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Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Extinction is
a natural process. In geological time there have been several
periods of mass extinction. One of these periods is unfolding right
now but all the evidence suggests that current extinction rates are
between a hundred and a thousand times greater than the background
rate. To put this in to context, a quarter of all known mammalian
species is at risk. The current extinction crisis is unique,
because it is caused by the impact of one species, humans, on all
others. This acceleration of species loss, and the much more
widespread reductions in the populations of many species, is not
merely a tragedy in aesthetics, it is also a threat to the quality
of human life, indeed to the entire human enterprise. Biodiversity,
the diversity of life, is not only fascinating and beautiful, it is
the engine of all the world's natural cycles, and the source of
many of the resources on which humanity depends. Concern about
biodiversity conservation is, therefore, not merely the
preoccupation of a few enthusiastic naturalists - it is the
lifeline business of everybody. In this Very Short Introduction,
David Macdonald introduces the concept of biodiversity and the
basic biological processes that it involves - evolutionary,
ecological, and behavioral. He considers the various threats to
biodiversity, their impacts, and some of the solutions to the
problems; concluding by considering the future of biodiversity
conservation. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series
from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost
every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to
get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine
facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make
interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
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Rodent Pests and Their Control (Hardcover, 2nd edition)
Stephen Battersby; Edited by Alan P. Buckle; Contributions by David Cowan; Edited by Robert H Smith; Contributions by Hans-Joachim Pelz, …
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The most numerous of the world's invasive species, rodent pests
have a devastating impact on agriculture, food, health and the
environment. In the last two decades, the science and practice of
rodent control has faced new legislation on rodenticides, the
pests' increasing resistance to chemical control and the impact on
non-target species, bringing a new dimension to this updated 2nd
edition and making essential reading for all those involved in
rodent pest control, including researchers, conservationists,
practitioners and public health specialists.
The capybara is the neotropical mammal with the highest potential
for production and domestication. Amongst the favorable
characteristics for domestication we can list its high prolificacy,
rapid growth rate, a herbivorous diet, social behavior and relative
tameness. The genus (with only two species) is found from the
Panama Canal to the north of Argentina on the east of the Andes.
Chile is the only country in South America where the capybara is
not found. The species is eaten all over its range, especially by
poor, rural and traditional communities engaged in subsistence
hunting. On the other hand, in large urban settlements wildlife is
consumed by city dwellers as a delicacy. The sustainable management
of capybara in the wild has been adopted by some South American
countries, while others have encouraged capybara rearing in
captivity.
As the rates of lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and
heart disease continue to rise, the development of effective tools
that can help people adopt and sustain healthier habits is becoming
ever more important. Mobile computing holds great promise for
providing effective support for helping people manage their health
in everyday life. Yet, for this promise to be realized, mobile
wellness systems need to be well designed, not only in terms of how
they implement specific behavior-change techniques but also, among
other factors, in terms of how much burden they put on the user,
how well they integrate into the user's daily life, and how they
address the user's privacy concerns. Designing for all of these
constraints is difficult, and it is often not clear what tradeoffs
particular design decisions have on how a wellness application is
experienced and used. Designing for Healthy Lifestyles: Design
Considerations for Mobile Technologies to Encourage Consumer Health
and Wellness assesses different design approaches to common
features of mobile wellness applications, and discusses the
tradeoffs that are inherent in those approaches. It also outlines
the key challenges that human-computer interaction researchers and
designers will need to address to move the state of the art for
mobile wellness technologies forward.
The capybara is the neotropical mammal with the highest potential
for production and domestication. Amongst the favorable
characteristics for domestication we can list its high prolificacy,
rapid growth rate, a herbivorous diet, social behavior and relative
tameness. The genus (with only two species) is found from the
Panama Canal to the north of Argentina on the east of the Andes.
Chile is the only country in South America where the capybara is
not found. The species is eaten all over its range, especially by
poor, rural and traditional communities engaged in subsistence
hunting. On the other hand, in large urban settlements wildlife is
consumed by city dwellers as a delicacy. The sustainable management
of capybara in the wild has been adopted by some South American
countries, while others have encouraged capybara rearing in
captivity.
This is a definitive book on the dog family, dealing with many
aspects of the biology and conservation of wolves, dogs, jackals
and foxes. It covers many topics relevant to modern conservation
science, and features detailed case studies of many canid species
across the globe. A must-have book for all scientists studying
carnivores, predators, cooperative breeding, and social systems. A
useful text for both undergraduate and graduate courses in
behavioural ecology and conservation biology. Wild canids are the
ancestors of the domestic dog and there are a large number of wolf
and domestic dog enthusiasts who will be engaged by the contents of
this book.
Because carnivores are at the top of the food chain, it is often argued that protecting them will afford adequate protection to other taxa as well. In the past ten years, theoretical and empirical studies on carnivores have developed very quickly. This volume reviews and summarizes the current state of the field, describes limitations and opportunities for carnivore conservation, and offers a conceptual framework for future research and applied management. It will be of interest to students and researchers of conservation biology, mammalogy, animal behavior, ecology, and evolution.
Because carnivores are at the top of the food chain, it is often argued that protecting them will afford adequate protection to other taxa as well. In the past ten years, theoretical and empirical studies on carnivores have developed very quickly. This volume reviews and summarizes the current state of the field, describes limitations and opportunities for carnivore conservation, and offers a conceptual framework for future research and applied management. It will be of interest to students and researchers of conservation biology, mammalogy, animal behavior, ecology, and evolution.
Although they are highly intelligent, ruthless predators,
carnivores are increasingly rare. From the dwarf mongoose to the
polar bear, carnivores are at once respected and misunderstood,
invoking both fear and curiosity in the humans with whom they share
their world. Ronald M. Nowak celebrates these fascinating mammals
in Walker's Carnivores of the World. This comprehensive guide,
featuring 225 illustrations, covers the world's eight terrestrial
families of carnivores. Each generic account comprises scientific
and common names, number and distribution of species, physical
attributes, measurements, hunting and social activity,
reproduction, habitat, population dynamics, longevity, and status
of threatened species. A thought-provoking overview by David W.
Macdonald and Roland W. Kays is packed with results of the latest
field and laboratory research on topics ranging from evolutionary
history to the adaptive value of fur patterns. Emphasizing the
interplay of social life, morphology, and predatory behavior, it
provides an up-to-date panorama of the world's carnivores. Ernest
P. Walker (1891-1969) began work on Mammals of the World in the
early 1930s, when he became assistant director of the National Zoo
in Washington. Ronald M. Nowak was senior author of the fourth
edition and author of the fifth and sixth editions of Walker's
Mammals of the World. He served as editorial consultant for four
editions of National Geographic Society's Wild Animals of North
America.
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