WETLANDS The definitive guide to wetlands for students and professionals alike Wetlands rank among the most productive but also the most vulnerable ecosystems. They break down toxins and help maintain aquatic ecosystems, provide both permanent and temporary homes for key species, and contribute enormously to biodiversity and global ecological health. In recent years the importance of wetlands has been increasingly well understood, and their management and restoration has become a particular focus of environmental research. Wetlands provides a thorough and comprehensive overview of wetlands, updated to reflect the latest research findings and methodological approaches, as it has done for more than a generation. The new edition has been optimized for classroom use, breaking down the topic into four parts: introduction to wetlands, the wetland environment, wetland ecosystems, and wetland management. Readers of the sixth edition of Wetlands will also find: A detailed discussion of the role of wetlands in improving water quality, protection from storm damage, and other ecosystem services The latest approaches and examples of wetland creation and restoration A thorough discussion of the impacts of climate change on wetlands, and how to mitigate them Wetlands is essential reading for students and professionals in ecology, environmental engineering, and water resource management.

A detailed account of the biology and ecology of vascular wetland plants and their applications in wetland plant science, Wetland Plants: Biology and Ecology presents a synthesis of wetland plant studies and reviews from biology, physiology, evolution, genetics, community and population ecology, environmental science, and engineering. It provides a thorough discussion of the range of wetland plants adaptations to conditions such as life in water or saturated soils, high salt or high sulfur, as well as low light and low carbon dioxide levels.

The authors include the latest research on the development of plant communities in newly restored or created wetlands and on the use of wetland plants as indicators of ecological integrity and of wetland boundaries. Over 140 figures, including over 70 original photographs, allow you to visualize the concepts, 40 tables give you easy access to definitions and data, and international examples provide you with a broad base of information.

The growing consensus in wetlands literature and research suggests that methods are needed to assess the ecological health or integrity of wetlands, to set goals for wetland restoration, and to track the status and trends of wetlands. Wetland plants are emerging as important indicators, and becoming an important part of this research. Wetland Plants: Biology and Ecology contains up-to-date information on this increasingly important area in wetlands technology.

Students have questions, this book has answers:

• What is the structure and function of natural systems?
• Where and how do populations and communities live?
• How have human impacts altered ecosystems?
• How can we lessen impacts and create long term solutions?

Challenging Times Demand Changing Approaches

As the world strives to go green and clean, the discipline of environmental science is poised to take center stage. Its components span many disciplines, subdisciplines, and specialties. Reflecting this, introductory courses are often taught by instructors trained in fields ranging from biology, chemistry, and physics to philosophy and political science. The next generation of environmental scientists, professionals, and decision makers need an understanding of environmental issues that is not only cohesive, but firmly based in science. They need environmental literacy.

Why Another Text on Environmental Science?

Exploiting the fertile ground provided by young and open minds, The Environment: Science, Issues, and Solutions employs a back-to-basics, building-block presentation. The authors approach is strongly grounded in science, the scientific method, and environmental evidence. They introduce the principles of ecology, then discuss how the increase in human population, expanded technology use, and unprecedented economic development and growth has altered ecosystems resulting in serious local, regional, and global environmental problems. The book makes a case for seeking long-term solutions for the prevention and mitigation of environmental problems in their interconnected, interrelated, and, thus, interdependent ways.

Fully Integrated Text Rigorously Explores Environmental Issues

The authors engaging style piques the interest of students, challenges their critical abilities, and fosters environmental literacy based on a fundamental understanding of the systems of the natural world. The authors emphasize the basics of ecology and use this foundation to build an understanding of major environmental problems and explore methods of mitigating what has been degraded or destroyed. In a logical progression, they provide an understanding of the science, a delineation of the human population and technological growth that has led to environmental issues, and an exploration of solutions to those problems.