Food security, crop protection, biodiversity, and human and environmental health are among the main needs and concerns of society. Modern biotechnology and life sciences represent a constantly evolving area that is key for the rational use of natural resources - resources that in turn are indispensable for societal development. This book features the outcomes of the IV International Biotechnology and Biodiversity Congress, held in Guayaquil, Ecuador, 2018. It includes extensive reviews of the trends in agricultural and forestry biotechnology, molecules and materials biodiscovery, ethnomedicine, environmental impact and bioindustry research, describing many of these topics from the Latin America perspective and showing how the biodiversity and ancient knowledge of these countries are vital for worldwide sustainable development.

This book provides keys, descriptions and illustrations for about 850 species of liverworts and hornworts, in 148 genera and 47 families, of Colombia and Ecuador. The largest genera are Lejeunea (66 spp.), Plagiochila (65), Frullania (54), Radula (33), Metzgeria (33), Cololejeunea (32), Cheilolejeunea (30), Bazzania (26), Drepanolejeunea (25), Ceratolejeunea (18), Diplasiolejeunea (18), and Syzygiella (18). Species descriptions include brief morphological characterization and discussion with emphasis on characters for identification, world range as well as distribution and habitat in Colombia and Ecuador. Classes, orders, families and genera are also described and the main features for recognition of the genera are briefly discussed. The introduction includes chapters on history of exploration, diversity and endemism, and classification. A glossary, bibliography and index to scientific names are also provided.

Habitat management is commonly used to maintain and enhance the biological interest of many areas of semi-natural habitat where natural processes no longer create suitable conditions for desired species. Habitat restoration and creation is increasingly being used to increase the extent of ecologically important habitats in order to mitigate the impacts of human development. The modification of past management techniques and the introduction of new ones can provide additional benefits.
Habitat Management for Conservation is a practical handbook which describes the general principles and techniques of managing and creating habitats throughout the world. The opening sections describe the general principles of managing land for biodiversity conservation. They include decision-making, mitigating the damaging effects of climate change, and monitoring the success of management. These are followed by a series of chapters which describe how to manage specific habitats: grasslands, shrublands, forests, scrub, freshwater wetlands, coastal habitats, arable land, urban areas and gardens. For each of these habitats the book discusses the main factors influencing their value for wildlife, highlights the key decisions that need to be made, and describes and compares the effects of individual management techniques.
This comprehensive guide will be essential reading for graduate students as well as an invaluable resource for land managers, land-use advisors and others involved in conservation land management worldwide.

This book presents the main drivers of benthic structure and processes in estuaries from the 8,000 km-Brazilian coast, assesses the influence of natural and human disturbance, and discusses their ecological importance and management needs. Estuaries are unique coastal ecosystems often with low biodiversity that sustain and provide essential ecological services to mankind. These ecosystems include a variety of habitats with their own sediment and fauna dynamics, all of them globally altered or threatened by human activities. Mangroves, saltmarshes, tidal flats and other confined estuarine systems are under increasing stress by overfishing and other human activities leading to habitat and species loss. Combined changes in estuarine hydromorphology and in climate pose severe threats to estuarine ecosystems at a global scale.

This book is devoted to Agroecological Crop Protection, which is the declension of the principles of agroecology to crop protection. It presents the concepts of this innovative approach, case studies and lessons and generic keys for agroecological transition. The book is intended for a wide audience, including scientists, experimenters, teachers, farmers, students. It represents a new tool, proposing concrete keys of action on the basis of feedbacks validated scientifically. Beyond the examples presented, it is therefore of general scope and proposes recommendations for all temperate and tropical cropping systems. It contributes to the training and teaching modules in this field and it is an updated information support for professionals and a teaching aid for students (agronomy, crop protection, biodiversity management, agroecology).

In these short illustrated guides, Dr Mark Everard, avid nature-watcher, angler and scientist, takes a dedicated look at three British freshwater fishes, the Silver Bream, Gudgeon and Ruffe. Though an integral part of aquatic ecosystems and well-known to anglers, these fish are often overlooked by the wider public as well as scientists. Each book is in three sections, first exploring the biology of the fish itself, including science written in accessible style, second discussing angling history and tips, and thirdly exploring the fish's cultural connections, including etymology of the fish. A bibliography at the end of each guide directs the reader to additional resources.

This book deals with the new concept of biodiversity offsets. The aim of offsetting schemes is to achieve no let loss or even net gain of biodiversity. Offsets obey a mitigation hierarchy and reflect the precautionary and polluter-pays principle in regard to project impacts. Readers gain insights into current debates on biodiversity policies, with top experts outlining theoretical principles and the latest research findings. At the same time the focus is on practical application and case studies. Today there is a lively international discussion among practitioners and scientists on the optimal legal framework, metrics and design of habitat banks to ensure the success of biodiversity offsets and to minimise the risks of failure or misuse. Contributing to the debate, this volume presents the activities and practices of biodiversity offsetting already implemented in Europe in selected EU member states, and the lessons that can be learnt from them. Readers may be surprised at how much experience already exists in these countries. A further aim of the book is to offer grounded insights on the road ahead, and foster a more intensive and fruitful discussion on how offsetting can be extended and improved upon, so that it becomes a key and effective component of Europe's biodiversity conservation policy framework.

In these short illustrated guides, Dr Mark Everard, avid nature-watcher, angler and scientist, takes a dedicated look at three British freshwater fishes, the Silver Bream, Gudgeon and Ruffe. Though an integral part of aquatic ecosystems and well-known to anglers, these fish are often overlooked by the wider public as well as scientists. Each book is in three sections, first exploring the biology of the fish itself, including science written in accessible style, second discussing angling history and tips, and thirdly exploring the fish's cultural connections, including etymology of the fish. A bibliography at the end of each guide directs the reader to additional resources.

Several textbooks and edited volumes are currently available on general soil fertility but' to date' none have been dedicated to the study of "Sustainable Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Soil." Yet this aspect is extremely important, considering the fact that the soil, as the 'epidermis of the Earth' (geodermis)' is a major component of the terrestrial biosphere. This book addresses virtually every aspect of C and N cycling, including: general concepts on the diversity of microorganisms and management practices for soil, the function of soil's structure-function-ecosystem, the evolving role of C and N, cutting-edge methods used in soil microbial ecological studies, rhizosphere microflora, the role of organic matter (OM) in agricultural productivity, C and N transformation in soil, biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and its genetics, plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs), PGPRs and their role in sustainable agriculture, organic agriculture, etc. The book's main objectives are: (1) to explain in detail the role of C and N cycling in sustaining agricultural productivity and its importance to sustainable soil management; (2) to show readers how to restore soil health with C and N; and (3) to help them understand the matching of C and N cycling rules from a climatic perspective. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable resource for educators, researchers, and policymakers, as well as undergraduate and graduate students of soil science, soil microbiology, agronomy, ecology, and the environmental sciences. Gathering cutting-edge contributions from internationally respected researchers, it offers authoritative content on a broad range of topics, which is supplemented by a wealth of data, tables, figures, and photographs. Moreover, it provides a roadmap for sustainable approaches to food and nutritional security, and to soil sustainability in agricultural systems, based on C and N cycling in soil systems.

With one volume each year, this series keeps scientists and advanced students informed of the latest developments and results in all areas of the plant sciences. The present volume includes reviews on plant physiology, biochemistry, ecology, and ecosystems.

This open access book contains 13 contributions on global animal law, preceded by an introduction which explains key concepts and methods. Global Animal Law refers to the sum of legal rules and principles (both state-made and non-state-made) governing the interaction between humans and other animals, on a domestic, local, regional, and international level. Global animal law is the response to the mismatch between almost exclusively national animal-related legislation on the one hand, and the global dimension of the animal issue on the other hand. The chapters lay some historical foundations in the ius naturae et gentium, examine various aspects of how national and international law traditionally deals with animals as commodity; and finally suggest new legal concepts and protective strategies. The book shows numerous entry points for animal issues in international law and at the same time shifts the focus and scope of inquiry.

We humans value a great variety of plant and animal species for their usefulness to us. But what is the value-if any-of a species that offers no practical use? In the face of accelerating extinctions across the globe, what ought we to do? Amid this sea of losses, what is our responsibility? How do we assess the value of nonhuman species? In this clear-spoken, passionate book, naturalist and philosopher Edward L. McCord explores urgent questions about the destruction of species and provides a new framework for appreciating and defending every form of life. The book draws insights from philosophy, ethics, law, and biology to arrive at a new way of thinking about the value of each species on earth. With meticulous reasoning, McCord demonstrates that the inherent value of species to humanity is intellectual: individual species are phenomena of such intellectual moment-so interesting in their own right-that they rise above other values and merit enduring human embrace. The author discusses the threats other species confront and delineates the challenges involved in creating any kind of public instrument to protect species. No other scholar has advocated on behalf of biodiversity with such eloquence and passion, and none provides greater inspiration to defend nonhuman forms of life.

This book integrates the different prospective, scientific and practical experience of researchers as well as beneficiaries and stakeholders in the field of forest conservation in Southeast Europe. The book stresses the importance of improving the adaptability of these ecosystems to the impacts of climate change. Gathered around a common idea, the book presents the latest results in forest genetic resources conservation at national and regional level. The chapters are written by experts from: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. The book presents the current state, legal and institutional framework for conservation and management of forest genetic resources, case studies and best practices in the application of different conservation methods and techniques (in situ and ex situ) as well as climate change aspects in this area. This book will be of particular interest to scientists and experts in the field of forestry, environmental protection and rural development, bachelor, master and doctoral students, as well as for anyone interested in the conservation issues fuelled by ethical and economic motives.

Evolutionary developmental biology or evo-devo is a field of biological research that compares the underlying mechanisms of developmental processes in different organisms to infer the ancestral condition of these processes and elucidate how they have evolved. It addresses questions about the developmental bases of evolutionary changes and evolution of developmental processes. The book's content is divided into three parts, the first of which discusses the theoretical background of evo-devo. The second part highlights new and emerging model organisms in the evo-devo field, while the third and last part explores the evo-devo approach in a broad comparative context. To the best of our knowledge, no other book combines these three evo-devo aspects: theoretical considerations, a comprehensive list of emerging model species, and comparative analyses of developmental processes. Given its scope, the book will offer readers a new perspective on the natural diversity of processes at work in cells and during the development of various animal groups, and expand the horizons of seasoned and young researchers alike.

The book focuses on environment and conservation issues pertaining to the Himalayas, spanning Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bhutan and Myanmar. Environmental degradation, changes in snow cover and glaciers in India-Bhutan, threats to protected areas, and biodiversity in this ecologically fragile region are assessed in twelve distinct, regional case studies.

The Great Lagoon is a central part of the Szczecin Lagoon, a major component in the Odra River estuary system. It is also an important European natural heritage site and one of the largest resting places for migratory birds in the Baltic Sea area. The first part of Wolnomiejski's and Witek's book gives a thorough overview of the most up-to-date knowledge of this region, including the assessment of its biological production. Based on these findings authors develop a food web model of the Polish part of the Szczecin Lagoon, identifying a total of 45 trophic-functional components. The model describes a variety of features ranging from the magnitude of consumption, to the amount of unassimilated food and export of individual system components, and serves as an invaluable source, helping researchers to estimate various ecological indicators of The Great Lagoon's ecosystem.

This three-book set is devoted to the prominent bays of the Western North America. The first volume describes San Francisco Bay - a shallow estuary surrounded by a large population center. The forces that built it began with plate tectonics and involved the collision of the Pacific and North American plates and the subduction of the Juan de Fuka plate. Gold mining during the California gold rush sent masses of slit into the Bay. The second volume is devoted to San Diego Bay, which is also a shallow estuary surrounded by a large human population center that influenced the Bay. The third volume describes Puget Sound - a different sort of bay - a complex fjord-estuary system, but also surrounded by several large population centers. The watershed is enormous, covering nearly 43,000 square kilometers with thousands of rivers and streams. Geological forces, volcanos, Ice Ages, and changes in sea levels make the Sound a biologically dynamic and fascinating environment, as well as a productive ecosystem. Key Features Summarizes a complex geological, geographical, and ecological history Reviews how the San Diego Bay has changed and will likely change in the future Examines the different roles of various drivers of Bay ecosystem function Includes the role of humans-both first people and modern populations-on the Bay Explores San Diego Bay as an example of general bay ecological and environmental issues

A book focused solely on Andean Cloud Forests (ACF) has never been published. ACF are high biodiversity ecosystems in the Neotropics with a large proportion of endemic species, and are important for the hydrology of entire regions. They provide water for large parts of the Amazon basin, for example. Here I take advantage of my many years working in ACF in Ecuador, to edit this book that contains the following sections: (1) ACF over space and time, (2) Hydrology, (3) Light and the Carbon cycle, (4) Soil, litter, fungi and nutrient cycling, (5) Plants, (6) Animals, and (7) Human impacts and management. Under this premise, international experts contributed chapters that consist of reviews of what is known about their topic, of what research they have done, and of what needs to be done in the future. This work is suitable for graduate students, professors, scientists, and researcher-oriented managers.