|
|
Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Zoology & animal sciences > General
Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) have been studied by
primatologists since 1948, and considerable knowledge of the
primate has been accumulated to elucidate the adaptation of the
species over time and to distinct environments in Japan. The
Japanese macaque is especially suited to intragenera and
interpopulation comparative studies of behavior, physiology, and
morphology, and to socioecology studies in general. This book, the
most comprehensive ever published in English on Japanese macaques,
is replete with contributions by leading researchers in field
primatology. Highlighted are topics of intraspecific variations in
the ecology and behaviors of the macaque. Such variations provide
evidence of the ecological determinants on this species' mating and
social behaviors, along with evidence of cultural behavior. The
book also addresses morphology, population genetics, recent habitat
change, and conflicts with humans, and attests to the plasticity
and complex adaptive system of macaque societies. The valuable
information in this volume is recommended reading for researchers
in primatology, anthropology, zoology, animal behavior, and
conservation biology.
Nature helps... of course at first itself by developing measures
that give bacteria, fungi, plants and animals a chance to be
successful in their struggle for life. As a latecomer on Earth,
Homo sapiens was gifted with some droplets of the divine spirit of
recognition and thus became able to observe, to analyse and
recombine skills of other living beings and to use them for his
overwhelming career over the last 10,000 years.Of course fungi,
plants, animals and even bacteria were primarily used by mankind as
food or as lifestyle products such as beer, but soon it became
clear that there was much more potential hidden in these organisms
and that they could be used for other purposes, too. Extracts of
plants and fungi were recognized as powerful remedies, as
medicines, as insecticides or acarizides, as repellents against
parasites or even as weapons, e.g. when poisonous compounds from
frogs or plants were applied to arrowheads. Over the last 110 years
the pharmaceutical industry has often simulated nature by analyzing
complex organic substances taken from living organisms and then
producing by synthesis absolutely pure compounds, which mostly
consisted of only one single active substance. These products had
the advantage of acting against precisely one target and thus
produced fewer possible side effects than the complex plant
extracts. However, the more serious side effect was that disease
agents could develop resistances to pure medicinal products much
more easily. Thus after 70 years of excellent prospects for
chemotherapy, some dark clouds appeared and quickly gathered, so
that several therapeutic remedies now no longer work. Therefore in
many countries - especially in those where the pure
chemotherapeutics are too expensive for the poor population - the
cry "back to nature" is becoming louder and louder. This has led to
an enormous increase of studies that again use natural extracts as
remedies in the fight against diseases. The present book summarizes
examples of promising aspects in a broad spectrum of applications
and shows how extracts derived from bacteria, marine organisms,
plants or even animals may help to treat infectious diseases, how
such organisms may keep away parasites and pests from the bodies of
plants or animals, including humans, and how they can be used
directly to aid in diagnosis, promote wound healing and even to
help catch criminals. These 15 chapters offer not only basic
research on these different fields, but also show how useful and
effective products can be developed from research.
There are several books on properties of chitin and associated
biomolecules and their biochemical significance. However, the
present volume deals with a wide variety of biogeochemical and
organic geochemical aspects of this vital macromolecule written by
leading authors and experts in the field. Each chapter is carefully
peer reviewed and is an updated account of recent research in
isotopic, nanostructural, biochemical, microstructural,
geochemical, paleontological and experimental aspects of chitin
formation, distribution and preservation in the environment and
earth history.
Horse Pasture Management, Second Edition provides updated coverage
on strategies for managing behavior, grouping, environments and
feeding needs of grazing horses. Sections cover the structure,
function and identification of forages, continuing into nutritional
value of pasture plants. Management of soil, the function of a
pasture ecosystem and management of plants in a pasture is covered
next, followed by forage yield determination, horse grazing
behavior, feed choices of horses, management of grazing horses, and
how to calculate how many horses should be grazing relative to land
size. Advantages of grazing more than one species of animal are
described. Management of hay and silage are included since
year-round grazing is not possible on many horse farms. Several
chapters deal with interactions of a horse farm with the
environment, including climate and weather and other living things.
The book also covers strategies for managing manure, erosion, and
water quality. It is ideal for researchers, scientists and students
involved in animal science, specifically equine studies.
Agriculturists, equine managers and veterinarians will also find
this book useful.
Francis Willughby together with John Ray revolutionized the study
of natural history. They were motivated by the new philosophy of
the mid 1600s and transformed natural history in to a rigorous area
of study. Because Ray lived longer and more of his writings have
survived, his reputation subsequently eclipsed that of Willughby.
Now, with access to previously unexplored archives and new
discoveries we are able to provide a comprehensive evaluation of
Francis Willughby's life and works. What emerges is a polymath, a
true virtuoso, who made original and imaginative contributions to
mathematics, chemistry, linguistics as well as natural history. We
use Willughby's short life as a lens through which to view the
entire process of seventeenth-century scientific endeavor.
Contributors are Tim Birkhead, Isabelle Charmantier, David Cram,
Meghan Doherty, Mark Greengrass, Daisy Hildyard, Dorothy Johnston,
Sachiko Kusukawa, Brian Ogilvie, William Poole, Chris Preston, Anna
Marie Roos, Richard Serjeantson, Paul J. Smith and Benjamin
Wardhaugh.
|
|