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. This latest volume includes reviews on plant physiology, biochemistry, genetics and genomics, forests, and ecosystems.

This book addresses the various factors affecting fluvial systems, the processes governing them, system responses arising from human-nature interventions, and geospatial and geo-ecological modeling to understand system behaviour better and restore degraded ecosystems around the globe. Thanks to their hydrological and agro-ecological advantages, humans have settled along riverbanks since the dawn of civilization. Thus, the ancient "ecumene" (settlements) were located near major rivers worldwide. This legacy of river-based civilizations continues to this day in many forms. However, in the course of the 'Anthropocene' era, countless fluvial systems have been altered by human interventions in the form of large-scale dams and barrages, changes in land use and land cover, road-stream crossings, mining of sand and gravel, mushrooming of brickfield, expansion of modern agriculture, industrial growth, and urbanization. Thus, the present-day development pattern threatens fluvial systems, especially riverine morphology and ecosystems. In brief, human-induced morphological changes, water pollution, eutrophication, and related damages to aquatic organisms are the major threats to fluvial systems. Thus, maintaining the 'environmental flow' of the world's major rivers to preserve the proper functioning of riverine ecosystems and promote sustainable development is a global challenge.

What if the stories of trees and people are more closely linked than we ever imagined? Winner of the World Wildlife Fund's 2020 Jan Wolkers PrizeOne of Science News's "Favorite Books of 2020" A New York Times "New and Noteworthy" BookA 2020 Woodland Book of the YearGold Winner of the 2020 Foreword INDIES Award in Ecology & EnvironmentBronze Winner of the 2021 Independent Publisher Book Award in Environment/Ecology People across the world know that to tell how old a tree is, you count its rings. Few people, however, know that research into tree rings has also made amazing contributions to our understanding of Earth's climate history and its influences on human civilization over the past 2,000 years. In her captivating book Tree Story, Valerie Trouet reveals how the seemingly simple and relatively familiar concept of counting tree rings has inspired far-reaching scientific breakthroughs that illuminate the complex interactions between nature and people. Trouet, a leading tree-ring scientist, takes us out into the field, from remote African villages to radioactive Russian forests, offering readers an insider's look at tree-ring research, a discipline known as dendrochronology. Tracing her own professional journey while exploring dendrochronology's history and applications, Trouet describes the basics of how tell-tale tree cores are collected and dated with ring-by-ring precision, explaining the unexpected and momentous insights we've gained from the resulting samples. Blending popular science, travelogue, and cultural history, Tree Story highlights exciting findings of tree-ring research, including the fate of lost pirate treasure, successful strategies for surviving California wildfire, the secret to Genghis Khan's victories, the connection between Egyptian pharaohs and volcanoes, and even the role of olives in the fall of Rome. These fascinating tales are deftly woven together to show us how dendrochronology sheds light on global climate dynamics and uncovers the clear links between humans and our leafy neighbors. Trouet delights us with her dedication to the tangible appeal of studying trees, a discipline that has taken her to austere and beautiful landscapes around the globe and has enabled scientists to solve long-pondered mysteries of Earth and its human inhabitants.

This book provides an updated knowledge on the biohydrogen production from industrial and municipal organic waste materials. Microbes are increasingly being included in the hydrogen based biofuel production and this book covers the processes and protocols for biohydrogen production. There is an urgent need of alternative energy research to fulfill the global energy demand. Biohydrogen is a promising source of sustainable and clean energy as it harnessed by biological means. Biohydrogen may be produced by utilizing different waste materials as a substrate, and by optimization of various parameters of bioreactors such as temperature, pH, partial pressure etc. The waste materials used in hydrogen production are categorized as agricultural waste, municipal waste, industrial waste, and other hazardous wastes. Biohydrogen production from wastes materials opened a new opportunity for the widespread use of everlasting renewable energy source. This book is useful for professional scientists, academicians, biotechnologist and environmentalist along with research scholars in various biotechnology and bioenergy industries by addressing the latest research going on in the field of renewal bioenergy production from waste and their global impact on the environment.

Animals are a major link between the water column (pelagic) and the bottom (benthic) habitats in most shallow systems. This coupling is dominated by active processes such as suspension-feeding in which the organism actively uses energy to pump water that is then filtered to remove suspended particles that are consumed while undigested remains are deposited on the bottom. As a result of this feeding on and metabolism of particles, the animals excrete dissolved inorganic and organic waste back into the water column, and thus, become major components in the cycling and feedback of essential elements. With relatively high weight specific filtration rates of 1a" 10 liters/hour/gram dry tissue and a propensity to form large aggregated populations (beds, reefs, schools and swarms), these organisms can play an important role in regulating water column processes.

Although estuarine bivalve molluscs such as oysters and mussels dominate the suspension-feeder literature, other groups including plankton and nekton that are found in estuarine as well as other aquatic systems are also potentially important removers of suspended particles. Thus, a significant part of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop focused on suspension-feeders as controllers of plankton abundance, biomass and diversity, system metabolism, nutrient cycling and scale dependency.

Systems dominated by suspension-feeders are typically impacted by human activities including recreation, aquaculture, human and industrial pollution, and bilge water from shipping. Suspension-feeders are often impacted by fisheries and over-exploitation. These impacts commonly result in changes in ecosystem structure either through the food chainconcentration of harmful substances or diseases, the introduction of alien species of suspension-feeders, or the instability of suspension-feeders systems through species displacement or phase shifts in the dominance between different suspension-feeding components such as nekton or zooplankton. These issues were addressed near the close of the workshop along with conclusions and syntheses developed by the working groups.

Diatoms are the most species rich group of algae, and they contribute about 20% of annual global carbon fixation. They play major roles in ocean food webs and global biogeochemical cycles. They are also a target of the biotechnology industry because of their nano-patterned silica cell wall and high lipid content. Diatoms have received increasing attention as more genomes became available and because of the development of genome editing tools such as the CRISPR/Cas9 technology, which has made diatoms as genetically tractable as well-established biological model species. This book provides an overview on diatom molecular biology. It brings together international leading experts in the field to discuss the latest data and developments from genes to ecosystems. As the understanding of diatoms is currently experiencing a step change, it is critical to allow for synergistic approaches on diverse aspects of diatom biology and evolution. The books offers fundamental insights into the molecular life of diatoms; at the same time new scientific concepts are developed based on the application of the latest molecular tools and genomic information to explore the fascinating lifestyle of diatoms.

Coastal dunes occur in almost every latitude - from tropical to polar - and have been substantially altered by human activities. Many are already severely and irreversibly degraded. Although these ecosystems have been studied for a long time (as early as 1835), there has been a strong emphasis on the mid-latitude dune systems and a lack of attention given to the tropics where, unfortunately, much of the modern exploitation and coastal development for tourism is occurring.

This book brings together coastal dune specialists from tropical and temperate latitudes, which together cover a wide set of topics, including: geomorphology, community dynamics, ecophysiology, biotic interactions and environmental problems and conservation. A major product of this book is a set of recommendations for future research, identifying relevant topics where detailed knowledge is still lacking. It also identifies management tools that will promote and maintain the rich diversity of the dune environments in the context of continuing coastal development.

Bats have long been the focus of fascination, and sometimes fear: they move faultlessly through the darkness and spend the day hanging upside down in gloomy caverns and cracks – most at home where humans are least comfortable. Bats also represent a hugely important, numerous and varied group, accounting for 20% of all mammal species worldwide. Covering their biodiversity, ecology and natural history, A Miscellany of Bats offers a hoard of insights into the lives of these creatures. For over a quarter of a century Brock Fenton and the late Jens Rydell collaborated on projects involving bats. Here they bring together a collection of stories and anecdotes about bat research, brought to life by stunning photographs of these animals in action. Key topics include flight and echolocation, diet and roosting habits, and the complex social lives of bats. Jens and Brock also address issues of conservation and the interactions between bats and people, ranging from matters of disease to bats’ role as symbols, and our fixation with vampire bats. They explore how echolocation and flight shape batkind, from their appearance to where they go and why. Overall, this book is an entertaining and personal vision of bats’ central place in the universe. More than 150 species are covered.

This edited book discusses how effective soil carbon management plans and policies will ultimately make agriculture more secure against climate change and soil degradation. It is focused on initiatives to enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) and sequestration by launching different schemes and programs. An approach based on practical aspects of managing SOC in agriculture is provided with clear and concise descriptions. It has more attention to successfully implement plans and policies to meet the required level of SOC restoration. The book is covering the urgent needs of plans and policies for soil management and C restoration in agricultural ecosystems which can be beneficial to food, nutrition, environment, and economy security. There is also providing a roadmap on SOC policies to encourage the use of best management practices (BMPs) for soil health and C stock restoration, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. The book is suitable for teachers, researchers, government planners and policymakers, undergraduate and graduate students of soil science, soil microbiology, agronomy, ecology, and environmental sciences.

Woody plants provide many challenges to the tissue culturist. Although there are many excellent tissue culture books and manuals available, these are generally strongly biased towards herbacious crops. Consequently, they often do not pay sufficient attention to the problems that specifically apply to in vitro culture of tree species. Culture of the latter often poses problems which are either absent or of lesser significance when culturing herbacious species. When trees in the field are used as explant source, the problems can be especially severe. For example, the physiological condition of the explants is difficult to control because of variation in weather and biotic factors. Furthermore, it is often difficult to obtain explants free of contaminants from field grown trees. Lack of genetic uniformity and maturation are additional problems one often has to deal with when culturing tree cells or tissues. These problems are emphasized in this text. In vitro culture of trees is not viewed in isolation. It is considered in conjunction with breeding, traditional cloning and other common tree improvement techniques. The text discusses theoretical as well as practical aspects of the in vitro culture of trees.

This book is the first of its kind on environmental change research devoted to monsoon-arid environment evolution history and its mechanism involved. Capturing the most prominent features of Asian climate and environmental changes, it gives a comprehensive review of the Asian Monsoon records providing evidence for spatial and temporal climatic and environmental changes across the Asian continent since the Late Cenozoic. The dynamics underlying these changes are explored based on various bio-geological records and in particular based on the evidence of loess, speleothems as well as on mammal fossils. The Asian monsoon-arid climate system which quantifies the controlling mechanisms of climate change and the way it operates in different time scales is described. Attempts to differentiate between natural change and human-induced effects, which will help guide policies and countermeasures designed to support sustainable development on the Chinese Loess Plateau and the arid west.

This book presents the conference proceedings of the F-EIR Conference 2021, Environment Concerns and its Remediation held in Chandigarh, India, October 18-22, 2021. The purpose of the conference and the volume is to present new ideas across a range of disciplines in environmental science, with a focus on theoretical and practical approaches to clean production aimed at preventing the production of waste, while increasing efficiencies in the uses of energy, water, and renewable resources. With contributions from leading experts equipped with state-of-the-art information and technology, the book covers topics of sustainability and resilience, chemical and environmental engineering, materials science, biotechnology, health-related microorganisms, and green technologies. The book will be of interest to scientists, engineering professionals, architects, environmental scientists, academicians, economists, and students engaged in these disciplines.

A comprehensive text and reference book covering all the aspects of biodiversity science for students and researchers of biodiversity, plant science, biotechnology, as well as zoology.

The Earth's ecosystems are in the midst of an unprecedented period of change as a result of human action. Many habitats have been completely destroyed or divided into tiny fragments, others have been transformed through the introduction of new species, or the extinction of native plants and animals, while anthropogenic climate change now threatens to completely redraw the geographic map of life on this planet. The urgent need to understand and prescribe solutions to this complicated and interlinked set of pressing conservation issues has lead to the transformation of the venerable academic discipline of biogeography - the study of the geographic distribution of animals and plants. The newly emerged sub-discipline of conservation biogeography uses the conceptual tools and methods of biogeography to address real world conservation problems and to provide predictions about the fate of key species and ecosystems over the next century. This book provides the first comprehensive review of the field in a series of closely interlinked chapters addressing the central issues within this exciting and important subject.

View www.wiley.com/go/ladle/biogeography yo access the figures from the book.

This unique book presents for the first time the current status of the Danube River Delta, the challenges facing it, and proposed strategies to solve it. One of the biggest challenges is the human effects on the Danube Delta Environment and its lakes that work as sinks for natural and anthropogenic environmental changes, the water management and water flow variability and under climatic conditions including the extreme temperature and precipitation events based on RCMs output and the impact of sedimentation processes on the evolution of the Danube Delta. The book also contains the impact of wind and solar energy on the Delta. The book also presents the integrated approach for sustainable development of the Delta including the structural dynamics of the local economy, the role of tourism activities, integrated waste management in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, demographic dynamics in the Delta, and the population health state. Also, a unique chapter on the opportunities of content exploitation as Language Learning Experiences is applied to Danube Delta. The book will be of great scientific interest to help the graduate students, researchers, stakeholder professional engineers, policy planners, policymakers of three countries to implement their sustainable development plan.

This Microbiology Monographs volume covers the latest advances in laccase applications in bioremediation and waste valorisation. The first three chapters provide a comprehensive introduction to fungal and bacterial laccases (the two most important enzyme groups from an application viewpoint) and their practical use in bioremediation and lignocellulosic waste valorisation. Subsequent chapters discuss possible combinations of laccases and further potentially collaborating enzymes, and offer in-depth insights into laccase immobilisation for wastewater treatment and environmental biosensor applications of laccases. Lastly, the book addresses the quest for enzymes with improved and better-fitting properties, covering laccase engineering by directed and computational evolution, and novel enzymes from extreme environments. As such, it is a fascinating read for microbiologists in both industry and academia.

The definitive textbook for students of wildlife management, now updated to cover the latest techniques, tools, and topics. Wildlife Management and Conservation presents a clear overview of the management and conservation of animals, their habitats, and how people influence both. The relationship among these three components of wildlife management is explained in chapters written by leading experts and is designed to prepare students for careers in which they will be charged with maintaining healthy animal populations. To be successful wildlife professionals, they will need to find ways to restore depleted populations, reduce overabundant, introduced, or pest species, and manage relationships among various human stakeholders. This book gives them the basic knowledge necessary to accomplish these goals. This second edition, which is updated throughout, features several new and expanded topics, including communication in the wildlife profession, fire science, Indigenous models of management and conservation, plant-animal interactions, quantitative analysis of wildlife populations, and a detailed glossary. The book also covers: * Human dimensions of wildlife management * Animal behavior * Predator-prey relationships * Structured decision making * Issues of scale in wildlife management * Wildlife health * Historical context of wildlife management and conservation * Hunting and trapping * Nongame species * Nutrition ecology * Water management * Climate change * Conservation planning The most widely used foundational text in the field, this is the perfect resource not only for students but also for early career professionals and those in related fields who need to understand the core tenets and tools of wildlife conservation and management. Contributors: C. Jane Anderson, Bart M. Ballard, Warren B. Ballard, John A. Bissonette, Clint Boal, Scott B. Boyle, Leonard A. Brennan, Robert D. Brown, James W. Cain III, Tyler A. Campbell, Michael J. Cherry, Michael R. Conover, Daniel J. Decker, Randall W. DeYoung, Jonathan B. Dinkins, W. Sue Fairbanks, Selma N. Glasscock, James B. Grand, Michael J. Haney, James R. Heffelfinger, Scott E. Henke, Fidel Hernandez, Davie G. Hewitt, C. L. Hoving, David A. Jessup, Heather E. Johnson, Winifred B. Kessler, John L. Koprowski, Paul R. Krausman, William P. Kuvlesky, Jr., Roel R. Lopez, R. W. Mannan, Melissa J. Merrick, L. Scott Mills, Michael S. Mitchell, Michael L. Morrison, Anna M. Munoz, John F. Organ, Katherine L. Parker, William F. Porter, Shawn J. Riley, Steven S. Rosenstock, Michael C. Runge, Susan P. Rupp, William F. Siemer, Robert J. Steidl, Kelley M. Stewart

Experience the hauntingly beautiful world of orcas, and discover the stories that unfold when humans enter oceans alongside them. When intrepid biology student Hanne Strager volunteered to be the cook on a small research vessel in Norway's Lofoten Islands, the trip inspired a decades-long journey into the lives of killer whales—and an exploration of people's complex relationships with the biggest predators on earth. The Killer Whale Journals chronicles the now internationally renowned science writer's fascinating adventures around the world, documenting Strager's personal experiences with orcas in the wild. Killer whales' incredible intelligence, long life spans, and strong family bonds lead many people to see them as kindred spirits in the sea. But not everyone feels this way—like wolves, orcas have been both beloved and vilified throughout human history. In this absorbing odyssey, Strager traces the complicated relationship between humans and killer whales, while delving into their behavior, biology, and ecology. She brings us along in her travels to the most remote corners of the world, battling the stormy Arctic seas of northern Norway with fellow biologists intent on decoding whale-song, interviewing First Nations conservationists in Vancouver, observing Inuit hunters in Greenland, and witnessing the dismantling of black market "whale jails" in the Russian wilderness of Kamchatka. Through these captivating stories, Strager introduces us to a diverse cast of characters from Inuit elders to Australian Aboriginal whalers and guides us through the world's wild waters, from fjords above the Arctic circle in Norway to the poaching-infested waters off Kamchatka. Featuring astonishing photographs from famed nature photographer and conservationist Paul Nicklen, The Killer Whale Journals reveals rare and intimate moments of connection with these fierce, brilliant predators.

The Ural river, the third longest river in Europe, is a unique ecosystem. Unlike other large European rivers the river has not been regulated and the natural hydrological regime is still intact. Thanks to that it has the only remaining spawning habitats in the entire Caspian basin for all sturgeon species. Nevertheless, this fact is not well known to the broader scientific and environmental communities.

The Ural river is also an interesting place due to its rich history of sustainable use of aquatic resources in general and sturgeons in particular. The traditional life style of the local communities, Ural Cossacks, was focused on the preservation and rational use of sturgeon species. This interesting experience of sustainable river-related management is not adequately reported in literature.

To secure further Ural sturgeon preservation the river basin ecosystem and human activities in the region must be managed in an integrated sustainable manner. The sturgeon species can be used as a natural indicator and an incentive for such transboundary IWRM cooperation taking into account all three components of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental. To secure basin IWRM and sturgeon stock restoration the International Ural Sturgeon Park should be established. The role of the Park will be to secure the natural reproduction in the Ural as the primary strategy for the sturgeon stock replenishment. The Ural River Basin Project, which aims at the creation of such a Park, was launched in 2007. This volume is devoted to the uniqueness, history and problems of the Ural river basin, its sturgeons and perspectives of their conservation.

Papers presented at the 20th meeting of the International Ornithological Congress held in New Zealand, December 1990 emphasizing New Zealand and the southern Pacific Ocean. Topics include: a summary of ornithological work in New Zealand, enemy recognition and response, parasitism and sexual selectio

This book completes Robert G. Bailey's celebrated study of ecoregions, begun in the landmark Ecosystem Geography (1996) and further articulated in Ecoregions (1998). In this third installment, the author expands his system for defining large-scale ecological zones to encompass principles of land management, regional planning, and design. In an engaging, non-technical discussion, he shows how larger patterns and processes that characterize a region-its climate, topography, soils, vegetation, fauna, and human culture-provide essential keys to the sustainability of ecosystems. Regional Landscape Ecology and Sustainable Design will be welcomed by land and resource managers, landscape architects and urban planners, ecologists, students, and anyone interested in ecology-based design. Robert G. Bailey is a geographer with the United States Forest Service in Fort Collins, Colorado.

In the conflict between logging as a material resource and preservation the forests are becoming depleted throughout the world and this depletion is aggravated by the effects of air pollution. The concept of utilization is thus now being expanded to include vital societal values. These issues are nowhere more acute than in Central and Eastern Europe, where obsolete, poorly maintained industrial plant is common. Air pollutant levels are so high that one area has been called the Black Triangle. Timber is required in this region as a building material and logging for fuelwood is practised, giving rise to a complex linkage between industry, energy supply, deforestation, agriculture, value-added forestry products and economic development. This book presents current information on national and regional issues relating to environmental threats to forest land, focusing on: ecology, environment and science; forest ownership and management; forest product utilization; government and public agency roles. The recommendations, action items and the human network needed for regional-level implementation are detailed in `situation', `position' and `state of the art' papers. The final objective is to develop a plan of action to help abate the negative impacts while sustaining or expanding the forests, the economy and the energy sufficiency of the region.

This edited volume addresses a rising concern among natural resource scientists and management professionals about decline of the many plant and animal species associated with early-successional habitats, especially within the Central Hardwood Region of the USA. These open habitats, with herbaceous, shrub, or young forest cover, are disappearing as abandoned farmland, pastures, and cleared forest patches return to forest. There are many questions about "why, what, where, and how" to manage for early successional habitats. In this book, expert scientists and experienced land managers synthesize knowledge and original scientific work to address questions on such topics as wildlife, water, carbon sequestration, natural versus managed disturbance, future scenarios, and sustainable creation and management of early successional habitat in a landscape context.