Most of the Earth's biosphere is characterized by low temperatures. Vast areas (>20%) of the soil ecosystem are permanently frozen or are unfrozen for only a few weeks in summer. Permafrost regions occur at high latitudes and also at high ele- tions; a significant part of the global permafrost area is represented by mountains. Permafrost soils are of global interest, since a significant increase in temperature is predicted for polar regions. Global warming will have a great impact on these soils, especially in northern regions, since they contain large amounts of organic carbon and act as carbon sinks, and a temperature increase will result in a release of carbon into the atmosphere. Additionally, the intensified release of the clima- relevant tracer gas methane represents a potential environmental harzard. Significant numbers of viable microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, p- totrophic cyanobacteria and green algae, fungi and protozoa, are present in per- frost, and the characteristics of these microorganisms reflect the unique and extreme conditions of the permafrost environment. Remarkably, these microorg- isms have been reported to be metabolically active at subzero temperatures, even down to ?20 DegreesC.

In the course of evolution, a great variety of root systems have learned to overcome the many physical, biochemical and biological problems brought about by soil. This development has made them a fascinating object of scientific study.This volume gives an overview of how roots have adapted to the soil environment and which roles they play in the soil ecosystem. The text describes the form and function of roots, their temporal and spatial distribution, and their turnover rate in various ecosystems. Subsequently, a physiological background is provided for basic functions, such as carbon acquisition, water and solute movement, and for their responses to three major abiotic stresses, i.e. hard soil structure, drought and flooding. The volume concludes with the interactions of roots with other organisms of the complex soil ecosystem, including symbiosis, competition, and the function of roots as a food source.

It is now 20 years since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, better known as the Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro. An important achievement of the conference was an agreement on the Climate Change Convention which in turn led to the Kyoto Protocol. Another was agreement to 'not carry out any activities on the lands of indigenous peoples that would cause environmental degradation or that would be culturally inappropriate'. Recently we have seen an updated and revised conference in Rio where the same issues were again discussed. Since then ideas about sustainability have changed considerably and to some extent they have merged with ideas about corporate social responsibility and about governance, determined by the economic and political fortunes of the actors involved. It is now time therefore to re-examine the concept of sustainability in the aftermath of this conference and to consider what issues are now considered pertinent around the world. This book therefore takes different positions concerning different aspects of this vital topic.

This book offers an extensive study of indigenous communities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, and their methods of forest conservation, along with an exploration of the impact of forestry operations in the islands and the wide scale damage they have incurred on both the land and the people. Through an in-depth analysis of the contrasting indigenous practices and governmental forestry schemes, the author has compared the modern 'Joint Forest Management' resolution with the ethos and practices of the indigenous people of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Throughout the book, readers will learn about the different indigenous communities inhabiting these islands and the treasure of knowledge each of them provide on forest conservation. The book establishes that the notion of knowledge is politicized by the dominant culture in the context of Andaman's forest tribes, and traces how this denial of the existence of indigenous knowledge by government officials has led to reduced forest area in the region. The book also explores and analyses strategies to utilize and conserve the tribes' profound knowledge of the biodiversity of the islands and study their efforts towards forest conservation, protection and rejuvenation.

The Sirex woodwasp, Sirex noctilio, is the most important invasive alien insect pest of Pinus plantations in the Southern Hemisphere. It now also threatens pines in North America. This book brings together the worldwide knowledge of researchers from Universities and Government institutions, as well as forest industry practitioners that have worked on the pest. Importantly, it is the first comprehensive treatment of the subject since S. noctilio was discovered outside its native range around 1900. The book covers all aspects of the biology and management of S. noctilio, including aspects of the insects' taxonomy, general life history, host-plant relationships, population dynamics, chemical ecology and symbiosis with the fungus Amylostereum areolatum. The book also contains a comprehensive synthesis of the history and current status of the pest and worldwide efforts to control it, including biological control, silviculture and quarantine.

International concern in scientific, industrial, and governmental communities over traces of xenobiotics in foods and in both abiotic and biotic environments has justified the present triumvirate of specialized publications in this field: comprehensive reviews, rapidly published research papers and progress reports, and archival documentations. These three international publications are inte grated and scheduled to provide the coherency essential for nonduplicative and current progress in a field as dynamic and complex as environmental contamina tion and toxicology. This series is reserved exclusively for the diversified litera ture on ''toxic'' chemicals in our food, our feeds, our homes, recreational and working surroundings, our domestic animals, our wildlife and ourselves. Tre mendous efforts worldwide have been mobilized to evaluate the nature, pres ence, magnitude, fate, and toxicology of the chemicals loosed upon the earth. Among the sequelae of this broad new emphasis is an undeniable need for an articulated set of authoritative publications, where one can find the latest impor tant world literature produced by these emerging areas of science together with documentation of pertinent ancillary legislation. Research directors and legislative or administrative advisers do not have the time to scan the escalating number of technical publications that may contain articles important to current responsibility. Rather, these individuals need the background provided by detailed reviews and the assurance that the latest infor mation is made available to them, all with minimal literature searching."

The central message of the book is that stakeholder participation in the governance of fisheries is beneficial, but confers responsibilities as well as rights: all stakeholders have a public duty to act as stewards of the marine environment. With chapters by leading scholars and participants in fisheries governance, this book recounts contemporary techniques of public participation, and develops a new concept of environmental stewardship as a form of fisheries governance.

This book is divided in two parts, the first of which shows how, beyond paleontology and systematics, macroevolutionary theories apply key insights from ecology and biogeography, developmental biology, biophysics, molecular phylogenetics and even the sociocultural sciences to explain evolution in deep time. In the second part, the phenomenon of macroevolution is examined with the help of real life-history case studies on the evolution of eukaryotic sex, the formation of anatomical form and body-plans, extinction and speciation events of marine invertebrates, hominin evolution and species conservation ethics. The book brings together leading experts, who explain pivotal concepts such as Punctuated Equilibria, Stasis, Developmental Constraints, Adaptive Radiations, Habitat Tracking, Turnovers, (Mass) Extinctions, Species Sorting, Major Transitions, Trends and Hierarchies - key premises that allow macroevolutionary epistemic frameworks to transcend microevolutionary theories that focus on genetic variation, selection, migration and fitness. Along the way, the contributing authors review ongoing debates and current scientific challenges; detail new and fascinating scientific tools and techniques that allow us to cross the classic borders between disciplines; demonstrate how their theories make it possible to extend the Modern Synthesis; present guidelines on how the macroevolutionary field could be further developed; and provide a rich view of just how it was that life evolved across time and space. In short, this book is a must-read for active scholars and because the technical aspects are fully explained, it is also accessible for non-specialists. Understanding evolution requires a solid grasp of above-population phenomena. Species are real biological individuals and abiotic factors impact the future course of evolution. Beyond observation, when the explanation of macroevolution is the goal, we need both evidence and theory that enable us to explain and interpret how life evolves at the grand scale.

New interventions are needed to reduce the burden of vector-borne diseases like malaria and denguA(c), which are among the most serious and prevalent infectious diseases worldwide. The release of genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes may offer an alternative strategy to do so while circumventing the pitfalls of current vector control methods. Current methodologies are stalling because of drug resistance, absence of vaccines and inadequate mosquito control techniques. GM mosquitoes have been developed that are resistant to pathogen infection and transmission, but the public-health and environmental consequences of releasing such insects are unclear, mainly because of a lack of knowledge of the ecology and population biology of mosquitoes.

This book is the reflection of a workshop, held in June 2002, that addressed these issues. Experts on mosquito ecology met for the first time to discuss the current knowledge of mosquito ecology with respect to GM-insect technology. Emphasis of the workshop was on evaluating how human health and natural ecosystems, including target wild-mosquito populations, will respond to the invasion of GM vectors. This volume will stimulate discussion by clearly showing the importance of vector ecology for prevention of vector-borne diseases.

This authored monograph provides in-depth analysis and methods for aligning electricity demand of manufacturing systems to VRE supply. The book broaches both long-term system changes and real-time manufacturing execution and control, and the author presents a concept with different options for improved energy flexibility including battery, compressed air and embodied energy storage. The reader will also find a detailed application procedure as well as an implementation into a simulation prototype software. The book concludes with two case studies. The target audience primarily comprises research experts in the field of green manufacturing systems.

Endophytes are commonly known as microorganisms, mainly bacteria and fungi, which live inside plant tissues without inducing symptoms. Considering the long-lived trees, endophytes have a fundamental role in preparing their hosts to face extreme weather conditions, drought, heat, cold, and pathogen and herbivore attacks. The current knowledge clearly demonstrates the importance of endophytes in shaping the plant diversity in a forest. Endophytes have an important capacity for biocontrol of forest diseases. Considering endophyte diversity and the range of various compounds and enzymes they can produce, endophytes can be used for various biotechnological applications.

With its focus on the practical application of the techniques of multivariate statistics, this book shapes the powerful tools of statistics for the specific needs of ecologists and makes statistics more applicable to their course of study. It gives readers a solid conceptual understanding of the role of multivariate statistics in ecological applications and the relationships among various techniques, while avoiding detailed mathematics and the underlying theory. More importantly, the reader will gain insight into the type of research questions best handled by each technique and the important considerations in applying them. Whether used as a textbook for specialised courses or as a supplement to general statistics texts, the book emphasises those techniques that students of ecology and natural resources most need to understand and employ in their research. While targeted for upper-division and graduate students in wildlife biology, forestry, and ecology, and for professional wildlife scientists and natural resource managers, this book will also be valuable to researchers in any of the biological sciences.

The importance and ecological significance of estuaries has been long appreciated. In the last few years, there has been increased research activity, resulting in significant advances in understanding of estuarine ecology. This special thematic volume of Advances in Ecological Research provides an overview of a number of the important areas. Ranging from the macroscale: how differences in river basins influence the loads of nutrients, through the impacts and fates of the nutrient loads, to how both phytoplanktonic and benthic estuarine primary production are regulated. There is also a review of the key factors influencing the outcome of management decisions for estuaries from the point of sustainability of estuarine resources. This volume is essential reading and reference for all those interested in estuaries including ecologists, environmental scientists, botanists, and zoologists.

This book is the first comprehensive global review of all aspects of alien plant invasions in protected areas. It provides insights into advances in invasion ecology emanating from work in protected areas, and the link to locally relevant management support for protected areas. The book provides in-depth case studies, illuminating interesting and insightful knowledge that can be shared across the global protected area network. The book includes the collective understanding of 80 ecologists and managers to extract as much information as possible that will support the long-term management of protected areas, and the biodiversity and associated ecosystem services they maintain.

" This outstanding volume draws together pretty much all that can be said on this topic, ranging from the science, through policy, to practical action ." Dr. Simon N. Stuart, IUCN Species Survival Commission, UK.

""This important and timely volume addresses two of the most serious problems affecting biodiversity conservation today: assessing the extent to which protected areas are impacted by biological invasions and the complex problems of managing these impacts. Written by leading specialists, it provides a comprehensive overview of the issues and gives detailed examples drawn from protected areas across the world."" Professor Vernon H. Heywood, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, UK

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Over the years, irresponsible business practices have resulted in industrial waste, which is negatively impacting the environment. As a result, it is imperative to develop new solutions to reverse the damage. Collective Creativity for Responsible and Sustainable Business Practice is an authoritative reference source for the latest scholarly research on the elimination of environmental degradation through new discoveries and opportunities provided by collective creativity. Featuring extensive coverage across a range of relevant perspective and topics, such as sustainable business model innovation, social marketing, and education and business co-operatives, this comprehensive and timely publication is an essential reference source for business leaders, managers, academics, and community leaders seeking current research on sustainable management practices. Topics Covered: Bisociation Civil Commons Cyber Security Creativity Educational and Business Co-operatives Polycentric and Creative Climate Change Governance Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) Sustainable Business Model Innovation

How, when, and why has the Pacific been a locus for imagining different futures by those living there as well as passing through? What does that tell us about the distinctiveness or otherwise of this "sea of islands"? Foregrounding the work of leading and emerging scholars of Oceania, Pacific Futures brings together a diverse set of approaches to, and examples of, how futures are being conceived in the region and have been imagined in the past. Individual chapters engage the various and sometimes contested futures yearned for, unrealized, and even lost or forgotten, that are particular to the Pacific as a region, ocean, island network, destination, and home. Contributors recuperate the futures hoped for and dreamed up by a vast array of islanders and outlanders-from Indigenous federalists to Lutheran improvers to Cantonese small business owners-making these histories of the future visible. In so doing, the collection intervenes in debates about globalization in the Pacific--and how the region is acted on by outside forces--and postcolonial debates that emphasize the agency and resistance of Pacific peoples in the context of centuries of colonial endeavor. With a view to the effects of the "slow violence" of climate change, the volume also challenges scholars to think about the conditions of possibility for future-thinking at all in the midst of a global crisis that promises cataclysmic effects for the region. Pacific Futures highlights futures conceived in the context of a modernity coproduced by diverse Pacific peoples, taking resistance to categorization as a starting point rather than a conclusion. With its hospitable approach to thinking about history making and future thinking, one that is open to a wide range of methodological, epistemological, and political interests and commitments, the volume will encourage the writing of new histories of the Pacific and new ways of talking about history in this field, the region, and beyond.

This is the first text aimed at introducing machine learning methods to a readership of professional ecologists. All but one of the chapters have been written by ecologists and biologists who highlight the application of a particular method to a particular class of problem.

Advances in Agronomy, Volume 175, the latest release in this leading reference on agronomy, contains a variety of updates and highlights new advances in the field. Each chapter is written by an international board of authors.

The dissertation investigates the scientific and business factors that have resulted in air-conditioning being a major contributor to climate-change. With his architectural background, the author demonstrates how a design methodology, not commonly adopted in scientific studies, may actually be a suitable way of dealing with a complex problem: the 'business as usual' scenario involving building science, sociological values and consumer behavior. Using his innovations as case studies, the author shows how good ideas cannot be evaluated on scientific merit alone and demonstrates why commercialization may have a pivotal role in deployment of research-based technology. He advances the theory of personalized thermal comfort which can potentially resolve the air-conditioning conundrum.

Some of the world's most beautiful, intelligent and highly adapted mammals inhabit our seas and oceans, and have stirred the human imagination for many centuries. As our knowledge of marine mammals grows, the need exists for a reliable and complete reference to the ecology and biology of these fascinating creatures. The Handbook of Marine Mammals series was founded with this in mind and now reaches its conclusion with this sixth and final volume. Within the pages of this classic series, scientists, conservationists and informed layperson alike can find the definitive review of all the world's whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea lions, and related species as well as sea otters and sea cows.
Volume 6 covers the remaining dolphins and porpoises in a series of 17 chapters, each written by a specialist author with extensive personal research experience of the species. Each chapter provides a description of the species, and includes sections on the aspects of distribution and abundance, anatomy, physiology, behavior, reproduction, parasites and diseases and the impact of human activity on the animal's population and well-being. Numerous maps, photos and drawings illustrate the text.
Key Features
* Concludes this major definitive series
* A standard reference work on all of the world's marine mammals, their anatomy, distribution, ecology, and behavior
* The most up-to-date research in a concise reference form
* Numerous photos of live and specimen animals, skulls, and anatomical details, plus distribution maps
* Text specifically deals with conservation and management issues

Salinity and water stress limit crop productivity worldwide and generate substantial economic losses each year, yet innovative research on crop and natural resource management can reveal cost-effective ways in which farmers can increase both their productivity and their income.

Presenting recent research findings on salt stress, water stress and stress-adapted plants, this book offers insights into new strategies for increasing the efficiency of crops under stressful environments. The strategies are based on conventional breeding and advanced molecular techniques used by plant physiologists, and are discussed using specific case studies to illustrate their potential. The book emphasizes the effects of environmental factors on specific stages of plant development, and discusses the role of plant growth regulators, nutrients, osmoprotectants and antioxidants in counteracting their adverse affects.

Synthesising updated information on mechansisms of stress tolerance at cell, tissue and whole-plant level, this book provides a useful reference text for post graduate students and researchers involved in the fields of stress physiology and plant physiology in general, with additional readership amongst researchers in horticulture, agronomy, crop science, conservation, environmental management and ecological restoration.