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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Life sciences: general issues > Ecological science, the Biosphere

Recent Highlights in the Discovery and Optimization of Crop Protection Products (Paperback): Peter Maienfisch, Ir. Sven... Recent Highlights in the Discovery and Optimization of Crop Protection Products (Paperback)
Peter Maienfisch, Ir. Sven Mangelinckx
R4,722 Discovery Miles 47 220 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Recent Highlights in the Discovery and Optimization of Crop Protection Products highlights the most prominent, recent results in the search for safe and effective new crop protection products. With a focus on the design, synthesis, optimization and/or structure-activity relationships of new chemistries targeting insect, disease, weed, nematode, vector and animal parasite control, the book also includes recent developments in crop enhancement chemistries and new approaches to crop protection products. The inclusion of information on testing tools, green chemistry approaches, and the latest discovery tools, like modeling, structure-based design, and testing tools makes this volume complete. Based on key presentations given at the 14th International IUPAC conference on Crop Protection, May 19-24, 2019 in Ghent, Belgium, this book includes the many exciting new discoveries and findings reported. It is designed to inspire additional research and advancement in the field.

Vegetation and Climate (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2022): Siegmar-W. Breckle, M Daud Rafiqpoor Vegetation and Climate (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2022)
Siegmar-W. Breckle, M Daud Rafiqpoor
R2,703 Discovery Miles 27 030 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Vegetation, soil and climate are the most important components of ecological systems. The book represents a compact synthesis of our current knowledge about the ecology of the Earth and is thus the basis for understanding the major interrelationships in a global perspective. In the first part, with a rich endowment of illustrations and photographic material, the well-introduced book deals with the essential processes and operations on the Earth's surface that lead to the formation of the vegetation cover with its distinctive zonation. In the second part, the individual vegetation zones as large-scale ecosystems (i.e. zonobiomes of the biosphere) are consistently described comparatively according to certain criteria. In a short and compact form, the main characteristics and structures as well as examples of ecosystem processes are discussed. The large-scale ecosystems are at the same time the basis and reference system for all anthropogenic changes that have drastically altered the vegetation in the last millennia, but especially in the 20th century.This book is a translation of the original German 1st edition Vegetation und Klima by Siegmar-W. Breckle and M. Daud Rafiqpoor, published by Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature in 2019. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors.

The Environment - A History of the Idea (Hardcover): Paul Warde, Libby Robin, Sverker Soerlin The Environment - A History of the Idea (Hardcover)
Paul Warde, Libby Robin, Sverker Soerlin
R730 Discovery Miles 7 300 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

An in-depth look at the history of the environment. Is it possible for the economy to grow without the environment being destroyed? Will our lifestyles impoverish the planet for our children and grandchildren? Is the world sick? Can it be healed? Less than a lifetime ago, these questions would have made no sense. This was not because our ancestors had no impact on nature-nor because they were unaware of the serious damage they had done. What people lacked was an idea: a way of imagining the web of interconnection and consequence of which the natural world is made. Without this notion, we didn't have a way to describe the scale and scope of human impact upon nature. This idea was "the environment." In this fascinating book, Paul Warde, Libby Robin, and Sverker Soerlin trace the emergence of the concept of the environment following World War II, a period characterized by both hope for a new global order and fear of humans' capacity for almost limitless destruction. It was at this moment that a new idea and a new narrative about the planet-wide impact of people's behavior emerged, closely allied to anxieties for the future. Now we had a vocabulary for talking about how we were changing nature: resource exhaustion and energy, biodiversity, pollution, and-eventually-climate change. With the rise of "the environment," the authors argue, came new expertise, making certain kinds of knowledge crucial to understanding the future of our planet. The untold history of how people came to conceive, to manage, and to dispute environmental crisis, The Environment is essential reading for anyone who wants to help protect the environment from the numerous threats it faces today.

The Secret Social Lives of Reptiles (Hardcover): J. Sean Doody, Vladimir Dinets, Gordon M. Burghardt The Secret Social Lives of Reptiles (Hardcover)
J. Sean Doody, Vladimir Dinets, Gordon M. Burghardt
R1,766 Discovery Miles 17 660 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Covering diverse species from garter snakes to Komodo dragons, this book delves into the evolutionary origins and fascinating details of the mysterious social lives of reptiles. Reptiles have been too often dismissed as dull animals with tiny brains and simple, "asocial" lives. In reality, reptiles engage in a remarkable diversity of complex social behavior. They can live in families; communicate with one another while still in the egg; and hunt, feed, migrate, court, mate, nest, and hatch in groups. In The Secret Social Lives of Reptiles, J. Sean Doody, Vladimir Dinets, and Gordon M. Burghardt-three of the world's leading experts on reptiles-bring together a wave of new research with a synthesis of classic studies to produce the only authoritative look at the social behaviors of the most provocative animals on the planet. The book covers turtles, lizards, snakes, crocodilians, and the enigmatic tuatara. Enhanced with dozens of images, it takes readers through a myriad of social interactions, tendencies, and intimacies ranging from fierce territorial battles to delicate paternal care and from promiscuous pairings to monogamous partnerships. This unique text * explains why reptiles have been neglected as subjects of social behavior studies; * provides numerous examples across all major reptilian groups that overturn the false paradigm of "solitary" reptiles; * explores the sensory, genetic, physiological, life history, and other factors underlying social behavior in reptiles; * presents the case that evolutionary "experiments" found among reptiles offer unparalleled opportunities for understanding how and why social behavior evolves in animals; and * identifies new and developing areas of research helping to reshape our view of reptiles. Revealing the secrets of reptilian social relationships through original quantitative research, field studies, laboratory experiments, and careful analysis of the literature, The Secret Social Lives of Reptiles elevates these fascinating animals to key players in the science of behavioral ecology.

Ecological Models (Paperback): Jay Odenbaugh Ecological Models (Paperback)
Jay Odenbaugh
R553 Discovery Miles 5 530 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

In this book, we consider three questions. What are ecological models? How are they tested? How do ecological models inform environmental policy and politics? Through several case studies, we see how these representations which idealize and abstract can be used to explain and predict complicated ecological systems. Additionally, we see how they bear on environmental policy and politics.

Dead Epidemiologists - On the Origins of COVID-19 (Paperback): Rob Wallace Dead Epidemiologists - On the Origins of COVID-19 (Paperback)
Rob Wallace
R414 Discovery Miles 4 140 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The COVID-19 pandemic shocked the world. It shouldn't have. Since this century's turn, epidemiologists have warned of new infectious diseases. Indeed, H1N1, H7N9, SARS, MERS, Ebola Makona, Zika, and a variety of lesser viruses have emerged almost annually. But what of the epidemiologists themselves? Some bravely descended into the caves where bat species hosted coronaviruses, including the strains that evolved into the COVID-19 virus. Yet, despite their own warnings, many of the researchers appear unable to understand the true nature of the disease-as if they are dead to what they've seen. Dead Epidemiologists is an eclectic collection of commentaries, articles, and interviews revealing the hidden-in-plain-sight truth behind the pandemic: Global capital drove the deforestation and development that exposed us to new pathogens. Rob Wallace and his colleagues-ecologists, geographers, activists, and, yes, epidemiologists-unpack the material and conceptual origins of COVID-19. From deepest Yunnan to the boardrooms of New York City, this book offers a compelling diagnosis of the roots of COVID-19, and a stark prognosis of what-without further intervention-may come.

Aquatic Microbial Ecology and Biogeochemistry: A Dual Perspective (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2016): Patricia M. Glibert, Todd M. Kana Aquatic Microbial Ecology and Biogeochemistry: A Dual Perspective (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2016)
Patricia M. Glibert, Todd M. Kana
R5,536 Discovery Miles 55 360 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

This book highlights perspectives, insights, and data in the coupled fields of aquatic microbial ecology and biogeochemistry when viewed through the lens of collaborative duos - dual career couples. Their synergy and collaborative interactions have contributed substantially to our contemporary understanding of pattern, process and dynamics. This is thus a book by dual career couples about dual scientific processes. The papers herein represent wide-ranging topics, from the processes that structure microbial diversity to nitrogen and photosynthesis metabolism, to dynamics of changing ecosystems and processes and dynamics in individual ecosystems. In all, these papers take us from the Arctic to Africa, from the Arabian Sea to Australia, from small lakes in Maine and Yellowstone hot vents to the Sargasso Sea, and in the process provide analyses that make us think about the structure and function of all of these systems in the aquatic realm. This book is useful not only for the depth and breadth of knowledge conveyed in its chapters, but serves to guide dual career couples faced with the great challenges only they face. Great teams do make great science.

Serendipity - An Ecologist's Quest to Understand Nature (Paperback): James A. Estes Serendipity - An Ecologist's Quest to Understand Nature (Paperback)
James A. Estes; Foreword by Harry W. Greene
R554 Discovery Miles 5 540 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

"Many of the findings in the book . . . are classics of ecology. . . . A rare and delightful insight into timely science."-Jane Lubchenco, Nature "Estes's refreshing narrative deftly weaves rigorous science with personal reflection to create an absorbing and introspective read that is equal parts memoir, ecological textbook, and motivational guidebook for young ecologists."-Science To newly minted biologist James Estes, the sea otters he was studying in the leafy kelp forests off the coast of Alaska appeared to have an unbalanced relationship with their greater environment. Gorging themselves on the sea urchins that grazed among the kelp, these small charismatic mammals seemed to give little back in return. But as Estes dug deeper, he unearthed a far more complex relationship between the otter and its underwater environment, discovering that otters play a critical role in driving positive ecosystem dynamics. While teasing out the connective threads, he began to question our assumptions about ecological relationships. These questions would ultimately inspire a lifelong quest to better understand the surprising complexity of our natural world and the unexpected ways we discover it. Serendipity tells the story of James Estes's life as a naturalist and the concepts that have driven his interest in researching the ecological role of top-level predators. Using the relationships between sea otters, kelp, and sea urchins as a touchstone, Estes retraces his investigations of numerous other species, ecosystems, and ecological processes in an attempt to discover why ecologists can learn so many details about the systems in which they work and yet understand so little about the broader processes that influence these systems. Part memoir, part natural history, and deeply inquisitive, Serendipity will entertain and inform readers as it raises thoughtful questions about our relationship with the natural world.

Handbook of Road Ecology (Hardcover): R van der Ree Handbook of Road Ecology (Hardcover)
R van der Ree
R3,051 Discovery Miles 30 510 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Winner of the IENE Project Award 2016. This authoritative volume brings together some of the world s leading researchers, academics, practitioners and transportation agency personnel to present the current status of the ecological sustainability of the linear infrastructure primarily road, rail and utility easements that dissect and fragment landscapes globally. It outlines the potential impacts, demonstrates how this infrastructure is being improved, and how broad ecological principles are applied to mitigate the impact of road networks on wildlife. Research and monitoring is an important aspect of road ecology, encompassing all phases of a transportation project. This book covers research and monitoring to span the entire project continuum starting with planning and design, through construction and into maintenance and management. It focuses on impacts and solutions for species groups and specific regions, with particular emphasis on the unique challenges facing Asia, South America and Africa. Other key features: * Contributions from authors originating from over 25 countries, including from all continents * Each chapter summarizes important lessons, and includes lists of further reading and thoroughly up to date references * Highlights principles that address key points relevant to all phases in all road projects * Explains best-practices based on a number of successful international case studies * Chapters are "stand-alone", but they also build upon and complement each other; extensive cross-referencing directs the reader to relevant material elsewhere in the book Handbook of Road Ecology offers a comprehensive summary of approximately 30 years of global efforts to quantify the impacts of roads and traffic and implement effective mitigation. As such, it is essential reading for those involved in the planning, design, assessment and construction of new roads; the management and maintenance of existing roads; and the modifying or retrofitting of existing roads and problem locations. This handbook is an accessible resource for both developed and developing countries, including government transportation agencies, Government environmental/conservation agencies, NGOs, and road funding and donor organisations.

The Future of Agricultural Landscapes, Part I, Volume 63 (Hardcover): David Bohan The Future of Agricultural Landscapes, Part I, Volume 63 (Hardcover)
David Bohan; Volume editing by Adam Vanbergen
R4,950 Discovery Miles 49 500 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Advances in Ecological Research, Volume 63, the latest release in this ongoing series includes specific chapters on Tropical Ecosystems in the 21st Century. Chapters in this volume cover topics such as Landscape-scale expansion of agroecology to enhance natural pest control: a systematic review and Ecosystem services and the resilience of agricultural landscapes

Grazing Ecology and Forest History (Hardcover): Franciscus Vera Grazing Ecology and Forest History (Hardcover)
Franciscus Vera
R3,653 Discovery Miles 36 530 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

It is a widely held belief that a climax vegetation of closed forest systems covered the lowlands of Central and Western Europe before humans intervened in prehistoric times to develop agriculture. If this intervention had not taken place, it would still be there and so if left, the grassland vegetation and fields we see today would revert to its natural closed forest state, although with a reduced number of wild species. This book challenges this view, using examples from history, pollen analyses and studies on the ecology of tree and shrub species such as oak and hazel. It tests the hypotheses that the climax vegetation is a closed canopy forest against the alternative one in which species composition and succession of vegetation were governed by herbivores and that the Central and Western European lowlands were covered by a park-like landscape consisting of grasslands, scrub, solitary trees and groves bordered by a mantle and fringe vegetation. Comparative information from North America is also included, because the forests there are commonly regarded as being analogous to the primeval vegetation in Europe. This title is a revised, updated and expanded translation of book published in Dutch.

The Everglades Handbook - Understanding the Ecosystem, Fourth Edition (Hardcover, 4th edition): Thomas E. Lodge The Everglades Handbook - Understanding the Ecosystem, Fourth Edition (Hardcover, 4th edition)
Thomas E. Lodge
R2,155 Discovery Miles 21 550 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The fourth edition presents expanded treatment of subjects where our knowledge of the Everglades and its restoration has greatly improved. This more detailed coverage includes: Computer modeling and its applications to the Everglades environment Quantified role of water flow in shaping the Everglades landscape The origin and evolution of fixed tree islands Sulfur and related mercury as wetland pollutants Up-to-date summary of the now quantified economic benefits of restoration, shown to be far in excess of the cost The Everglades Handbook: Understanding the Ecosystem, Fourth Edition is a scholarly reference packed cover to cover with scientific information about the ecosystem of the Everglades - taking into account how drastically the Everglades has changed. Topically, the book covers disciplines ranging from ecology, geology, climatology, hydrology, anthropology to conservation biology. Written in Tom Lodge's trademark accessible style, this extensively researched text is essential reading for anybody trying to understand the challenges we face in restoring this unique ecosystem.

Fundamentals of Conservation Biology (Hardcover, 3rd Edition): Malcolm L. Hunter, James P. Gibbs Fundamentals of Conservation Biology (Hardcover, 3rd Edition)
Malcolm L. Hunter, James P. Gibbs
R1,606 R1,429 Discovery Miles 14 290 Save R177 (11%) Out of stock

In the new edition of this highly successful book, Malcolm Hunter and new co-author James Gibbs offer a thorough introduction to the fascinating and important field of conservation biology, focusing on what can be done to maintain biodiversity through management of ecosystems and populations.
Starting with a succinct look at conservation and biodiversity, this book progresses to contend with some of the subject's most complex topics, such as mass extinctions, ecosystem degradation, and over exploitation.
Discusses social, political, and economic aspects of conservation biology.
Thoroughly revised with over six hundred new references and web links to many of the organizations involved in conservation biology, striking photographs and maps.

Artwork from the book is available to instructors online at www.blackwellpublishing.com/hunter and by request on CD-ROM.

Paleoecological Research on Easter Island - Insights on Settlement, Climate Changes, Deforestation and Cultural Shifts... Paleoecological Research on Easter Island - Insights on Settlement, Climate Changes, Deforestation and Cultural Shifts (Paperback)
Valenti Rull
R2,757 Discovery Miles 27 570 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Paleocological Research on Easter Island: Insights on Settlement, Climate Changes, Deforestation and Cultural Shifts examines the area's climatic and ecological history, a topic not usually addressed in other literature. The book provides a thorough and synthetic account of all paleoecological works developed to date, including the latest discoveries. Finally, it attempts to match paleoecological evidence with the results of other disciplines creating a multidisciplinary framework. This approach to the field is ideal for researchers, university professors and graduate students in a varied range of disciplines and subdisciplines, including ecology, paleoecology, paleoclimatology, biogeography, sedimentology, and paleontology. Users will find synthesized information on Easter Island from the last millennia that will help pave the way towards an integrated interdisciplinary vision of the island's environmental-ecological-cultural system as a complex functional unit. Human and environmental deterministic views are avoided and the Easter Island enigmas are analyzed under a holistic perspective of continuous feedbacks and synergies among the different components of the system.

Urban Ecology - Emerging Patterns and Social-Ecological Systems (Paperback): Pramit Verma, Pardeep Singh, Rishikesh Singh, A.... Urban Ecology - Emerging Patterns and Social-Ecological Systems (Paperback)
Pramit Verma, Pardeep Singh, Rishikesh Singh, A. S. Raghubanshi
R2,701 Discovery Miles 27 010 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Urban Ecology covers the latest theoretical and applied concepts in urban ecological research. This book covers the key environmental issues of urban ecosystems as well as the human-centric issues, particularly those of governance, economics, sociology and human health. The goal of Urban Ecology is to challenge readers' thinking around urban ecology from a resource-based approach to a holistic and applied field for sustainable development. There are seven major themes of the book: emerging urban concepts and urbanization, land use/land cover change, urban social-ecological systems, urban environment, urban material balance, smart, healthy and sustainable cities and sustainable urban design. Within each section, key concepts such as monitoring the urbanization phenomena, land use cover, urban soil fluxes, urban metabolism, pollution and human health and sustainable cities are covered. Urban Ecology serves as a comprehensive and advanced book for students, researchers, practitioners and policymakers in urban ecology and urban environmental research, planning and practice.

In Defense of Plants (Hardcover): Matt Candeias In Defense of Plants (Hardcover)
Matt Candeias
R516 R429 Discovery Miles 4 290 Save R87 (17%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The Study of Plants in a Whole New Light "Matt Candeias succeeds in evoking the wonder of plants with wit and wisdom." James T. Costa, PhD, executive director, Highlands Biological Station and author of Darwin's Backyard #1 New Release in Nature & Ecology, Plants, Botany, Horticulture, Trees, Biological Sciences, and Nature Writing & Essays In his debut book, internationally-recognized blogger and podcaster Matt Candeias celebrates the nature of plants and the extraordinary world of plant organisms. A botanist's defense. Since his early days of plant restoration, this amateur plant scientist has been enchanted with flora and the greater environmental ecology of the planet. Now, he looks at the study of plants through the lens of his ever-growing houseplant collection. Using gardening, houseplants, and examples of plants around you, In Defense of Plants changes your relationship with the world from the comfort of your windowsill. The ruthless, horny, and wonderful nature of plants. Understand how plants evolve and live on Earth with a never-before-seen look into their daily drama. Inside, Candeias explores the incredible ways plants live, fight, and conquer new territory. Whether a blossoming botanist or a professional plant scientist, In Defense of Plants is for anyone who sees plants as more than just static backdrops to more charismatic life forms. In this easily accessible introduction to the incredible world of plants, you'll find: Fantastic botanical histories and plant symbolism Passionate stories of flora diversity and scientific names of plant organisms Personal tales of plantsman discovery through the study of plants If you enjoyed books like The Botany of Desire, What a Plant Knows, or The Soul of an Octopus, then you'll love In Defense of Plants.

Freshwater Fishes of North America - Volume 2: Characidae to Poeciliidae (Hardcover): Melvin L Warren, Brooks M Burr Freshwater Fishes of North America - Volume 2: Characidae to Poeciliidae (Hardcover)
Melvin L Warren, Brooks M Burr; Illustrated by Joseph R. Tomelleri; As told to Anthony A. Echelle, Bernard R. Kuhajda, …
R3,565 Discovery Miles 35 650 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The highly anticipated second volume of Freshwater Fishes of North America, a monumental, fully illustrated reference that provides comprehensive details on the freshwater fishes of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. When the first volume of Freshwater Fishes of North America was published, it was immediately hailed as the definitive reference in the field. Readers have been fervently awaiting the next volume in this encompassing three-book set ever since. Now complete, volume 2, covering families Characidae to Poeciliidae, is the result of decades of analysis by leading fish experts from universities and research laboratories across North America. Each volume in this authoritative synthesis covers the ecology, morphology, reproduction, distribution, behavior, taxonomy, conservation, and the fossil record of the included North American fish families. The encyclopedic reviews of each family are accompanied by color photographs (nearly 250 in this volume alone), range maps, and artwork created by noted fish illustrator Joseph R. Tomelleri. The result is a rich textual and visual experience that covers everything known about the diversity, natural history, ecology, and biology of North American freshwater fishes. Volume 2 covers the following North American families of fishes: Characidae (Characins) Ictaluridae (North American Catfishes) Ariidae (Sea Catfishes) Heptapteridae (Three-barbeled Catfishes) Osmeridae (Smelts) Esociformes (Esocidae, Pikes and Umbridae, Mudminnows) Percopsidae (Trout-perches) Amblyopsidae (Cavefishes) Aphredoderidae (Pirate Perches) Gadidae (Cods and Cuskfishes) Mugilidae (Mullets) Atherinopsidae (New World Silversides) Beloniformes (Needlefishes and Halfbeaks) Rivulidae (New World Rivulines) Profundulidae (Middle American Killifishes) Goodeidae (Goodeids) Fundulidae (Topminnows) Cyprinodontidae (Pupfishes) Poeciliidae (Livebearers) The chapter authors of Volume 2 are: Gianetta Adams Clyde Barbour Micah Bennett Ricardo Bentancur-R. Peter B. Z. Berendzen Brooks M. Burr Mollie Cashner Robert C. Cashner Bruce B. Collette Matthew Davis Alice F. Echelle Anthony A. Echelle Fernando Galvez Michael Ghedotti Nicholas Gidmark Terry Grande Robert L. Hopkins Lauren M. Kuehne Frank McCormick Norman Mercado-Silva Ann U. O'Connell Martin T. O'Connell Julian D. Olden Claudia Patricia Ornelas-Garcia Mark Sabaj Perez Kyle R. Piller Steven Powers Jacob Schaefer Juan J. Schmitter-Soto Andrew M. Simons Roger A. Tabor Cheryl Thiele Matthew Thomas Melvin L. Warren, Jr. Mark V. H. Wilson

Insect Sampling in Forest Ecosystems (Methods in E cology, Series Editors: J.H. Lawton & G.E. Likens) (Paperback): S. R. Leather Insect Sampling in Forest Ecosystems (Methods in E cology, Series Editors: J.H. Lawton & G.E. Likens) (Paperback)
S. R. Leather
R2,625 Discovery Miles 26 250 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

"Insect Sampling in Forest Ecosystems" highlights the problems faced by entomologists working in forest ecosystems. It suggests ways in which their methodology can be modified so as to be understood by ecologists and become accepted within the general fields of ecology and entomology.


Insect sampling, although firmly based on standard ecological census techniques, presents special problems that are not faced by other ecologists. With the small size, varied life cycles, rapid rates of increase, and ingenious adaptations to habitats of insects, ecological entomologists face problems that are somewhat different to those faced by vertebrate or plant ecologists. Furthermore, forest ecosystems, whether natural or manmade, present special problems to the ecologists working beneath their canopies.


This book will be essential reading for advanced students and researchers as well as teachers across the whole spectrum of education.

Solitary Bees (Paperback): Ted Benton, Nick Owens Solitary Bees (Paperback)
Ted Benton, Nick Owens
R1,128 R906 Discovery Miles 9 060 Save R222 (20%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

A completely up-to-date introduction to the most common group of bees in Britain. Bees, for most people, mean honey or bumble bees, but in fact these social species make up only a small proportion of the species that live in Britain. Open your eyes to the so-called ‘solitary’ bees, and discover a wonderfully diverse population – miners, leafcutters, carpenters and masons – many of which can be found in your own back garden. Solitary bees come in a variety of colours and sizes, with some as large as bumblebees and some only a few millimetres long, and many are key pollinators for our crops and wildflowers. This comprehensive book will tell the story of how these bees live, reproduce and thrive: discover the numerous strategies used by male bees to find females and persuade them to mate; follow the females as they build their nests – or in the case of ‘cuckoo’ species, sneak into the nests of their neighbours – and watch as the new generation appears. Explore the interactions between flowering plants and their bee visitors, asking what the plants get from the relationship, as well as how the bees select the plants they visit, and the ingenuity required to extract pollen, nectar and other rewards. Finally, learn places where bees flourish and what can be done to encourage them and ensure they continue to pollinate our flowers and crops. Drawing on all the latest research as well as the authors’ own observations in the field, this timely New Naturalist gives a wonderful insight into the complicated lives of solitary bees, and the complexity of the behaviour and ecology of this remarkable group of insects.

Coral Reefs in the Anthropocene (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2015): Charles Birkeland Coral Reefs in the Anthropocene (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2015)
Charles Birkeland
R6,655 Discovery Miles 66 550 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

This volume investigates the effects of human activities on coral reefs, which provide important life-supporting systems to surrounding natural and human communities. It examines the self-reinforcing ecological, economic and technological mechanisms that degrade coral reef ecosystems around the world. Topics include reefs and limestones in Earth history; the interactions between corals and their symbiotic algae; diseases of coral reef organisms; the complex triangle between reef fishes, seaweeds and corals; coral disturbance and recovery in a changing world. In addition, the authors take key recent advances in DNA studies into account which provides new insights into the population biology, patterns of species distributions, recent evolution and vulnerabilities to environmental stresses. These DNA analyses also provide new understandings of the limitations of coral responses and scales of management necessary to sustain coral reefs in their present states. Coral reefs have been essential sources of food, income and resources to humans for millennia. This book details the delicate balance that exists within these ecosystems at all scales, from geologic time to cellular interactions and explores how recent global and local changes influence this relationship. It will serve as an indispensable resource for all those interested in learning how human activities have affected this vital ecosystem around the world.

Key Questions in Biodiversity - A Study and Revision Guide (Paperback): Paul Rees Key Questions in Biodiversity - A Study and Revision Guide (Paperback)
Paul Rees
R671 Discovery Miles 6 710 Ships in 9 - 15 working days

An understanding of biodiversity is an important requirement of a wide range of programmes of study including biology, zoology, wildlife conservation and environmental science. This book is a study and revision guide for students following such programmes in which biodiversity is an important component. It contains 600 multiple-choice questions (and answers) set at three levels - foundation, intermediate and advanced - and grouped into 10 major topic areas: 1. Principles of classification and taxonomy 2. Comparative anatomy and physiology 3. Protoctists, monerans, fungi, lichens and acellular organisms 4. 'Lower' plants and pteridophytes 5. Seed-bearing plants 6. Sponges, cnidarians, nematodes and minor animal phyla 7. Platyhelminths, annelids and molluscs 8. Arthropods and echinoderms 9. Fishes, amphibians and reptiles 10. Birds and mammals The book has been produced in a convenient format so that it can be used at any time in any place. It allows the reader to learn and revise the meaning of terms used in animal and plant classification, the principles of comparative physiology, and the characteristics of, and diversity in, the major animal and plant taxa. The structure of the book allows the study of one topic area or group of taxa at a time, progressing through simple questions to those that are more demanding. Many of the questions require students to use their knowledge to identify organisms and biological structures from drawings or photographs.

Jasmonates and Salicylates Signaling in Plants (Paperback, 1st ed. 2021): Tariq Aftab, Mohammad Yusuf Jasmonates and Salicylates Signaling in Plants (Paperback, 1st ed. 2021)
Tariq Aftab, Mohammad Yusuf
R6,211 Discovery Miles 62 110 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Demand for agricultural crops and nutritional requirement continues to escalate in response to increasing population. Also, climate change exerts adverse effects on agriculture crop productivity. Plant researchers have, therefore, focused to identify the scientific approaches that minimize the negative impacts of climate change on agricultural crops. Thus, it is the need of the hour to expedite the process for improving stress tolerance mechanisms in agricultural crops against various environmental factors, in order to fulfil the world's food demand. Among the various applied approaches, the application of phytohormones has gained significant attention in inducing stress tolerance mechanisms. Jasmonates are phytohormones with ubiquitous distribution among plants and generally considered to modulate many physiological events in higher plants such as defence responses, flowering and senescence. Also, jasmonates mediate plant responses to many biotic and abiotic stresses by triggering a transcriptional reprogramming that allows cells to cope with pathogens and stresses. Likewise, salicylates are important signal molecules for modulating plant responses to environmental stresses. Salicylic acid influences a range of diverse processes in plants, including seed germination, stomatal closure, ion uptake and transport, membrane permeability and photosynthetic and growth rate. Understanding the significant roles of these phytohormones in plant biology and from agriculture point of view, the current subject has recently attracted the attention of scientists from across the globe. Therefore, we bring forth a comprehensive book "Jasmonates and Salicylates Signalling in Plants" highlighting the various prospects involved in the current scenario. The book comprises chapters from diverse areas dealing with biotechnology, molecular biology, proteomics, genomics, metabolomics, etc. We are hopeful that this comprehensive book furnishes the requisite of all those who are working or have interest in this topic.

Foundations of Ecology II - Classic Papers with Commentaries (Paperback): Thomas E. Miller, Joseph Travis Foundations of Ecology II - Classic Papers with Commentaries (Paperback)
Thomas E. Miller, Joseph Travis
R2,093 Discovery Miles 20 930 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The classic papers that laid the foundations of modern ecology alongside commentaries by noted ecologists. The period of 1970 to 1995 was a time of tremendous change in all areas of ecology-from an increased rigor for experimental design and analysis to the reevaluation of paradigms, new models for understanding, and theoretical advances. Edited by ecologists Thomas E. Miller and Joseph Travis, Foundations of Ecology II includes facsimiles of forty-six papers from this period alongside expert commentaries that discuss a total of fifty-three key studies, addressing topics of diversity, predation, complexity, competition, coexistence, extinction, productivity, resources, distribution, abundance, and conservation. The result is more than a catalog of historic firsts; this book offers diverse perspectives on the foundational papers that led to today's ecological work. Like this book's 1991 predecessor, Foundations of Ecology edited by Leslie A. Real and James H. Brown, Foundations of Ecology II promises to be the essential primer for graduate students and practicing ecologists for decades to come.

A Sea of Glass - Searching for the Blaschkas' Fragile Legacy in an Ocean at Risk (Hardcover): Drew Harvell A Sea of Glass - Searching for the Blaschkas' Fragile Legacy in an Ocean at Risk (Hardcover)
Drew Harvell; Foreword by Harry W. Greene
R778 R594 Discovery Miles 5 940 Save R184 (24%) Out of stock

Winner of the 2016 National Outdoor Book Award, Environment Category It started with a glass octopus. Dusty, broken, and all but forgotten, it caught Drew Harvell's eye. Fashioned in intricate detail by the father-son glassmaking team of Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, the octopus belonged to a menagerie of unusual marine creatures that had been packed away for decades in a storage unit. More than 150 years earlier, the Blaschkas had been captivated by marine invertebrates and spun their likenesses into glass, documenting the life of oceans untouched by climate change and human impacts. Inspired by the Blaschkas' uncanny replicas, Harvell set out in search of their living counterparts. In A Sea of Glass, she recounts this journey of a lifetime, taking readers along as she dives beneath the ocean's surface to a rarely seen world, revealing the surprising and unusual biology of some of the most ancient animals on the tree of life. On the way, we glimpse a century of change in our ocean ecosystems and learn which of the living matches for the Blaschkas' creations are, indeed, as fragile as glass. Drew Harvell and the Blaschka menagerie are the subjects of the documentary Fragile Legacy, which won the Best Short Film award at the 2015 Blue Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit. Learn more about the film and check out the trailer here.

Yellow Perch, Walleye, and Sauger: Aspects of Ecology, Management, and Culture (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021): John Clay Bruner,... Yellow Perch, Walleye, and Sauger: Aspects of Ecology, Management, and Culture (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021)
John Clay Bruner, Robin L. DeBruyne
R5,296 Discovery Miles 52 960 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Walleye, one of the most sought-after species of freshwater sport fishes in North America, has demonstrated appreciable declines in their numbers from their original populations since the beginning of the 20th century. Similarly, Yellow Perch, once the most commonly caught sport fish and an important commercial species in North America, have also shown declines. Compiling up-to-date information on the biology and management of Walleye, Sauger, and Yellow Perch, including research on systematics, genetics, physiology, ecology, movement, population dynamics, culture, recent case histories, and management practices, will be of interest to managers, researchers, and students who deal with these important species, particularly in light of habitat alterations, population shifts, and other biotic and abiotic factors related to a changing climate.

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