. It will be a "must read" for researchers and students in the field of ecology.

Diet for a Sustainable Ecosystem - The Science for Recovering the Health of the Chesapeake Bay and its People (Paperback, 1st... Diet for a Sustainable Ecosystem - The Science for Recovering the Health of the Chesapeake Bay and its People (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020)
Benjamin E. Cuker
R5,750 Discovery Miles 57 500 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

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 approach stretching back to the American colonial era, it also incorporates more contemporary scientific findings. By crafting its story around a specific place, the book makes it easier for readers to relate to the content, and to subsequently use what they learn to better understand the role of food systems at the global scale.

Avian Malaria and Related Parasites in the Tropics - Ecology, Evolution and Systematics (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020): Diego... Avian Malaria and Related Parasites in the Tropics - Ecology, Evolution and Systematics (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020)
Diego Santiago-Alarcon, Alfonso Marzal
R2,978 Discovery Miles 29 780 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The Tropics are home to the greatest biodiversity in the world, but tropical species are at risk due to anthropogenic activities, mainly land use change, habitat loss, invasive species, and pathogens. Over the past 20 years, the avian malaria and related parasites (Order: Haemosporida) systems have received increased attention in the tropical regions from a diverse array of research perspectives. However, to date no attempts have been made to synthesize the available information and to propose new lines of research. This book provides such a synthesis by not only focusing on the antagonistic interactions, but also by providing conceptual chapters on topics going from avian haemosporidians life cycles and study techniques, to chapters addressing current concepts on ecology and evolution. For example, a chapter synthesizing basic biogeography and ecological niche model concepts is presented, followed by one on the island biogeography of avian haemosporidians. Accordingly, researchers and professionals interested in these antagonistic interaction systems will find both an overview of the field with special emphasis on the tropics, and access to the necessary conceptual framework for various topics in ecology, evolution and systematics. Given its conceptual perspective, the book will appeal not only to readers interested in avian haemosporidians, but also to those more generally interested in the ecology, evolution and systematics of host-parasite interactions.

Bumblebees - Behaviour, Ecology, and Conservation (Paperback, 2nd Revised edition): Dave Goulson Bumblebees - Behaviour, Ecology, and Conservation (Paperback, 2nd Revised edition)
Dave Goulson
R1,916 Discovery Miles 19 160 Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Bumblebees are familiar and charismatic insects, occurring throughout much of the world. They are increasingly being used as a model organism for studying a wide range of ecological and behavioural concepts, such as social organization, optimal foraging theories, host-parasite interactions, and pollination. Recently they have become a focus for conservationists due to mounting evidence of range contractions and catastrophic extinctions with some species disappearing from entire continents (e.g. in North America). Only by improving our understanding of their ecology can we devise sensible plans to conserve them. The role of bumblebees as invasive species (e.g. Bombus terrestris in Japan) has also become topical with the growing trade in commercial bumblebee nests for tomato pollination leading to establishment of non-native bumblebees in a number of countries.
Since the publication of the first edition of the book, there have been hundreds of research papers published on bumblebees. There is clearly a continuing need for an affordable, well-illustrated, and appealing text that makes accessible all of the major advances in understanding of the behaviour and ecology of bumblebees that have been made in the last 30 years.

Animal Fact File (Paperback, 2nd edition): Tony Hare Animal Fact File (Paperback, 2nd edition)
Tony Hare
R501 R421 Discovery Miles 4 210 Save R80 (16%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Animal Fact File is a visual guide to the most important-and most interesting-unique anatomical features of the world's most irresistible and fascinating mammals. This work covers more than 90 popular warm-blooded creatures from every corner of the globe. Each animal is featured on a two-page, full-colour illustrated spread that shows the entire mammal and highlights interesting parts of its anatomy. Each entry includes notes on natural history, range, and habitat, along with measurements and characteristic features. Budding zoologists will enjoy leafing through these pages, which make for a nice artists' reference and an inviting coffee-table book as well.

The Lake Charr Salvelinus namaycush: Biology, Ecology, Distribution, and Management (Paperback, 1st ed. 2021): Andrew M. Muir,... The Lake Charr Salvelinus namaycush: Biology, Ecology, Distribution, and Management (Paperback, 1st ed. 2021)
Andrew M. Muir, Charles C Krueger, Michael J. Hansen, Stephen C. Riley
R4,700 Discovery Miles 47 000 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The lake charr Salvelinus namaycush is a ubiquitous member of cold-water lake ecosystems in previously glaciated regions of northern continental U.S., Alaska, and Canada that often support important commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries. The lake charr differs from other charrs by its large size, longevity, iteroparity, top-predator specialization, reduced sexual dimorphism, prevalence of lacustrine spawning, and use of deepwater habitat. The species is remarkably variable in phenotype, physiology, and life history, some of which is reflected in its ecology and genetics, with as many as four morphs or ecotypes co-occurring in a single lake. The lake charr is often the top predator in these systems, but is highly adaptable trophically, and is frequently planktivorous in small lakes. The lake charr by their name highlights their common habitat, lakes both large and small, but often frequents rivers and occasionally moves into the Arctic Ocean. Movement and behaviour of lake charr are motivated by access to cool, well-oxygenated water, foraging opportunities, predator avoidance, and reproduction. Owing to their broad distribution and trophic level, the lake charr serves as a sentinel of anthropogenic change. This volume will provide an up-to-date summary of what is currently known about lake charr from distribution to genetics to physiology to ecology. The book provides a compilation and synthesis of available information on the lake charr, beginning with an updated distribution and a revised treatment of the paleoecology of the species. Understanding of ecological and genetic diversity and movement and behaviour of the species has advanced remarkably since the last major synthesis on the species over 40 years ago. Mid-sections of the book provide detailed accounts of the biology and life history of the species, and later sections are devoted to threats to conservation and fishery management practices used to ensure sustainability. A new standard lake charr-specific terminology is also presented. The book will be a valuable reference text for biologists around the world, ecologists, and fishery managers, and of interest to the angling public.

Computing Skills for Biologists - A Toolbox (Hardcover): Stefano Allesina, Madlen Wilmes Computing Skills for Biologists - A Toolbox (Hardcover)
Stefano Allesina, Madlen Wilmes
R2,743 R2,266 Discovery Miles 22 660 Save R477 (17%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

A concise introduction to key computing skills for biologists While biological data continues to grow exponentially in size and quality, many of today's biologists are not trained adequately in the computing skills necessary for leveraging this information deluge. In Computing Skills for Biologists, Stefano Allesina and Madlen Wilmes present a valuable toolbox for the effective analysis of biological data. Based on the authors' experiences teaching scientific computing at the University of Chicago, this textbook emphasizes the automation of repetitive tasks and the construction of pipelines for data organization, analysis, visualization, and publication. Stressing practice rather than theory, the book's examples and exercises are drawn from actual biological data and solve cogent problems spanning the entire breadth of biological disciplines, including ecology, genetics, microbiology, and molecular biology. Beginners will benefit from the many examples explained step-by-step, while more seasoned researchers will learn how to combine tools to make biological data analysis robust and reproducible. The book uses free software and code that can be run on any platform. Computing Skills for Biologists is ideal for scientists wanting to improve their technical skills and instructors looking to teach the main computing tools essential for biology research in the twenty-first century. Excellent resource for acquiring comprehensive computing skills Both novice and experienced scientists will increase efficiency by building automated and reproducible pipelines for biological data analysis Code examples based on published data spanning the breadth of biological disciplines Detailed solutions provided for exercises in each chapter Extensive companion website

Food Sharing in Human Societies - Anthropological Perspectives (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021): Nobuhiro Kishigami Food Sharing in Human Societies - Anthropological Perspectives (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021)
Nobuhiro Kishigami
R2,883 Discovery Miles 28 830 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book explores why human beings share food with others using a humanistic anthropological approach. This book provides a comparative examination of distinct features and historical changes in food-sharing practices in various hunting-gathering societies, especially in the Inuit. The author considers human nature through various human food-sharing practices. Food sharing is a characteristic of human behavior and has been one of the central topics in anthropological studies of hunter-gatherers for a long time. While anthropologists have attempted to understand it in functional, historical, adaptational, social, cultural, psychological, or phenomenological perspective, they have failed to convincingly explain its origin, variation, existence or/and change. Recently, evolutionary ecology or behavioral ecology has dominated research of the topic. However, neither of them adequately considers social, cultural and historical factors in the analysis of human food-sharing practices. This book is an essential and fundamental study for every researcher interested in the relationship between human nature, society and culture.

Bees and Their Keepers - From waggle-dancing to killer bees, from Aristotle to Winnie-the-Pooh (Hardcover): Frank Perry Bees and Their Keepers - From waggle-dancing to killer bees, from Aristotle to Winnie-the-Pooh (Hardcover)
Frank Perry; Lotte Moeller 1
R681 R558 Discovery Miles 5 580 Save R123 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

A beautifully illustrated and thoroughly engaging cultural history of beekeeping - packed with anecdote, humour and enriching historical detail. The perfect gift. "A charming look at the history of beekeeping, from myth and folklore to our practical relationship with bees" Gardens Illustrated "An entertaining collation of bee trivia across the millennia" Daily Telegraph * Sweden's Gardening Book of the Year 2019 * Shortlisted for the August Prize 2019 * Winner of the Swedish Book Design Award for 2019 Beekeeper and garden historian Lotte Moeller explores the activities inside and outside the hive while charting the bees' natural order and habits. With a light touch she uses her encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject to shed light on humanity's understanding of bees and bee lore from antiquity to the present. A humorous debunking of the myths that have held for centuries is matched by a wry exploration of how and when they were replaced by fact. In her travels Moeller encounters a trigger-happy Californian beekeeper raging against both killer bees and bee politics, warring beekeepers on the Danish island of Laeso, and Brother Adam of Buckfast Abbey, breeder of the Buckfast queen now popular throughout Europe and beyond, as well a host of others as passionate as she about the complex world of apiculture both past and present. Translated from the Swedish by Frank Perry

Monitoring Plant and Animal Populations (Paperback): Elzinga Monitoring Plant and Animal Populations (Paperback)
Elzinga
R2,251 Discovery Miles 22 510 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

"Monitoring Plant and Animal Populations" is a thorough overview of monitoring issues. It is designed for field biologists and land managers with a modest statistical background. The authors have written a practical text that will include concrete guidelines for ecologists to follow to design a statistically defensible monitoring program for natural populations and communities.

Features
User-friendly, practical guide, written in a highly readable format which integrates the theme of decision making guidance and management.
Only population monitoring text to focus on both plant and animals.
Interdisciplinary in scope, given the current, widespread interest in monitoring in many environmental fields including pure and applied ecology, conservation biology, and wildlife management.
Includes suggestions for monitoring plant and animal communities.
Outlines the essential concepts in monitoring populations.
Emphasizes the role o monitoring in adaptive management.
Defines important terminology and contrasts monitoring with other data-collection activities.
Provides a step-by-step overview of the monitoring process, as illustrated by flow charts and references.
Illustrates the foundation of management objectives and describes their components, types, and development.
Describes basic terms and concepts relevant to sampling using simple examples.
Explains how to make basic decisions in designing a sample-based monitoring study.
Provides field techniques for measuring important attributes of animal and plant populations.
Covers different ways of recording monitoring data in the field and describes means for entering and managing field monitoringdata sets with computers.
Comprehensive presentation of statistical analysis and communicating results.

The Complexity of Bird Behaviour - A Facet Theory Approach (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020): Paul M.W. Hackett The Complexity of Bird Behaviour - A Facet Theory Approach (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020)
Paul M.W. Hackett
R2,871 Discovery Miles 28 710 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book presents the facet theoretical framework as a tool for facilitating the conception of complex animal behaviour research and the design of research procedures through employing mapping sentences. Using the facet theoretical framework, this book takes a holistic view of bird behaviour. Components of bird behavior are identified and then reassembled to facilitate an understanding of the behaviour in the context of its natural occurrence. This provides new insight on both the parts of the behaviour and how these interact as a whole. The multi-faceted approach to designing, evaluating and understanding bird behavior presented offers a template that is adaptable for investigating a wide variety of avian species and different forms of behaviour. Behavioural biologists, animal and comparative psychologists, other natural and behavioural scientists, as well as students of these disciplines will find this book to be an interesting and enlightening read.

Aquatic Animal Nutrition - Organic Macro- and Micro-Nutrients (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2022): Christian E.W. Steinberg Aquatic Animal Nutrition - Organic Macro- and Micro-Nutrients (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2022)
Christian E.W. Steinberg
R5,895 Discovery Miles 58 950 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

As sequel to Aquatic Animal Nutrition - A Mechanistic Perspective from Individuals to Generations, the present treatise on organic macro- and micronutrients continues the unique cross fertilization of aquatic ecology/ecophysiology and aquaculture. This treatise considers proteins and their constituents, carbohydrates from mono- to polysaccharides, fatty acids from free acids to fat, and waxes. It becomes obvious that these organic nutrients are more than only simple fuel for the metabolism of animals; rather, their constituents have messenger and controlling function for the actual consuming individual and even for succeeding generations. This aspect will become particularly clear by putting the organisms under consideration back into their ecosystem with their interrelationships and interdependencies. Furthermore, micronutrients, such as vitamins and nucleotides as well as exogenous enzymes, are in the focus of this volume with known and still-to-be-discovered controlling physiological and biomolecular functions. Aquatic Animal Nutrition - Organic Macro and Micro Nutrients addresses se veral gaps in nutritional research and practice. One major gap is the lack of com mon research standards and protocols for nutritional studies so that virtually incomparable approaches have to be compared. This applies also to the studied animals, since most approaches disregard intraspecific variabilities and the existence of epimutations in farmed individuals. Furthermore, recalling the Mechanistic Perspective from Individuals to Generations, dietary benefits and deficiencies have effects on succeeding generations. In most studies, this long-term and sustainable aspect is overruled by pure short-term production aspects. By comparing nutritional behavior and success of fishes and invertebrates, Aqua tic Animal Nutrition points out different metabolic pathways in these animal groups and discusses how, for instance, fishes would benefit when having some successful metabolic pathway of invertebrates. Application of novel ge ne tic techniques will help turn this vision into reality. However, a widely missing link in the current nutritional research is epigenetics regarding transgenerational heritages of acquired morphological and physiological properties. To in crease public acceptance, nutritional optimization of farmed animals based on this mechanism, rather than genetical engineering, appears promising.

The Ecology of Playful Childhood - The Diversity and Resilience of Caregiver-Child Interactions  among the San of Southern... The Ecology of Playful Childhood - The Diversity and Resilience of Caregiver-Child Interactions among the San of Southern Africa (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020)
Akira Takada
R2,867 Discovery Miles 28 670 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

While 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.

Antarctic Seaweeds - Diversity, Adaptation and Ecosystem Services (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020): Ivan Gomez, Pirjo Huovinen Antarctic Seaweeds - Diversity, Adaptation and Ecosystem Services (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020)
Ivan Gomez, Pirjo Huovinen
R5,158 Discovery Miles 51 580 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Seaweeds (macroalgae) represent the most striking living components in the Antarctic's near-shore ecosystems, especially across the West Antarctic Peninsula and adjacent islands. Due to their abundance, their central roles as primary producers and foundation organisms, and as sources of diverse metabolically active products, seaweed assemblages are fundamental to biogeochemical cycles in Antarctic coastal systems. In recent years, the imminence of climate change and the direct impacts of human beings, which are affecting vast regions of the Antarctic, have highlighted the importance of seaweed processes in connection with biodiversity, adaptation and interactions in the benthic network. Various research groups have been actively involved in the investigation of these topics. Many of these research efforts have a long tradition, while some "newcomers" have also recently contributed important new approaches to the study of these organisms, benefiting polar science as a whole. This book provides an overview of recent advances and insights gleaned over the past several years. Focusing on a timely topic and extremely valuable resource, it assesses the challenges and outlines future directions in the study of Antarctic seaweeds.

Migrating Raptors of the World - Their Ecology and Conservation (Hardcover): Keith L. Bildstein Migrating Raptors of the World - Their Ecology and Conservation (Hardcover)
Keith L. Bildstein
R1,277 Discovery Miles 12 770 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Many raptors, the hawks, eagles, and falcons of the world, migrate over long distances, often in impressively large numbers. Many avoid crossing wide expanses of water and follow "flyways" to optimize soaring potential. Atmospheric conditions and landscape features, including waterways and mountain ranges, funnel these birds into predictable bottlenecks through which thousands of daytime birds of prey may pass in a short time. Birders and ornithologists also congregate at these locations to observe the river of raptors passing overhead (as did hunters in the United States in the past and in some countries even today).

Keith L. Bildstein has studied migrating raptors on four continents and directs the conservation science program at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Pennsylvania, the world's first refuge for migratory birds of prey. In this book, he details the stories and successes of twelve of the world's most important raptor-viewing spots, among them Cape May Point, New Jersey; Veracruz, Mexico; Kekoldi, Costa Rica; the Strait of Gibralter, Spain; and Elat, Israel. During peak migration, when the weather is right, the skies at these sites, as at Hawk Mountain, can fill with thousands of birds in a single field of view. Bildstein, whose knowledge of the phenomenon of raptor migration is comprehensive, provides an accessible account of the history, ecology, geography, science, and conservation aspects surrounding the migration of approximately two hundred species of raptors between their summer breeding sites and their wintering grounds. He summarizes current knowledge about how the birds' bodies handle the demands of long-distance migration and how they know where to go.

Migrating Raptors of the World also includes the ecological and conservation stories of several intriguing raptor migrants, including the Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Western Honey Buzzard, Northern Harrier, Grey-faced Buzzard, Steppe Buzzard, and Amur Falcon.

Water in Biomechanical and Related Systems (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021): Adam Gadomski Water in Biomechanical and Related Systems (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021)
Adam Gadomski
R5,169 Discovery Miles 51 690 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

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 whole volume to support certain physiological and locomotive (friction-adhesion) processes to mention but two of them, both of extreme relevance. Water content, not only in the mammalian organism but also in other biosystems such as whether those of soil which is equipped with microbiome or the ones pertinent to plants, having their own natural network of water vessels, is always subjected to a force field.The decisive force field applied to the biosystems makes them biomechanically agitated irrespective of whether they are subjected to external or internal force-field conditions. It ought to be noted that the decisive mechanical factor shows up in a close relation with the space-and-time scale in which it is causing certain specific phenomena to occur.The scale problem, emphasizing the range of action of gravitational force, thus the millimeter or bigger force vs. distance scale, is supposed to enter the so-called macroscale approach to water transportation through soil or plants' roots system. It is merely related to a percolation problem, which assumes to properly inspect the random network architecture assigned to the biosystems invoked. The capillarity conditions turn out to be of prior importance, and the porous-medium effect has to be treated, and solved in a fairly approximate way.The deeper the scale is penetrated by a force-exerting and hydrated agent the more non-gravitational force fields manifest. This can be envisaged in terms of the corresponding thermodynamic (non-Newtonian) forces, and the phenomena of interest are mostly attributed to suitable changes of the osmotic pressure. In low Reynolds number conditions, thus in the (sub)micrometer distance-scale zone, they are related with the corresponding viscosity changes of the aqueous, e.g. cytoplasmatic solutions, of semi-diluted and concentrated (but also electrolytic) characteristics. For example, they can be observed in articulating systems of mammals, in their skin, and to some extent, in other living beings, such as lizards, geckos or even insects. Through their articulating devices an external mechanical stimulus is transmitted from macro- to nanoscale, wherein the corresponding osmotic-pressure conditions apply. The content of the proposed work can be distributed twofold. First, the biomechanical mammalian-type (or, similar) systems with extraordinary relevance of water for their functioning will be presented, also including a presentation of water itself as a key physicochemical system/medium. Second, the suitably chosen related systems, mainly of soil and plant addressing provenience, will be examined thoroughly. As a common denominator of all of them, it is proposed to look at their hydrophobic and/or (de)hydration effects, and how do they impact on their basic mechanical (and related, such as chemo-mechanical or piezoelectric, etc.) properties. An additional tacit assumption employed throughout the monograph concerns statistical scalability of the presented biosystems which is equivalent to take for granted a certain similarity between local and global system's properties, mostly those of mechanical nature. The presented work's chapters also focus on biodiversity and ecological aspects in the world of animals and plants, and the related systems. The chapters' contents underscore the bioinspiration as the key landmark of the proposed monograph.

Ecology of North American Freshwater Fishes (Hardcover, New): Stephen T Ross Ecology of North American Freshwater Fishes (Hardcover, New)
Stephen T Ross
R1,871 R1,547 Discovery Miles 15 470 Save R324 (17%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The 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.

Problematic Wildlife II - New Conservation and Management Challenges in the Human-Wildlife Interactions (Paperback, 1st ed.... Problematic Wildlife II - New Conservation and Management Challenges in the Human-Wildlife Interactions (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020)
Francesco Maria Angelici, Lorenzo Rossi
R5,236 Discovery Miles 52 360 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

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 while many others need to be helped in order to continue to exist. This book follows the first volume called 'Problematic Wildlife', edited by F.M. Angelici and published by Springer in 2016, which has had considerable success with readers and critics. The volume includes 21 chapters divided into 7 parts devoted specific topics which are approached in a multidisciplinary way. There are both review chapters and specific cases, always bearing in mind the interest for an international audience. The book is useful both for scientists, wildlife specialists, conservationists, zoologists, ecologists, university students, nature managers, and for those who live in contact with wildlife and its problems, such as farmers, shepherds, hunters, urban planners, and staff of parks and nature reserves. Its ultimate goal is to offer scientific and pragmatic approaches to manage each categories of problematic species.

Participatory Biodiversity Conservation - Concepts, Experiences, and Perspectives (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020): Cristina Baldauf Participatory Biodiversity Conservation - Concepts, Experiences, and Perspectives (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020)
Cristina Baldauf
R4,352 Discovery Miles 43 520 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

It has long been claimed that addressing biodiversity loss and other environmental problems demands a better understanding of the social dimensions of conservation; nevertheless, the active participation of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in conservation initiatives is still a challenging and somehow controversial issue. In this context, this book hopes to give voice to other perspectives related to biodiversity conservation beyond the "fortress conservation" model and emphasize one of the pillars of democracy - popular participation. It covers a wide range of environments and issues of special significance to the topic, such as the expansion of culturally constructed niches, protected areas and food security, community-based management, participatory agroforestry, productive restoration and biocultural conservation. The contents also explore the limitations and shortcomings of participatory practices in protected areas, the relationship between the global crisis of democracy and the decline of biocultural diversity, as well as present current discussions on policy frameworks and governance systems for effective participatory biodiversity conservation. In sum, this book provides a comprehensive and realistic perspective on the social dimensions of conservation based on a series of interrelated themes in participatory biodiversity conservation. The connections between biocultural conservation and the current political and economic environment are highlighted through the chapters and the book closes with a debate on ways to reconcile human welfare, environmental justice and biodiversity conservation.

Current Trends in Dynamical Systems in Biology and Natural Sciences (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020): Maira Aguiar, Carlos Braumann,... Current Trends in Dynamical Systems in Biology and Natural Sciences (Paperback, 1st ed. 2020)
Maira Aguiar, Carlos Braumann, Bob W. Kooi, Andrea Pugliese, Nico Stollenwerk, …
R3,383 Discovery Miles 33 830 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book disseminates the latest results and envisages new challenges in the application of mathematics to various practical situations in biology, epidemiology, and ecology. It comprises a collection of the main results presented at the Ninth Edition of the International Workshop "Dynamical Systems Applied to Biology and Natural Sciences - DSABNS", held from 7 to 9 February 2018 at the Department of Mathematics, University of Turin, Italy. While the principal focus is ecology and epidemiology, the coverage extends even to waste recycling and a genetic application. The topics covered in the 12 peer-reviewed contributions involve such diverse mathematical tools as ordinary and partial differential equations, delay equations, stochastic equations, control, and sensitivity analysis. The book is intended to help both in disseminating the latest results and in envisaging new challenges in the application of mathematics to various practical situations in biology, epidemiology, and ecology.

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