This book explores ways in which systematic patterns are used to infer evolutionary processes. Among evolutionary biologists and systematists there is a constant interchange between those that study the process of evolution (e.g., mutation, selection, speciation) and those that study its patterns (e.g., variation, geographic distribution, ontogeny, phylogeny). Because patterns influence the development of theories, and processes yield patterns, it is not always easy to distinguish one from another. This book is dialectic and helps crystallize a continuing debate over the relationship of patterns to process theories.
Key Features
* Contributions by leading systematists, evolutionary biologists, and philosophers
* Illustrates the debate over how and if evolutionary processes can be inferred from systematic patterns
* Illustrates a continuing interplay between systematics and evolutionary theory

The latest research results on the roles of amino acid chelates in animal nutrition are covered in this book, with careful attention to scientific detail and accuracy. The book presents the work of 42 international contributors; and will interest nutritionists, veterinarians, and all those concerned with animal feeds and feeding programs -- particularly those supplying mineral supplements to the diet in a form which can be absorbed readily and digested properly.

The book summarizes present scientific knowledge in plant physiology with regards to plant production. The authors, mainly professors of plant physiology at agricultural universities in Czechoslovakia, present the individual fields of plant physiology with regard to the demands of agricultural practice and education of students and doctorani at these universities.
The first chapters discuss metabolism ie. photosynthesis, respiration, mineral and heterotrophic nutrition, and water regime of plants. What follows is a discussion of the physiology of plant growth, development and movements, and finally resistance of plants against unfavourable abiotic and biotic effects.
The book shows how to increase the yield of crops by manipulating photosynthesis and also studies the possible flow of photosynthetic products to the commercially valuable parts of the biomass. Rational plant production, however, cannot do without knowledge of plant nutrition and water regime as a theoretical basis for fertilization and irrigation. The reader will find this knowledge detailed as well as information about the ecological and physiological principles of the resistance of plants against drought, frost, heat, diseases and other unfavourable effects.

A detailed study, with recommendations, on the housing, care and psychological well-being of captive and laboratory primates by 50 recognized contributors.

In the last 50 years the tiger population in Asia has plummeted from 100,000 to about 5,000. The number of tigers is dangerously low, and the conservation of the world's remaining tigers is of global concern. Now, in this volume, 40 world authorities on tigers from Asia, Europe, and North America have summarized and identified the management, conservation, and research needs for this endangered species.
A new disciplineuconservation biologyuis emerging and this book is an early contribution. It spans and unites theory, laboratory, and field studies with management practices of both the wild and captive populations.
The book is based on the international symposium held in Minnesota, discusses the tiger's systematics and taxonomy, its status both in the wild and captivity, reproductive biology, and management and conservation strategies. In addition, an entire section is devoted to a discussion of the white tiger. The tigers of Indonesia, Nepal, Siberia, and China, as well as captive tigers are discussed. Finally, the information in this book places real numbers on the remaining tiger populations, their habitat that is protected, and probabilities of these populations surviving an extinction."

The first major and most comprehensive synthesis of results from ecological, naturalistic behavioral, comparative psychological and humanoid language research on apes since the classic work, The Great Apes, by Robert M. and Ada Yerkes in 1929. Based on more than 1,360 references from scientific journals, monographs, symposium volumes and other public sources, the book contains a wealth of current information on the taxonomy, ecology, postural and locomotive behavior, natural communications, anmd social behavior of the apes. Topical discussions in the book are organized to show the extent of progress, including the development of new research questions, and the way our views of apes have changed as new information has become available since 1929.

Gazelles and their relatives are important game animals in Africa and Asia; they have been successfully introduced into the US and they are also kept in zoos throughout the world. The occurrence of territorial behavior and its importance for the reproduction of gazelles has been recognized for some time; thus specific information on their territorial behavior is desirable both for scientific and for practical reasons. This book provides the first concrete information on territory size and shape, duration of territorial periods, reoccupation of territories, phases of territoriality, the process of becoming territorial and of abandoning the territory, favorable and unfavorable environmental factors for territorial establishment, and territoriality as antagonist of migratory behavior. Also included are many previously unknown details of traditional territorial behavior, such as differences in the aggression of owners of territories toward (male) conspecifics of different age and social class, the structure of a marking system within a territory, etc.

Since the early 1940s, North America has been the focus of studies of free-ranging wolves. Much of Canada and most of Alaska support numerous, viable and sometimes thriving wolf populations. This comprehensive text considers the behavior and ecology of wild wolves in North America, Europe, Eurasia, Israel, and Iran. It also discusses wolf behavior in captivity and methods of conservation. This book and others in the Animal Science series have been used as textbooks in classrooms across the world.

Iguanas are large, primeval appearing animals that have always attracted considerable attention and sicentific study. The 30 species of iguanas are today collectively referred to as iguanines, or the subfamily Iguaninae, of the lizard family Iguanidae. This book is the result of a symposium of worldwide scientists on the world's iguanas that was held at a joint meeting of the Society of the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles and The Herpetologist's League. Over 30 recognized experts submitted their studies of these interesting reptiles, and have published what was once unknown and unpublished information. This book was a leader in its time, and still serves as a wonderful reference for scientist and student alike.

Recently, the 50th anniversary of the publication of Animal Behaviour has passed. To mark the occasion, a group of prominent behaviourists have written essays relevant to their fields. These essays provide a glimpse of the study of behaviour looking in all directions. History and future aside, it is imperative to broadcast this information from the perspective of the behaviourists who have helped shape both the past and the future. It is important for any field to be both retrospective and prospective: where have we been, where are we going, where are we now? These essays provide a unique personal reflection on the history of animal behaviour from John Alcock, Stuart and Jeanne Altmann, Steve Arnold, Geoff Parker, and Felicity Huntingford. Six topics are reflected on and include: The History of Animal Behavioural Research, Proximate Mechanisms, Development, Adaptation, and Animal Welfare.
* Broad range of essays on animal behaviour
* Written by leaders in the field
* Offers a history of the study of behaviour plus essays on the future of behavioural studies
* Contains over 30 full color illustrations
* Includes essays on development, mechanisms and adaptive significance of behaviour

The emerging multidisciplinary field of earth system science sets out to improve our understanding functioning ecosystems, at a global level across the entire planet. Stable Isotopes and Biosphere - Atmosphere Interactions looks to one of its most powerful tools - the application of stable isotope analyses - to understanding biosphere-atmosphere exchange of the greenhouse gases, and synthesizes much of the recent progress in this work.
Stable Isotopes and Biosphere - Atmosphere Interactions describes recent progress in understanding the mechanisms, processes and applications of new techniques. It makes a significant contribution to the emerging, multidisciplinary study of the Earth as an interacting system. This book will be an important reference for students and researchers in biology, ecology, biogeochemistry, meteorology, and atmospheric science and will be invaluable for anyone with any interest in the future of the planet.
* Describes applications of new stable isotope techniques to the emerging fields of earth system science and global change
* Illustrates advances in scaling of physiological processes from leaf/soil to the global scale
* Contains state-of-the-art, critical reviews written by international researchers and experts

Elsevier's Dictionary of Nature and Hunting" contains terms covering the following fields and subfields:

A. Plants and Ecosystems: Species, Cenoses
B. Animals: Species
C. Domestic Animals: General, Dogs, Horses, Cattle and Poultry
D. Hunting and Fishing: Game Names, Arms, Trapping, Methods.

It includes 5,594 terms, both scientific and common, in English, French, German and Russian and in Latin (for the generally accepted biological terms for European and North Asian plants and animals).

The dictionary was developed with the help of Russian specialists - scientists from the Severtsov Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, officials from the Union of the Hunters and Fishers of Russia, and French colleagues from various organizations dealing with environment protection and natural resources: OMPO (Oiseaux Migrateurs du Palearctique Occidental), ANCGE (Association National des Chasseurs du Gibier d'Eau), ONC (Office National de la Chasse) and CIC (Conseil International de la Chasse et de la Protection du Gibier).

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This book is written to serve as a general reference for biologists and resource managers with relatively little statistical training. It focuses on both basic concepts and practical applications to provide professionals with the tools needed to assess monitoring methods that can detect trends in populations. It combines classical finite population sampling designs with population enumeration procedures in a unified approach for obtaining abundance estimates for species of interest. The statistical information is presented in practical, easy-to-understand terminology.
Key Features
* Presented in practical, easy-to-understand terminology
* Serves as a general reference for biologists and resource managers
* Provides the tools needed to detect trends in populations
* Introduces a unified approach for obtaining abundance estimates

Many marine mammals communicate by emitting sounds that pass through water. Such sounds can be received across great distances and can influence the behavior of these undersea creatures. In the past few decades, the oceans have become increasingly noisy, as underwater sounds from propellers, sonars, and other human activities make it difficult for marine mammals to communicate. This book discusses, among many other topics, just how well marine mammals hear, how noisy the oceans have become, and what effects these new sounds have on marine mammals. The baseline of ambient noise, the sounds produced by machines and mammals, the sensitivity of marine mammal hearing, and the reactions of marine mammals are also examined.
An essential addition to any marine biologist's library, Marine Mammals and Noise will be especially appealing to marine mammalogists, researchers, policy makers and regulators, and marine biologists and oceanographers using sound in their research.

This book is an exploration of the latest insights into the theory and functioning of plant resource allocation. An international team of physiological ecologists has prepared chapters devoted to the fundamental topics of resource allocation.
Key Features
* Comprehensive coverage of all aspects of resource allocation in plants
* All contributors are leaders in their respective fields

The use of DNA and other biological macromolecules has revolutionized systematic studies of evolutionary history. Methods that use sequences of nucleotides and amino acids are now routinely used as data for addressing evolutionary questions that, although not new questions, have defied description and analysis. The world-renowned contributors use these new methods to unravel particular aspects of the evolutionary history of birds. Avian Molecular Evolution and Systematics presents an overview of the theory and application of molecular systematics, focusing on the phylogeny and evolutionary biology of birds. New, developing areas in the phylogeny of birds at multiple taxonomic areas are covered, as well as methods of analysis for molecular data, evolutionary genetics within and between bird populations, and the application of molecular-based phylogenies to broader questions of evolution.
Key Features
* Contains authoritative contributions from leading researchers
* Discusses the utility of different molecular markers for questions of avian evolution, involving populations and higher-level taxa
* Applies molecular-based phylogenies of birds and molecular population genetics data to broad questions of organismal and molecular evolution.
* Compares and contrasts molecular and morphological data sets

To escape the constraints of water-bound reproduction, the first terrestrial vertebrates evolved a group of membranes that surround and protect developing embryos. The "amnion" is one of these membranes. It surrounds and protects in amniotic fluid, the developing embryos of birds, reptiles and mammals. Terrestrial vertebrates began to diversify and exploit their new habitats when the need to reproduce in water no longer dictated the course of their lives. Occurring in conjunction with this reproductive freedom was the evolution of non-permeable skin (to avoid cutaneous water loss), different less toxic forms of nitrogen waste and more efficient forms of locomotion and feeding. This text gives a detailed treatment of these and other changes that occurred as vertebrates completed the transition from aquatic to terrestrial life. It integrates modern systematic methods with studies of functional and physiological processes, and illustrates how studies of paleobiology can be illuminated by studies of neontology.

Coniferous forests are among the most important of ecosystems. These forests are widespread and influence both the financial and biological health of our globe. This text focuses attention on conifers and how these trees acquire, allocate and utilize the resources that sustain this crucial productivity. An international team of experts has surveyed and synthesized the information from an expanding area of inquiry. The first half of the book describes how resources are acquired both by means of photosynthesis and through root systems. The latter half of the volume focuses upon how resources are stored and used. As conifers continue as a resource and ever increasingly important contributor to the regional and global environment sustainability, this book should help establish how much sustainability can be expected and maintained.

Conifers--pine, fir, and spruce trees--are dominant species in forests around the world. This book focuses on the physiology of conifers and how these physiological systems operate. Special consideration is devoted to the means by which ecophysiological processes influence organismal function and distribution. Chapters focus on the genetics of conifers, their geographic distribution and the factors that influence this distribution, the impact of insect herbivory on ecophysiological parameters, the effects of air pollution, and the potential impact that global climatic changes will have upon conifers. Because of the growing realization that forests have a crucial role to play in global environmental health, this book will appeal to a developing union of ecologists, physiologists and more theoretically minded foresters.

This book surveys the ways in which land dwelling arthropods deal with water in terrestrial environments. From scorpion to beetle and spider to hover fly, water is a crucial component of activity. This new synthesis and integration of recent research summarizes the ways water is managed by these diverse terrestrial invertebrates. The mechanisms, processes and structures employed by arthropods represent evolutionary innovations and compromises. Those fascinated by the limitations and opportunities represented by terrestrial lifestyles will want this new book.

This book examines the differences and similarities in the earth system components - the ocean, atmosphere, and the land - between western portions of the northern and southern Western Hemispheres, past, present, and projected. The book carefully examines the physical and biological patterns and responses of given biomes, or ecological communities in the two regions. Special emphasis is placed on the relationship of physicial and biotic systems to biogeochemistry and the evolving biota patterns of land margins and surfaces. The text concludes with an assessment of the direct impact on humans on these biomes, giving full consideration to the land-use drivers of global change.

* Integrated view of earth system processes on the west coasts of North and South America

This volume presents the latest research on herbivores, aquatic and terrestrial mammals and insects. The Second Edition, written almost entirely by new authors, effectively complements the initial work. It includes advances in molecular biology and microbiology, ecology, and evolutionary theory that have been achieved since the first edition was published in 1979. The book also incorporates relatively new methodologies in the area of molecular biology, like protein purification and gene cloning. Volume II, Ecological and Evolutionary Processes, also opens up entirely new subjects: The discussions of interactions have expanded to include phenomena at higher trophic levels, such as predation and microbial processing and other environmental influences.
Both this and Volume I, The Chemical Participants, will be of interest to chemists, biochemists, plant and insect ecologists, evolutionary biologists, physiologists, entomologists, and agroecologists interested in both crop and animal science.
Key Features
* Presents coevolution of herbivores and host plants
* Examines resource availability and its effects on secondary metabolism and herbivores
Studies physiology and biochemistry of adaptation to hosts
* Includes tri-trophic interactions involving predators and microbes

Published ecological information on Latin American coasts is scarce, despite the growing need for a comprehensive examination of coastal processes on a global scale. This book brings together details on benthic marine algae, seagrasses, salt marsh, mangrove, and dune plant communities throughout Latin America.
Researchers and graduate students in plant ecology, marine biology, and environmental management will benefit from the valuable information in this book.
Key Features
* Distribution and community ecology
* Modern research approaches
* coastal management possibilities

This comprehensive handbook provides information on history, breeds and genetics, statistics, animal health, production, product utilization, and future projections.
The focus is on large, domestic animals, but small animals are also covered. References are provided which will lead the reader to specialized subject areas. Each broad cross-section is written by respected authorities in the field.
This is a handy and convenient animal reference source for teachers, graduate students, and researchers in the fields of animal science, agricultural science, and food science and technology.

This comprehensive reference combines sampling and analysis of wildland water in one text. It includes sampling techniques for precipitation, surface water, and ground water. Analytical techniques for common water quality constituents are described.
Key Features
* Step-by-step laboratory procedures for measuring pH, conductivity, solids turbidity, alkalinity, and hardness
* End-of-chapter reviews with study questions and key words
* Review of solution chemistry
* Detailed field sampling procedures and program design