Are you wishing you knew how to better communicate science, without having to read several hundred academic papers and books on the topic? Luckily Dr Craig Cormick has done this for you! This highly readable and entertaining book distils best practice research on science communication into accessible chapters, supported by case studies and examples. With practical advice on everything from messages and metaphors to metrics and ethics, you will learn what the public think about science and why, and how to shape scientific research into a story that will influence beliefs, behaviours and policies.

With more than 500 species distributed all around the Northern Hemisphere, the genus Quercus L. is a dominant element of a wide variety of habitats including temperate, tropical, subtropical and mediterranean forests and woodlands. As the fossil record reflects, oaks were usual from the Oligocene onwards, showing the high ability of the genus to colonize new and different habitats. Such diversity and ecological amplitude makes genus Quercus an excellent framework for comparative ecophysiological studies, allowing the analysis of many mechanisms that are found in different oaks at different level (leaf or stem). The combination of several morphological and physiological attributes defines the existence of different functional types within the genus, which are characteristic of specific phytoclimates. From a landscape perspective, oak forests and woodlands are threatened by many factors that can compromise their future: a limited regeneration, massive decline processes, mostly triggered by adverse climatic events or the competence with other broad-leaved trees and conifer species. The knowledge of all these facts can allow for a better management of the oak forests in the future.

The rapidly increasing human pressure on the biosphere is pushing biodiversity into the sixth mass extinction event in the history of life on Earth. The organisms being exterminated are integral working parts of our planet's life support system, and their loss is permanent. Like climate change, this irreversible loss has potentially devastating consequences for humanity. As we come to recognise the many ways in which we depend on nature, this can pave the way for a new ethic that acknowledges the importance of co-existence between humans and other species. Biological Extinction features chapters contributed by leading thinkers in diverse fields of knowledge and practice, including biology, economics, geology, archaeology, demography, architecture and intermediate technology. Drawing on examples from various socio-ecological systems, the book offers new perspectives on the urgent issue of biological extinction, proposing novel solutions to the problems that we face.

Their story began 500 million years ago, but we only started to get to know them in 1746, when Linne described the first ostracod species. Vividly portraying the freshwater ostracods, this comprehensive reference work gathers the knowledge gained during some 250 years, but which to date has remained scattered throughout the literature. It starts with an introduction to the class Ostracoda with a special focus on freshwater ostracods and highlights practical methods in their study. The systematic part includes an introduction to all families; identification keys for all subfamilies, genera and species; diagnoses for each subfamily and genus; and lists of synonyms and distribution of species. The text is richly illustrated with distribution maps, line drawings of key generic characteristics, and numerous SEM photographs. Serving as an excellent starting point for all further research on freshwater ostracods, it can be widely used not only by ostracodologists, but also by crustaceologists, evolutionists and ecologists.

Debate about how best to ensure the preservation of agricultural biodiversity is caught in a counter-productive polemic between proponents and critics of market-based instruments and agricultural modernisation. This book argues that neither position does justice to the range of strategies that farmers use to manage agrobiodiversity and other livelihood assets as they adapt to changing social, economic, and environmental circumstances. Chapters explore relationships between the exploitation and conservation of agricultural biodiversity and the livelihoods of agricultural communities, and evaluate the capacity of national and multilateral institutions and policy settings to support the protection and capture by communities of agrobiodiversity values. The place of ecosystem services in valuing biodiversity in the marketplace is emphasized. A number of authors assess the potential for market-based instruments and initiatives to encourage the protection of biodiversity, while others compare agrobiodiversity/community relationships, and the effectiveness of instruments designed to enhance these, across international boundaries. The book takes a comparative approach, drawing on empirical case studies from across the developed and developing worlds. In doing so, the book does not simply point to similarities and differences in the experience of rural communities. It also shows how global trade and multilateral institutions bring these otherwise disparate communities together in networks that exploit and/or preserve agrobiodiversity and other resources.

First published in 1979, Why Big Fierce Animals Are Rare has established itself as a seminal work in ecology. Now with a new foreword by ecologist and writer Cristina Eisenberg, this penetrating study of ecosystems and animal populations is more relevant than ever. What accounts for the many different species of insect? Why does the robin population stay relatively steady year after year, despite the fact that their nests contain several chicks at once? Paul Colinvaux traces the ecologist's quest to answer these questions and more in this accessibly written book. He brings to the subject both profound knowledge and an enthusiasm that will encourage a greater understanding of the environment and of the efforts of those who seek to preserve it.

One of the greatest unmet challenges in conservation biology is the genetic management of fragmented populations of threatened animal and plant species. More than a million small, isolated, population fragments of threatened species are likely suffering inbreeding depression and loss of evolutionary potential, resulting in elevated extinction risks. Although these effects can often be reversed by re-establishing gene flow between population fragments, managers very rarely do this. On the contrary, genetic methods are used mainly to document genetic differentiation among populations, with most studies concluding that genetically differentiated populations should be managed separately, thereby isolating them yet further and dooming many to eventual extinction! Many small population fragments are going extinct principally for genetic reasons. Although the rapidly advancing field of molecular genetics is continually providing new tools to measure the extent of population fragmentation and its genetic consequences, adequate guidance on how to use these data for effective conservation is still lacking. This accessible, authoritative text is aimed at senior undergraduate and graduate students interested in conservation biology, conservation genetics, and wildlife management. It will also be of particular relevance to conservation practitioners and natural resource managers, as well as a broader academic audience of conservation biologists and evolutionary ecologists.

Die Darstellung ist inhaltlich und in ihrem Aufbau darauf ausgerichtet, die rechtlichen Vorgaben des Umweltschadensgesetzes hinsichtlich der Haftung bei Biodiversitatsschaden in einen vollzugstauglichen Leitfaden zu ubertragen. Im Mittelpunkt steht die Konkretisierung und praktische Handhabung des Umweltschadensbegriffs. Ausgehend von den rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen fur eine Haftung bei Biodiversitatsschaden und der normativen Bestimmung der sogenannten Erheblichkeitsschwelle, erfolgt die vollstandige Auflistung der relevanten Schutzguter und fuhrt schliesslich zu einer standardisierten, okologisch begrundeten Methode der Erfassung, Risikoabschatzung und Bewertung von Biodiversitatsschaden. Damit kann eine erste Hilfestellung fur die Vollzugsbehorden aber auch all denjenigen, die sich mit einer Haftung bei Biodiversitatsschaden nach dem USchadG beschaftigen gegeben werden."

"Surveying Natural Populations" is a user-friendly primer to the essential methodologies of quantitative field ecology or paleoecology. Combining the intuitive methods of the field researcher with the mathematical precision of the statistician, the volume determines, through real biodiversity and ecological examples, the necessary measures for a complete community assessment while clarifying the confusions between biological and statistical terminology. Focusing on underlying mathematical concepts, it describes how to complete incrementally a quantitative sampling of any recent or fossil population.

The first half of "Surveying Natural Populations" explains the fundamentals of ecological assessment. Employing a single data set throughout, initial chapters navigate such topics as estimating densities, relative abundance, occurrences, the determination of adequate sample sizes and field sampling schemes. The second half covers the newest advances in biodiversity measurement. Through the use of information mathematics and decomposition, the authors mathematically examine the relationship among a number of proposed diversity indices and discard inappropriate measures. What remains is a simple, all-encompassing system called SHE analysis, in which species density, richness, information, and evenness are all shown to be related explicitly. This biodiversity data is then integrated into a simple graphic, a plot called a biodiversitygram, which provides the researcher with a cohesive descriptive and inferential tool to assess any community's biodiversity.

Unter der Einwirkung der Naturwissenschaften hat die Medizin am Anfang des 19. Jahrhunderts eine kopernikanische Wende" vollzogen. Dies geschah unter wesentlichem Einfluss des Berliner Arztes und Politikers Rudolf Virchow. Der naturwissenschaftliche Krankheitsbegriff wurde mit der Lehre von den Krankheiten, der Pathologie erarbeitet. Die weitere Entwicklung der Medizin konnte mit der Bakteriologie, Immunologie - uber die organbezogenen klinischen Disziplinen - bis zur Psychosomatik auf dieser Basis aufbauen."

Die rechtliche Regulierung des Problems invasiver gebietsfremder Arten in Deutschland. Teil 1: begriffliche und rechtstatsachliche Grundlagen. Teil 2: Analyse und Bewertung der volker-, europa- und nationalen umweltrechtlichen Vorschriften. Hier stellt die Autorin erhebliche Defizite fest: mangelhafte Umsetzung und Koordination, fehlende Konkretisierung. Ein Handlungsbedarf, auf den die Autorin mit konkreten Regelungsvorschlagen reagiert."

Hugh P. Possingham Landscape-scale conservation planning is coming of age. In the last couple of decades, conservation practitioners, working at all levels of governance and all spatial scales, have embraced the CARE principles of conservation planning - Comprehensiveness, Adequacy, Representativeness, and Efficiency. Hundreds of papers have been written on this theme, and several different kinds of software program have been developed and used around the world, making conservation planning based on these principles global in its reach and influence. Does this mean that all the science of conservation planning is over - that the discovery phase has been replaced by an engineering phase as we move from defining the rules to implementing them in the landscape? This book and the continuing growth in the literature suggest that the answer to this question is most definitely 'no. ' All of applied conservation can be wrapped up into a single sentence: what should be done (the action), in what place, at what time, using what mechanism, and for what outcome (the objective). It all seems pretty simple - what, where, when, how and why. However stating a problem does not mean it is easy to solve.

An eagerly anticipated addition to the New Naturalist series. The shieldbug is an amazing and beautiful species, rich with diversity in shape, form, size, life history, ecology, physiology and behaviour. But they are not commonly known, outside of specialist circles. Richard Jones’ groundbreaking New Naturalist volume on shieldbugs encourages those enthusiasts who would otherwise be put off by the, to date, rather technical literature that has dominated the field, providing a comprehensive natural history of this fascinating and beautiful group of insects.

Mit der 1. Auflage der Transgenen Pflanzen im Jahr 1995 war nicht abzusehen, welche Wendungen es mit der Entwicklung der "GrA1/4nen Gentechnik" in den folgenden Jahren in der EuropAischen Union und in Deutschland nehmen wA1/4rde.
Die 2. A1/4berarbeitete und aktualisierte Auflage des Buches informiert A1/4ber den neuesten Stand der Wissenschaft auf dem Gebiet der "GrA1/4nen Gentechnik" und beschreibt die verschiedenen Methoden zur Erzeugung transgener Pflanzen, die Erkenntnisse A1/4ber ihre Kultivierung und die Bestrebungen zu ihrem Inverkehrbringen. Die wichtigsten Argumente der derzeitigen Risikodiskussion sowie die gesetzlichen Regelungen zur Gentechnik innerhalb der EU werden A1/4bersichtlich dargestellt.
Transgene Pflanzen ermAglicht es jedem, sich ein Urteil A1/4ber dieses Teilgebiet der Gentechnik zu bilden. Die Vermittlung fundierter Informationen an eine breitere A-ffentlichkeit ist dabei unabdingbar fA1/4r eine bewusste Wahlfreiheit zwischen Lebensmitteln aus gentechnisch verAnderten, konventionell gezA1/4chteten oder Akologisch angebauten Pflanzen und fA1/4r eine gesellschaftlich gewollte Koexistenz dieser Lebensmittel.
Die umfassende Darstellung der verschiedenen Aspekte der transgenen Pflanzen macht das Buch wertvoll und lesenswert fA1/4r eine vielfAltige Leserschaft, sei es nun fA1/4r den interessierten Laien, den Naturwissenschaftler biologischer Fachrichtung, den mA1/4ndigen BA1/4rger oder den Juristen. Ihnen allen wird der Einstieg in einen Themenkomplex erleichtert, der nach wie vor im Brennpunkt der A-ffentlichen Diskussion steht.

Das Buch behandelt sAmtliche von der tschechischen Rechtsordnung vorgesehenen und in der gegenwArtigen Praxis verwendeten Real- und Personalsicherheiten. Die einzelnen Phasen der Bestellung, des Untergangs sowie der Verwertung der Sicherheiten unter EinschluA insolvenzrechtlicher Fragestellungen werden detailliert beschrieben und kritisch hinterfragt. Einen besonderen Schwerpunkt bildet die Darstellung der gerichtlichen und auAergerichtlichen MAglichkeiten der Verwertung von Grundpfandrechten. Neben einer an den tschechischen Gesetzgeber gerichteten Liste von ReformvorschlAgen enthAlt das Buch einige insbesondere fA1/4r den Praktiker interessante Vertragsmustertexte.

The second edition of this widely cited textbook continues to provide a concise but comprehensive introduction to cave and subterranean biology, describing this fascinating habitat and its biodiversity. It covers a range of biological processes including ecosystem function, evolution and adaptation, community ecology, biogeography, and conservation. The authors draw on a global range of examples and case studies from both caves and non-cave subterranean habitats. One of the barriers to the study of subterranean biology has been the extraordinarily large number of specialized terms used by researchers; the authors explain these terms clearly and minimize the number that they use. This new edition retains the same 10 chapter structure of the original, but the content has been thoroughly revised and updated throughout to reflect the huge increase in publications concerning subterranean biology over the last decade.

The Coastal Everglades presents a broad overview and synthesis of research on the coastal Everglades, a region that includes Everglades National Park, adjacent managed wetlands, and agricultural and urbanizing communities. Contributors for this volume are all collaborators on the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research Program (FCE LTER). The FCE LTER began in 2000 with a focus on understanding key ecosystem processes in the coastal Everglades, while also developing a platform for and linkages to related work conducted by an active and diverse Everglades research community. The program is based at Florida International University in Miami, but includes scientists and students from numerous other universities as well as staff scientists at key resource management agencies, including Everglades National Park and the South Florida Water Management District. Though the Everglades landscape spans nearly a third of the State of Florida, the focus on the coastal Everglades has allowed the contributors to examine key questions in social-ecological science in the context of ongoing restoration initiatives. As this book demonstrates, the long-term research of the FCE LTER has facilitated a better understanding of the roles of sea level rise, water management practices, urban and agricultural development, and other disturbances, such as fires and storms, on the past and future dynamics of this unique coastal environment. By comparing properties of the Everglades with other subtropical and tropical wetlands, the book challenges ideas of novelty while revealing properties of ecosystems at the ends of gradients that are often ignored. It also provides insights from, and encouragement for, long-term collaborative studies that inform resource management in similarly threatened coastal wetland landscapes.

Ecologists and economists both use models to help develop strategies for biodiversity management. The practical use of disciplinary models, however, can be limited because ecological models tend not to address the socioeconomic dimension of biodiversity management, whereas economic models tend to neglect the ecological dimension. Given these shortcomings of disciplinary models, there is a necessity to combine ecological and economic knowledge into ecological-economic models. Gradually guiding the reader into the field of ecological-economic modelling by introducing mathematical models and their role in general, this book provides an overview on ecological and economic modelling approaches relevant for research in the field of biodiversity conservation. It discusses the advantages of and challenges associated with ecological-economic modelling, together with an overview of useful ways of integration. Although being a book about mathematical modelling, ecological and economic concepts play an equally important role, making it accessible for readers from very different disciplinary backgrounds.

This book presents an overview of the Pentatomidae species, covering their biology, phylogeny and reproductive behavior, main plants used in their diet and their nutritional exigencies, predatory stinkbugs, interactions between herbivores-plants and natural enemies, use of pheromone for monitoring phytophagous populations, and chemical and vibrational communication signals. It also presents possible technologies to be applied in field crops for pest management that could be developed as the basis of the interplay of stink bug communication signals.

The Amazon is a land of superlatives. The complex ecosystem covers an area about the size of the continental U.S. The Amazon River discharges 57 million gallons of water per second-in two hours, this would be enough to supply all of New York City's 7.5 million residents with water for a year. Its flora and fauna are abundant. Approximately one of every four flowering plant species on earth resides in the Amazon. A single Amazonian river may contain more fish species than all the rivers in Europe combined. It is home to the world's largest anteater, armadillo, freshwater turtle, and spider, as well as the largest rodent (which weighs over 200 lbs.), catfish (250 lbs.), and alligator (more than half a ton). The rainforest, which contains approximately 390 billion trees, plays a vital role in stabilizing the global climate by absorbing massive amounts of carbon dioxide-or releasing it into the atmosphere if the trees are destroyed. Severe droughts in both Brazil and Southeast Asia have been linked to Amazonian deforestation, as have changing rainfall patterns in the U.S., Europe, and China. The Amazon also serves as home to millions of people. Approximately seventy tribes of isolated and uncontacted people are concentrated in the western Amazon, completely dependent on the land and river. These isolated groups have been described as the most marginalized peoples in the western hemisphere, with no voice in the decisions made about their futures and the fate of their forests. In this addition to the What Everyone Needs to Know (R) series, ecologist and conservation expert, Mark J. Plotkin, who has spent 40 years studying Amazonia, its peoples, flora, and fauna. The Amazon offers an engaging overview of this irreplaceable ecosystem and the challenges it faces.

Agriculture as a social-ecological system embraces many disciplines. This book breaks through the silos of individual disciplines to bring ecologists and economists together to consider agriculture through the lens of resilience. It explores the economic, environmental and social uncertainties that influence the behaviour of agricultural producers and their subsequent farming approach, highlighting the importance of adaptability, innovation and capital reserves in enabling agriculture to persist under climate change and market volatility. The resilience concept and its relation to complexity theory is explained and the characteristics that foster resilience in agricultural systems, including the role of biodiversity and ecosystem services, are explored. The book discusses modelling tools, metrics and approaches for assessing agricultural resilience, highlighting areas where interdisciplinary thinking can enhance the development of resilience. It is suitable for those researching sustainable agriculture or those engaged in agricultural policy decisions and analysis, as well as students of ecology, agriculture and socioeconomics.

This book is the first comprehensive work on oriental Notodontidae (Lepidoptera) outside mainland Asia. In addition to the Indonesian territory, the investigated area includes Borneo Island, the Malayan Peninsula, entire New Guinea with adjacent islands and the Solomon Islands. All species are illustrated in both sexes with a total number of 1272 specimens on 51 colour plates. Genitalia photos of both sexes as well as detailed distribution maps are provided for each species. The book deals in the first volume with 298 species and contains descriptions of 99 new notodontid taxa. A second volume will treat with the remaining 160 species and include also a comprehensive biogeographic analysis.

This open access book presents a comprehensive synthesis of the biodiversity of the oceanic islands of the Gulf of Guinea, a biodiversity hotspot off the west coast of Central Africa. Written by experts, the book compiles data from a plethora of sources - archives, museums, bibliography, official reports and previously unpublished data - to provide readers with the most updated information about the biological richness of these islands and the conservation issues they face. The Gulf of Guinea Oceanic Islands (Principe, Sao Tome and Annobon and surrounding islets) present extraordinary levels of endemism across different animal, fungi and plant groups. This very high endemism likely results from the long geological history of the islands and their proximity to the diversity-rich continent. Many researchers, students and conservationists from across the globe are interested in documenting biodiversity on the islands, understanding the evolutionary origins of this diversity, and mitigating the impacts of global change on this unique archipelago. This book aims to be a primer for a broad audience seeking baseline biodiversity information and to serve as a roadmap for future research efforts aiming to fill knowledge gaps in understanding and conserving the unparalleled biodiversity of the Gulf of Guinea islands.