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The last few years have seen a number of new books on evolutionary
biology. However most of these are either large or specialized.
This is an attempt to produce a thin, general version for
undergraduate use. Thinness, of course, demands selectivity, and
the aim has been to concentrate on the principles of the subject
rather than on the details-principles, that is, of both theory and
practice. Thinness also sometimes means that a certain level of
knowledge is assumed in the readership, but I hope that this is not
the case here, and my intention has certainly been to produce
something that is as intelligible to the uninitiated as it is to
the well-informed. As for the bibliography, I refer, where
possible, to reviews rather than primary sources, so a citation
should not be taken to imply any sort of precedence. In developing
the theme, I have adopted a loosely historical approach, not only
because I believe that this makes for more interesting reading but
also because the subject, like the subject it addresses, has
evolved under the critical eye of a selective process. Problems
have been perceived, hypotheses have been formulated to explain
them, facts have been amassed to test the hypotheses, more problems
have been perceived, more hypotheses formu lated, and so on.
It is almost thirty years since Professor G. G. Winberg established
the basis for experimental studies in fish energetics with the
publication of his monograph, Rate of Metabolism and Food
Requirements of Fishes. His ultimate aim was to develop a
scientific approach to fish culture and management, and the immense
volume of literature generated in the ensuing years has been mainly
in response to the demand for information from a rapidly expanding,
world-wide aquaculture industry and to the shortcomings of
contemporary practices in fisheries management. The purpose of this
book is not to review this literature compre hensively, but,
assuming an informed readership, to focus attention on topics in
which new knowledge and theory are beginning to be applied in
practice. Most emphasis has been placed on food; feeding;
production (growth and reproduction) and energy budgeting, as these
have most influence on the development of fish culture. Some
chapters offer practical advice for the selection of methods, and
warn of pitfalls in previous approaches. In others the influence of
new theory on the interpretation of studies in fish energetics is
discussed in the context of resource allocation and adaptation. We
hope that the scope of material presented here will have sufficient
interest and value to help significantly to fulfil Winberg's
original objectives.
Ecosystem health offers a fresh perspective on the management of
natural resources and the environment. While some of the root
concepts can surely be traced back to Aldo Leopold and even
earlier, it is only in the recent decade that a substantial body of
work has emerged on this topic. There is no question that a novel
approach which is by its nature cross disciplinary, bridging the
health and biological sciences, will initially raise a number of
questions particularly pertaining to the use of metaphors and the
validity of the analogy. This volume however goes beyond merely the
philosophical dimensions of the subject by covering a number of
case studies which have given rise to the development of promising
quantitative methods for diagnosis and rehabilitation of ecosystems
under stress. The focus of most studies is on regional ecosystems
i.e. ecosystems of large scale. As such, the methods and approaches
should have wide appeal to government agencies charged with the
responsibility of sustainable development of regional ecosystems
and natural resources. Health is one of those difficult concepts
that everyone thinks they can define, until they come to try. We
all have personal knowledge about health and illness and this makes
the ecosystem analogy so potentially powerful. Yet it is also clear
that the uncritical application of the concept could lead to overly
simplistic approaches to analysis and management of ecosystem
health."
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