Carbon moves through the atmosphere, through the oceans, onto land, and into ecosystems. This cycling has a large effect on climate - changing geographic patterns of rainfall and the frequency of extreme weather - and is altered as the use of fossil fuels adds carbon to the cycle. The dynamics of this global carbon cycling are largely predicted over broad spatial scales and long periods of time by Earth system models. This book addresses the crucial question of how to assess, evaluate, and estimate the potential impact of the additional carbon to the land carbon cycle. The contributors describe a set of new approaches to land carbon cycle modeling for better exploring ecological questions regarding changes in carbon cycling; employing data assimilation techniques for model improvement; and doing real- or near-time ecological forecasting for decision support. This book strives to balance theoretical considerations, technical details, and applications of ecosystem modeling for research, assessment, and crucial decision making. Key Features Helps readers understand, implement, and criticize land carbon cycle models Offers a new theoretical framework to understand transient dynamics of land carbon cycle Describes a suite of modeling skills - matrix approach to represent land carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles; data assimilation and machine learning to improve parameterization; and workflow systems to facilitate ecological forecasting Introduces a new set of techniques, such as semi-analytic spin-up (SASU), unified diagnostic system with a 1-3-5 scheme, traceability analysis, and benchmark analysis, for model evaluation and improvement Related Titles Isabel Ferrera, ed. Climate Change and the Oceanic Carbon Cycle: Variables and Consequences (ISBN 978-1-774-63669-5) Lal, R. et al., eds. Soil Processes and the Carbon Cycle (ISBN 978-0-8493-7441-8) Windham-Myers, L., et al., eds. A Blue Carbon Primer: The State of Coastal Wetland Carbon Science, Practice and Policy (ISBN 978-0-367-89352-1)

This two-volume book is an up-to-date revision of methods and principles of phylogenetic analysis of morphological data. It is also a general guide for using the computer program TNT in the analysis of such data. The book covers the main aspects of phylogenetic analysis, and general methods to compare classifications derived from molecules and morphology. Practical application of all principles discussed is illustrated by reference to TNT, a freely available software package that can perform all the steps needed in a phylogenetic analysis. Key Features Provides in depth discussion of the connections between hypotheses of homology and the parsimony criterion Helps understand the basis for designing different aspects of a morphological study, from hints on delimiting the problem and data collecting, to character definitions and analysis Discusses the applicability of statistical models coopted from sequence analysis to the analysis of morphological data Gives detailed descriptions of the principles behind algorithms for evaluating and searching phylogenetic trees Presents extensive information on commands and options of the TNT computer program

This unique volume provides an insight into bioactive compounds of tea from studies of both chemical structures and pharmacological aspects. Examples of the beneficial health effects of tea compounds in managing health problems and diseases are presented, with an emphasis on viral diseases such as COVID-19. Vaccines are not always available in many countries, thus simple and inexpensive measures which are easily available to help mitigate for example, the COVID-19 pandemic, are urgently needed. Dietary bioactive compounds could be alternative nutritional approaches in combating infection in addition to existing therapies and also upcoming vaccines and drugs, by enhancing their efficacy. Features : Emphasizes the antiviral activity of the tea compounds and the latest findings against Coronavirus and SARS-Cov-2. Provides a general overview of tea constituents, chemical structures of these compounds and their potential health benefits. Tea is one of the most commonly used beverages around the world and people with different backgrounds will be interested in reading about its health benefits. Correlating the therapeutic effect of tea components with COVID-19 is extremely beneficial for health care team members and general population. Assists the reader in understanding the therapeutic value of using tea to tackle COVID-19 symptoms, offering simple, inexpensive tips to help mitigate the virus.

This introductory text assumes little prior scientific knowledge on the part of the student. It includes sufficient information for some shorter introductory botany courses open to both majors and nonmajors, and is arranged so that certain sections can be omitted without disrupting the overall continuity of the course. Stern emphasizes current interests while presenting basic botanical principles. This latest edition incorporates measurable learning outcomes and updated readings. Students will be introduced to the new classification of plants and plant-related species, integration of biotechnology into several chapters and inclusion of new text boxes addressing the areas of ecology, evolution and molecular biology.

An informative and entertaining look at why plants have been used in magic and what that tells us about people and plants in a post-magic world.

This highly regarded reference work, a botanical classic, has been fully revised and updated. A fresh new design and beautiful full-colour images aid identification.

First published in 1981, Succulent Flora has long served as an authoritative guide for academics and lay enthusiasts alike. This third edition takes into account intervening taxonomic advances and the discovery and naming of ever more species.

Information has been supplemented in line with the latest thinking and the book has been newly designed for clarity and ease of reference. Given the phenomenal extent of our succulent flora, this fully updated edition is a timely addition to the botanical literature of southern Africa.

This volume considers current and future challenges for nature law and policy in Europe. Following the Fitness Check evaluation of the Birds and Habitats Directives, in 2017 the EU adopted an Action Plan for nature, people and the economy to rapidly improve the Directives' implementation and accelerate progress towards the EU's biodiversity targets for 2020. More recently, the EU has adopted a Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and proposed an EU Nature Restoration Law. This book makes a timely contribution by examining the current state of play in light of recent and historical developments, as well as the post-2020 nature law and policy landscape. While evidence suggests that Natura 2000 and the Habitats and Birds Directives have delivered conservation benefits for wildlife in Europe, biodiversity loss continues apace. The book reviews the requirements for an effective international nature conservation system, with reference to the Birds and Habitats Directives. It examines regulatory regimes, current legal issues in the fields of site protection and species protection, the protection of areas outside Natura 2000, recent developments in the EU and the UK, including the implications of Brexit, agriculture and nature conservation, litigation, science and access to justice. Written by leading experts in the field, from a range of stakeholder groups, the volume draws on diverse experiences as well as providing interdisciplinary perspectives. This volume will be essential reading for students and scholars interested in European environmental policy and law, including lawyers, ecologists, environmental scientists, political scientists, natural resource managers, and planners. It will also be of interest to conservation practitioners, policy-makers and NGOs.

The first synthesis of current research regarding Everglades microbial community structure and function, this book provides an understanding of the physical and chemical factors affecting the structure of microbial communities, including nutrient effects, sea level rise, and other potential stressors. The book integrates traditional research on algal and bacterial structure and function, helping to provide a more holistic understanding of the varying microbial communities throughout the Everglades. From periphyton, to soils and detritus, to flocculent organic matter, Microbiology of the Everglades Ecosystem covers new and emerging methods and their global application.

Southern Africa boasts a rich variety of tree species, both indigenous and exotic. Pocket Guide Trees of Southern Africa is an authoritative introduction to the region’s trees, describing and illustrating 132 species.

This publication has its origins in Van Wyk’s A Photographic Guide to Trees of Southern Africa and has been fully revised and updated by well-known authority Braam van Wyk.

Each species account highlights the key identification features, and also touches on the medicinal and commercial uses of the trees.

This compact, easy-to-use guide makes an ideal travelling companion and will help readers to become more knowledgeable about trees.

This comprehensively updated and expanded edition of the region’s best-selling field guide to trees offers much, much more than the highly successful first edition. Fully updated text (including additional species entries) and distribution maps, numerous new photographs and a new 87-page section of full-tree photographs makes this well-loved guide even more indispensable in the field.

Southern Africa has a rich variety of tree species, with an estimated 2 100 indigenous species and more than 100 naturalised aliens. Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa describes and illustrates more than 1 000 of these, focusing on trees that are the most common and most likely to be encountered. Species are logically arranged in 43 groups based on easy-to-observe leaf and stem features, and each account is illustrated by full-colour photographs of the plant’s diagnostic parts. The text also touches on the practical uses of the plants.

Gavin Hardy and Laurence Totelin have brought together their botanical and historical knowledge to produce this unique overview of ancient botany. It examines all the founding texts of botanical science, such as Theophrastus' Enquiry into Plants, Dioscorides' Materia Medica, Pliny the Elder's Natural History, Nicolaus of Damascus' On Plants, and Galen' On Simple Remedies, but also includes lesser known texts ranging from the sixth century BCE to the seventh century CE, as well as some material evidence. The authors adopt a thematic approach rather than a chronological one, considering important issues such as the definition of a plant, nomenclature, classifications, physiology, the link between plants and their environment, and the numerous usages of plants in the ancient world. The book also takes care to place ancient botany in its historical, social and economic context. The authors have explained all technical botanical terms and ancient history notions, and as a result, this work will appeal to historians of ancient science, medicine and technology; classicists; and botanists interested in the history of their discipline.

Discover everything you need to know about biology, with the simplest most visual guide to the science of life. How do vaccines work? What is special about stem cells? How did we evolve from bacteria? The science of life can be dauntingly complex, and it can be hard to separate "good" science from "bad", fundamental truths from the much-hyped breakthroughs reported in the media. With clear, easy-to-understand graphics and packed with fascinating facts, How Biology Works demystifies both the core biology that may have eluded us at school, and the cutting-edge life science that makes the news, answering the questions that spark our curiosity. With power to every page, this striking science book: - Is illustrated entirely by specially commissioned, boldly coloured, distinctive, flat, vector graphics that explain each topic clearly and engagingly. - Supports the curriculum up to GCSE, but also includes some higher-level topics and cutting-edge biology that makes the news. - Uses clear, distinctive, eye-catching graphics to make even complex biology easy to understand. -Offers a practical, no-nonsense approach to each subject. Building from life's fundamental ingredients, such as carbon and water, the book explains chemical processes in living cells, controlled by the ultimate biochemical, DNA. It shows how DNA is made of units called genes, which are shuffled in each generation of offspring, leading to variation and evolution. It covers topics from school biology, such as how plants work and how animals, including humans, work, and goes on to ecology and biotechnology. Beyond school science, however, it covers the background to the latest medical technology and biotechnology: how gene therapy works, what stem-cell research is achieving, and how our immune systems, boosted by vaccines, are in an arms race with ever-mutating viruses and other pathogens. At DK, we believe in the power of discovery. So why stop there? How Biology Works is part of DK's widely successful How Stuff Works series. Discover the inner workings of the mind with How the Brain Works, succeed in all things science with How Science Works and discover the cosmos like you've never known before with How Space Works. Whatever topic sparks your interests, there's a plethora of knowledge to discover!

Donald D. Cox brings together a wide range of information about the forests of eastern North America, including the origins and types of soils and their relationships to vegetation, climate, and human culture; the members of the plant kingdom and the fungi that are found in forests; the methods by which forest plants reproduce and disperse their seeds; and toxic, medicinal, and edible plants that grow in forests. Cox provides complete and accurate details for those readers who are interested in collecting forest plants and preserving plant collections. For readers who wish to go a step beyond identifying and collecting plants, the final chapter describes non-technical investigations, activities, and projects. The author emphasizes forest conservation and habitat preservation throughout this invaluable book.

The first accessible text on the topic of animals as environmental predictors, bringing together the literature from as far back as 18th century through to the present day. - Covers wider terrain than other titles in a relatively unexplored subject area. The text discusses climate change (highly topical) and how animals may be able to be used to predict future weather and climatic events. There is international potential as the climate challenge is global, and the examples span worldwide case studies. The sources used include myths, anecdotes, news articles and stories backed up by relevant scientific literature in international peer-reviewed journals. Each chapter starts with a short fictitious story to set the scene and anecdotes from indigenous cultures are especially interesting. The author draws on his vast expertise in biochemistry and cell biology. The science does not impede the less technical reader, due to the engaging mix of stories, anecdotes, personal observations and scientific underpinnings.

Nearly two-hundred color photographs of state-protected herbaceous and woody species found throughout New York State and the Northeast.

Culinary Herbs & Spices of the World is a reference guide to more than 120 different culinary herbs, spices and flavourings from all the well-known culinary traditions of the world. It is a scientifically accurate and richly illustrated review of the physical appearance, correct names, botany, geographical origin, history, cultivation, harvesting, culinary uses and flavour ingredients of more than 120 different herbs and associated species. A new perspective on the botanical and chemical principles of tastes and flavours is presented, making it an interesting and colourful contribution to the culinary exploration of the world. A fully illustrated, scientifically accurate guide to practically all commercial herbs and spices, with more than 600 colour photographs. Written in an easy style with notes on propagation, cultivation and culinary uses, the book will appeal to a wide readership, from gardeners and food enthusiasts to botanists and academics. Some exotic herbs and spices - especially from Africa and China - are introduced for the first time to European and American readers. The best-known use or signature dish for each herb or spice is given, highlighting hitherto poorly known culinary traditions. Introductory chapters include a concise overview of the main culinary traditions of the world and a fascinating glimpse into the chemistry of taste and flavour. Includes a quick guide and checklist to the culinary herbs and spices of the world.

Discover the fascinating stories behind 300 species of fungi and understand the world of mushrooms like never before! Did you know that fungi put the fizz in champagne and the flavour in chocolate? Fungi is everywhere we look: in a forest, under the sea, and in the kitchen. In this beautiful book, leading fungal biologists Lynne Boddy and Ali Ashby bring you closer to 300 species of mushrooms and lichens through fascinating facts, mushroom datasets, and detailed illustrations. Discover some of the fastest speeds in nature, specimens that glow in the dark, and fungi that clean up oil spills. Humans have had a close relationship with mushrooms for thousands of years - from using the shiitake for healing, to telling stories of enchanted fairy rings, and cooking gourmet dishes with rare specimens. Bringing together technology, medicine, food, culture, and nature, this fascinating book will open your eyes to the wonders of the hidden kingdom all around us.

The way we currently produce our food is damaging both to ourselves and our planet: we need to create gardens, woodlands and farms which are in harmony with nature. Though all natural ecosystems provide excellent examples to follow, Plants For a Future specifically focuses on edible species, suggesting a wide variety of easily grown perennials and self-seeding annuals which produce delicious and healthy food. Describing edible and other useful plants, both native to Britain and Europe, and from other temperate areas around the world, Plants For a Future includes those suitable for: the ornamental garden, the lawn, shady areas, ponds, walls, hedges, agroforestry and conservation. It offers alternative methods of growing these plants in ways that are in harmony with the local environment and can help to improve the overall health of the planet. In his thoroughly useful book, Ken Fern shares his experiments and successes in growing herbs, vegetables, flowers, shrubs and trees. Packed with information, personal anecdotes and detailed appendices and indexes, this pioneering book takes gardening, conservation and ecology into a new dimension.

In the seventeenth century, even the most elaborate and fashionable gardens had areas set aside for growing herbs, fruit, vegetables and flowers for domestic use, while those of more modest establishments were vital to the survival of the household. This was also a period of exciting introductions of plants from overseas. Using manuscript household manuals, recipe books and printed herbals, this book takes the reader on a tour of the productive garden and of the various parts of the house - kitchens and service rooms, living rooms and bedrooms - to show how these plants were used for cooking and brewing, medicines and cosmetics, in the making and care of clothes, and finally to keep rooms fresh, fragrant and decorated. Recipes used by seventeenth-century households for preparations such as flower syrups, snail water and wormwood ale are also included. A brief herbal gives descriptions of plants that are familiar today, others not so well known, such as the herbs used for dyeing and brewing, and those that held a particular cultural importance in the seventeenth century. Featuring exquisite coloured illustrations from John Gerard's herbal of 1597 as well as prints, archival material and manuscripts, this book provides an intriguing and original focus on the domestic history of Stuart England.

A systematic overview of the mechanisms of apomixis and methodology for apomixis research. A reassessment of apomixis at the species level in angiosperm families. Tables summarizing relevant information on apomixis. Analyses occurrences of apomixis in phylogenetic and evolutionary contexts. Outlines the molecular basis and biotechnological perspective of apomixis breeding.

An intoxicating interconnected history of booze and medicine, from one of the world's foremost cocktail writers. Consider the Negroni. The bittersweet cocktail dating to the early 1900s is made of equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari. Gin takes its name and flavour from the juniper tree, which medieval doctors burned to ward off bubonic plague and other miasmas. 'Vermouth' comes from the German word for wormwood, a herb famous for its ability to rid the body of intestinal parasites. Campari is a brand of liqueur dating to 1860 with a secret recipe probably containing gentian (effective against indigestion) and rhubarb root (used as a laxative). The perfect cocktail of curative ingredients is now self-prescribed as an aperitif. The intertwined stories of medicine and alcohol stretch back to the ancient world, and involve alchemy, madness and monks, not to mention microbiology, biochemistry and germ theory. Now, in The Perfect Tonic, Camper English reveals how and why the contents of our medicine and liquor cabinets were, until surprisingly recently, one and the same.

Immerse yourself in stories and pictures of these useful plants, from herb gardens to remote wildernesses. Herbs have been used by humans throughout history - for cooking, medicine, rituals, and more. They are also a huge part of the modern world, from gardening, food, and cosmetics to medicines fighting diseases such as malaria. With vibrant illustrations and expert knowledge, The Herb Book takes a close-up look at a wide range of herbs from around the world, showcasing their botanical characteristics, medicinal, cosmetic, and culinary properties and uses, and cultural impact on the lives of humans. Dive deep into the pages of this horticultural handbook to discover: - Detailed original photography combines with historical and contemporary images to create a compelling visual mix. - Provides a global view of herbs and their culinary, medicinal, and cosmetic uses around the world. - Contains in-depth coverage of over 80 herb species. - Continues the warm visual aesthetic of The Tree Book Featuring key scientific facts along with historical and mythological stories, this book provides a rich blend of information on these extraordinary plants and their role in our world. Proving a must-have volume for gardeners, horticulturalists, and amateur herbalists alike, as well as anyone interested in natural remedies, cookes and foodies too!

A beautifully illustrated guide to 75 of the most unique and fascinating mushrooms in the world, including interesting insight into their history, uses, and etymologies. From sweet little toadstools to giant puffballs, mushrooms come in all shapes and sizes. With over 10,000 mushrooms in the world, some are cute and colorful, while others may look super adorable but are actually deadly. No matter the kind, it’s time to celebrate all types of mushrooms with The Little Book of Mushrooms. This book is a collection of everything you need to know about 75 of the world’s most unique mushrooms. With information on their etymology, geographic location, characteristics, and culinary or healing powers, this book is the perfect companion for amateur mushroom hunters, cottage-core fans, or anyone just looking for a beautifully illustrated book on some of the most incredible fungi around the world.

In a short life full of quiet endeavour, Will Purdom rose to become a key figure in China's struggle to repair the ecology and sustainability of it forests after decades of ruinous logging.