In The Greenland Entomofauna an international team of 64 taxonomic specialists provide for the first time a richly illustrated guide to the identification of the 1200 species of Hexapods/Insects, Arachnids and Myriapods so far known to occur in the country. While the composition, origin and adaptations of the Greenland fauna has always been a challenge to biogeographers and ecologists/ecophysiologists, the provision of a tool for detailed identification of its constituent species is now particularly timely, since global climate change will expectedly have a particularly noticeable impact on biota at high latitudes. This obviously renders the feasibility of monitoring distributional range shifts of the principal components of this biota a matter of some urgency. Contributors are: Achterberg, Cornelius van; Ahola, Matti; Bartak, Miroslav; Behan-Pelletier, Valerie; Bird, Jeremy M.; Bog, Katrine; Brodo, Fenja; Buhl, Peter N.; Dahl, Christine; Disney, R. Henry L.; Dittmar, Katharina; Fjellberg, Arne; Gammelmo, Oivind; Forshage, Mattias; Gerecke, Reinhard; Gertsson, Carl-Axel; Haastriter, Michael M.L.; Haenni, Jean-Paul; Heie, Ole E.; Heraty, John M.; Hodgson, Chris; Hodkinson, Ian D.; Horsfield, David; Huber, John T.; Jaschoff, Matthias; Jensen, Frank; Johanson, Kjell A.; Jussila, Reijo; Karsholt, Ole; Krzeminska, Ewa; Lantsov, Vladimir I.; Laska, Pavel; Lindegaard, Claus; Lyneborg, Leif (); Makarova, Olga; Marusik, Yura M.; Mathis, Wayne N.; Mazanek, Libor; Michelsen, Verner; Munk, Thorkild (); Murphy, William L.; Nielsen, Soren A.; Nielsen, Tore R.; Noyes, John S.; Oosterbroek, Pjotr; Ozerov, Andrey L.; Pape, Thomas; Pinto, John D.; Pollet, Marc; Rindal, Eirik; Rohacek, Jindrich; Simonsen, Thomas J.; Smith, Vincent S.; Soeli, Geir; Stary, Jaroslav; Strassen, Richard zur; Svensson, Bo. W.; Vilhelmsen, Lars; Vilkamaa, Pekka; Wilson, Michael; Zatwarnicki, Tadeusz

This fascinating reference book delves into the origins of the vernacular and scientific names of sharks, rays, skates and chimeras. Each entry offers a concise biography, revealing the hidden stories and facts behind each species' name. Full of interesting facts and humorous titbits, the authors' extensive research and detective work has made this book a comprehensive source of knowledge on everyone associated with the naming of a species. A fascinating resource for anyone with an interest in sharks, from curious naturalist to professional ichthyologist, it is an essential addition to the library of anyone wishing to satisfy those tickling questions on the mysteries behind the names. Sometimes a name refers not to a person but to a fictional character or mythological figure. Eptatretus eos is named after the Greek goddess of the dawn in reference to the pink colouring of the hagfish. The Chilean Roundray Urotrygon cimar, named after Centro de Investigacion en Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia in honour of its 20th anniversary, and the Angular Angelshark Squatina Guggenheim, named after the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, are both named after institutions. The Whiteleg Skate Amblyraja taaf is just a shorthand way of describing a toponym - Territoire des Terres australes et antarctiques francaises. There are also entries which are light-hearted such as the one for a lady who told us "that decoration of her cakes have included roughtail skate Bathyraja trachura, red abalone Haliotis rufescens, and chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha." Following the success of their previous Eponym Dictionaries, the authors have joined forces to give the Elasmobranch group of fishes a similar treatment but they have also included the describers and authors of the original descriptions of the fishes involved, in addition to those names that are, or appear to be, eponyms. They have tracked down some 850 names of living as well as dead people. Of these half are eponyms after people who have fish named after them and may also have described a fish or fishes. The other half are ichthyologists, marine biologists and other scientists who have become involved in the description and naming of sharks, rays, skates and chimeras. For each person mentioned there is brief, pithy biography. Additionally there are some 50 entries for what sound like eponyms but turned out not to have any connection to a person, such as the Alexandrine Torpedo is named after the city in Egypt and not Alexander the Great. In some cases these are a reminder of the courage of scientists whose dedicated research in remote locations exposed them to disease and even violent death. The eponym ensures that their memory will survive, aided by reference works such as this highly readable dictionary. Altogether 1,577 fishes are listed.

This is a copy of the formal publication: Schussler A, Walker C (2010) The Glomeromycota. A species list with new families and new genera. Arthur Schussler & Christopher Walker, Gloucester. Published in December 2010 in libraries at The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, The Royal Botanic Garden Kew, Botanische Staatssammlung Munich, and Oregon State University. This version is identical to the original, printed publication cited above, including the errors. Therefore, this version contains one additional, initial page as a corrigendum, giving corrections of the errors in the original publicatio

This is the fifth title in the series Repatriation of Kew Herbarium Data for the Flora of Northeastern Brazil. In total 184 species are recorded in 18 genera for the whole of the Myrtaceae. These are alphabetically arranged and sorted by state, collector and number. In addition to this main list, a full exsiccatae list (an alphabetical list of collector and collector's number) allows curators, students and researchers to name a duplicate collection lodged in any herbarium in the world to be checked against the determination of that collection at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

We live at a time when one in five of the world's plant species is threatened with extinction, and if we had the figures they would probably indicate that loss of knowledge about the usefulness of plants follows a similar trend. Both are vital to our continued ability to adapt and survive on this planet. Traditional knowledge has led to the development of many of our most effective and important medicines, particularly in the treatment of malaria and fever - from quinine to the Artemisia-based drugs of today. If we forget what we have learnt over tens of thousands of years, and we allow plants that have evolved over millions of years to become extinct, then we will have failed in our role as custodians for future generations. The traditional cures contained in this book add significantly to our common knowledge of plants and medicine. Regardless of immediate or future application, this publication ensures that the knowledge is not lost. Dennis Fowler is dedicated to finding this information, much residing in grey literature or rough notes in someone's attic or laboratory. He has meticulously been through both the raw data and the literature, and synthesised it into a format that is readily accessible to all. Whether you are a medical researcher, a botanist, an entomologist, an anthropologist or an interested reader, you will find this book useful and entertaining.

The Pacific Ocean is the most expansive geographical feature on Earth. Included in its domain are thousands of atolls, smaller islands and, depending on how its boundaries are defined, several larger islands and island groups. Members of the grass family, Poaceae, are almost ubiquitous and are widespread across the Pacific. This detailed key enumerates 420 species of non-bambusoid grasses in 120 genera and provides a taxonomic reference for grasses growing throughout this region.

First published in 1959 and updated in 1967, Taxonomy of Flowering Plants was created to provide a factual and simplified account of basic principles needed by beginning students in a course in taxonomy together with illustrated descriptions of more than a hundred families of flowering plants representative of the North American flora. The text assumes that the students have had some introduction to plant science. It is intended for undergraduate students in the study of agronomy, range management, forestry, wildlife management and conservation. The text is divided into three parts: Part I, dealing with historical and theoretical aspects and with terminology and morphology; Part II, dealing with orders and families of monocotyledons; and Part III, dealing with orders and families of dicotyledons. Dr. Cedric Lambert "Ted" Porter (1905 - 2000) completed his B.S. and M.S. at the University of Michigan. He became Professor of Botany (1929-1943) at the University of Wyoming. In 1937 he became assistant curator of the Rocky Mountain Herbarium and in 1943 he became, and was, Curator until his retirement in 1968. Porter published more than 40 scientific papers, "Spring Flora of Southeastern Wyoming," and eight fascicles of "A Flora of Wyoming" (ferns and fern allies, gymnosperms, angiosperms: monocots, dicots through Fumariaceae; Englerian system). In 1951 a distinctive sagebrush, endemic to the Wind River Basin, Wyoming, discovered by Porter was named in his honor by Arthur Cronquist: Artemisia porteri.

Research conducted over the last fifteen years has placed in question many of the traditional conclusions about the evolution of human female sexuality. Women have not lost estrus, as earlier researchers thought, but it is simply concealed, resulting in two functionally distinct sexualities with markedly different ends in each phase. At the fertile phase of the cycle, women prefer male traits that may mark superior genetic quality, and at infertile phases, they prefer men willing to invest resources in a mate. Thus, women's peri-ovulatory sexuality functions to obtain a sire of superior genetic quality, and is homologous with estrus in other vertebrates. This model sheds light on male human sexuality as well: men perceive and respond to women's estrus, including by increased mate guarding. Men's response is limited, compared to other vertebrate males, implying coevolutionary history of selection on females to conceal estrus from men and selection on men to detect it. Research indicates that women's concealed estrus is an adaptation to copulate conditionally with men other than the pair-bond partner. Women's sexual ornaments-the estrogen-facilitated features of face and body-are honest signals of individual quality pertaining to future reproductive value.

Parsimony analysis (cladistics) has long been one of the most widely used methods of phylogenetic inference, in the fields of systematic and evolutionary biology. Moreover it has mathematical attributes that lend itself for use with complex, genomic-scale data sets. This book demonstrates the potential that this powerful hierarchical data summarization method, also has for both structural and functional comparative genomic research.

Annelids (the segmented worms) exist in a remarkably diverse range of mostly marine but also freshwater and terrestrial habitats, varying greatly in size and form. Annelida provides a fully updated and expanded taxonomic reference work which broadens the scope of the classic Polychaetes (OUP, 2001) to encompass wider groups including Clitellata (comprising more than a third of total annelid diversity), Sipuncula, and Thalassematidae (formerly Echiura). It reflects the enormous amount of research on these organisms that has burgeoned since the millennium, principally due to their use as model organisms to address wider and more general evolutionary and ecological questions. Beginning with a clear introduction to the phylum and an outline of annelid taxonomy, this authoritative text describes their collection, the methods to ensure their optimal preservation, and an overview of anatomy with its relevant terminology. The core of the work comprises 77 fully up-to-date taxonomic chapters, informed by anatomy and the latest molecular phylogenomic evidence and carefully organised based on a new, robust phylogenetic hypothesis. Lavishly illustrated throughout with hundreds of previously unpublished high-resolution colour images and SEM micrographs, the sheer beauty and diversity of the annelids is nowhere better presented. Annelida is the definitive reference work for annelid biologists, whilst being of interest to a broader audience of invertebrate zoologists, systematists, and organismal biologists.

Positive psychologists focus on ways that we can advance the lives of individuals and communities by studying the factors that increase positive outcomes such as life satisfaction and happiness. Evolutionary psychologists use the principles of evolution, based on Darwin's understanding of life, to help shed light on any and all kinds of psychological phenomena. This book brings together both fields to explore positive evolutionary psychology: the use of evolutionary psychology principles to help people and communities experience more positive and fulfilling lives. Across eleven chapters, this book describes the basic ideas of both evolutionary and positive psychology, elaborates on the integration of these two fields as a way to help advance the human condition, discusses several domains of human functioning from the perspective of positive evolutionary psychology, and finally, looks with an eye toward the future of work in this emerging and dynamic field. Over the past few decades, evolutionary psychologists have begun to crack the code on such phenomena as happiness, gratitude, resilience, community, and love. This book describes these facets of the human experience in terms of their evolutionary origins and proposes how we might guide people to optimally experience such positive phenomena in their everyday lives.

Does the inheritance of acquired characteristics play a significant role in evolution? In this book, Eva Jablonka and Marion J. Lamb attempt to answer that question with an original, provocative exploration of the nature and origin of hereditary variations. Starting with a historical account of Lamarck's ideas and the reasons they have fallen in disrepute, the authors go on to challenge the prevailing assumption that all heritable variation is random and the result of variation in DNA base sequences. They also detail recent breakthroughs in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying inheritance--including several pathways not envisioned by classical population genetics--and argue that these advances need to be more fully incorporated into mainstream evolutionary theory. Throughout, the book offers a new look at the evidence for and against the hereditability of environmentally induced changes, and addresses timely questions about the importance of non-Mendelian inheritance. A glossary and extensive list of references round out the book. Urging a reconsideration of the present DNA-centric view prevalent in the field, Epigentic Inheritance and Evolution will make fascinating and important reading for students and researchers in evolution, genetics, ecology, molecular biology, developmental biology, and the history and philosophy of science.

Alkaloids are a major group of natural products derived from a wide variety of organisms, which are used as medicinal and biological agents. This series is world-renowned as the leading compilation of current reviews of this vast field.
Internationally acclaimed for more than forty years, The Alkaloids, founded by the late Professor R.H.F. Manske, continues to provide outstanding coverage of the rapidly expanding field of the chemotaxonomy, structure elucidation, synthesis, biosynthesis, and biology of all classes of alkaloids from higher and lower plants, marine organisms, or various terrestrial animals. Each volume provides, through its distinguished authors, up-to-date and detailed coverage of particular classes or sources of alkaloids. Over the years, this series has become the standard in natural product chemistry to which all other book series aspire. The Alkaloids: Chemistry and Biology endures as an essential reference for all natural product chemists and biologists who have an interest in alkaloids, their diversity, and their unique biological profile.
* * Indispensable reference work written by leading experts in the field
* * Provides up-to-date, timely reviews on compounds and classes of great interest
* * Covers synthesis, biosynthesis, biology, as well as isolation and structure elucidation
* * An essential research tool for anyone working with alkaloids from a chemical or biological perspective

This volume in the "Tertiary Level Biology" series fills a gap in the taxonomic literature by providing a comprehensive survey of the arguments and techniques of systematics as they are applied today to all groups of organisms. It covers the principles of nomenclature and classification, the logic and practice of cladistics, and, in a series of chapters, considers the scope, application, benefits and drawbacks of a wide range of sources of phylogenetically informative character systems, from behaviour and morphology to DNA. There is an emphasis on modern aspects of the subject. This book should be of interest to taxonomists, biochemists and evolutionary biologists at advanced undergraduate and immediate postgraduate levels.

Which species can be saved, when all cannot? "Systematics, Ecology, and the Biodiversity Crisis" provides critical tools for finding answers to the current of systematic biology. Systematists are in a unique position to identify ciritcal areas of endemism and additional criteria for the identification of habitats and species most urgently in need of protection. The result of a symposium held at the American Museum of Natural History, this book fills a void created by other volumes that have explored the biodiversity crisis exclusively from an ecological stance."It may well be that the dynamics of extinction processes will prove to be exclusively in the domain of moment-by-moment interactive processes of matter-energy transfer: the realm of ecology. But the problems of extinction," Eldredge argues, "can be defined, recognized, measured, and assessed only through the tools of the systematists, paleontologists, and ecologists who explore the relationship between ecology and systematics as it pertains to understanding the origin, maintenance, and loss of biological diversity. The role of museums, zoos, and related institutions is also examined. At a time when our country has only recently awakened to the environmental crisis, "Systematics, Ecology, and the Biodiversity Crisis" provides urgently needed information for any attempts to understand and ameliorate the present dilemma of extinction and preservation.

This balanced, comprehensive account traces the alterations in body form that insects undergo as they adapt to seasonal change, exploring both theoretical aspects and practical issues, such as the impact of seasonality on insect pest management.

"One of the most substantial and scholarly counterattacks against creationism to date....The myths which creationists present to the public as historical fact are systematically debunked....This carefully chosen collection should appeal to informed general readers"--Library Journal. "One of the strongest, most enlightened sources for understanding the present dispute and its dangerous portents"--Kirkus Reviews. In this volume, Stephen Jay Gould, Isaac Asimov, and others provide a powerful rebuttal to "Creation Science," and offer insights into the teaching of science.

From the more than one million square miles of the six eastern provinces of Canada 154 species of freshwater fishes have been reported. This edition of Freshwater Fishes of Canada provides the game and commercial fisherman and the naturalist with detailed information regarding these fishes, and assists in the accurate identification of the various species. The species are arranged in order of development: primitive first and the more highly specialized fishes last. Each description includes a picture, a list of other common names, the distinguishing features, size, habitat, life history and habits, food, and additional comments. Technical language has been avoided wherever possible but with no loss of accuracy. In this second edition the author has employed a system of keys for easier identification of families, and of the individuals in the two largest and most difficult species, the trout and minnow groups.

The tropics with their lush rainforests are extremely rich in plant life but are still comparatively unknown. Botanists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew have a long tradition of exploring and plant collecting in the tropics, accumulating an unsurpassed practical knowledge of the tropical plants they encounter. This second edition of The Kew Tropical Plant Families Identification Handbook brings together this knowledge in a guide to the commonly encountered and ecologically important plants of the tropics. Written by Kew's experts, this handbook is based on Kew's Tropical Plant Identification course, which uses classical morphology, as well as more simple 'spot' characters, to teach plant identification.

An up-to-date and comprehensive herpetological guide to Alabama. Lizards and Snakes of Alabama is the most comprehensive taxonomy gathered since Robert H. Mount's seminal 1975 volume on the reptiles and amphibians of Alabama. This richly illustrated guide provides an up-to-date summary of the taxonomy and life history of lizards and snakes native to, or introduced to, the state. Alabama possesses one of the most species-rich biotas in north temperate areas and this richness is reflected in some groups of lizards, such as skinks, and especially in snakes. The authors examine all known species within the state and describe important regional variations in each species, including changes in species across the many habitats that comprise the state. Significant field studies, especially of Alabama's threatened and endangered species, have been performed and are used to inform discussion of each account. The life-history entry for each species is comprised of scientific and common names, full-color photographs, a morphological description, discussion of habits and life cycle, and a distribution map depicting the species range throughout the state, as well as notes on conservation and management practices. The illustrated taxonomic keys provided for families, genera, species, and subspecies are of particular value to herpetologists. This extensive guide will serve as a single resource for understanding the rich natural history of Alabama by shedding light on an important component of that biodiversity. Accessible to all, this volume is valuable to both the professional herpetologist and the general reader interested in snakes and lizards.

This new edition of a foundational text presents a contemporary review of cladistics, as applied to biological classification. It provides a comprehensive account of the past fifty years of discussion on the relationship between classification, phylogeny and evolution. It covers cladistics in the era of molecular data, detailing new advances and ideas that have emerged over the last twenty-five years. Written in an accessible style by internationally renowned authors in the field, readers are straightforwardly guided through fundamental principles and terminology. Simple worked examples and easy-to-understand diagrams also help readers navigate complex problems that have perplexed scientists for centuries. This practical guide is an essential addition for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers in taxonomy, systematics, comparative biology, evolutionary biology and molecular biology.

For many years orchids have been among the most popular of ornamental plants, with thousands of species and hybrids cultivated worldwide for the diversity, beauty, and intricacy of their flowers. This book is the eagerly-awaited result of over 30 years of research into orchid anatomy by one of the world's leading authorities and is the first comprehensive publication on orchid anatomy since 1930. It describes the structure and relationships among the cells and tissues of leaves, stems, and roots, and is organized systematically in line with the taxonomy expressed in the OUP Genera Orchidacearum Series. The book is fully illustrated with over 100 photomicrographs and numerous original line drawings. This latest addition to the Anatomy of the Monocotyledons Series is an essential reference text for orchid scientists and research students and will also be of interest and use to a broader audience of orchid enthusiasts.

Published in Association with the New York Botanical Garden

The Manual of Leaf Architecture is an essential reference for describing, comparing, and classifying the leaves of flowering plants. This manual, illustrated with dozens of line drawings and more than 300 photographs of prepared stained leaves, provides a framework with comparative examples allowing consistent and detailed description of both modern and fossil leaves. This one-of-a-kind resource will be invaluable to a broad range of people who work with plants, from paleobotanists to systematists to tropical ecologists.

The Manual allows for the description and identification of plants independently of their flowers, offering especially useful assistance in the case of fossil leaves (usually found in isolation) and tropical plants, whose flowering cycles can be brief and irregular, and whose fruits and flowers may be difficult to access. It provides long-needed guidelines for characterizing the organization, shape, venation, and margins of the leaves of flowering plants.

Beginning with a set of illustrated definitions of leaf characters, this manual proceeds to define and illustrate the variations on each of these characters. The system presented here is based on a widely tested scheme but has been significantly expanded and refined through the detailed examination of thousands of living and fossil leaves.

Over the past hundred years, gulls have been brought ashore by modernity. They now live not only on the coasts but in our slipstream following trawlers, barges, and garbage trucks. They are more our contemporaries than most birds, living their wild lives among us in towns and cities. In many ways they live as we do, walking the built-up world and grabbing a bite where they can. Yet this disturbs us. We've started fearing gulls for getting good at being among us. We see them as scavengers, not entrepreneurs; ocean-going aliens, not refugees. They are too big for the world they have entered. Their story is our story too. Landfill is the original and compelling story of how in the Anthropocene we have learned about the natural world, named and catalogued it, and then colonized it, planted it, or filled it with our junk. While most other birds have gone in the opposite direction, hiding away from us, some vanishing forever, gulls continue to tell us how the wild can share our world. For these reasons Landfill is the nature book for our times, groundbreaking and genre-bending. Without nostalgia or eulogy, it kicks beneath the littered surface of the things to discover stranger truths.