Applied ecology Books

Book SynopsisLoved Goodbye Christopher Robin? Learn more about the real place that inspired the beloved stories. Delve into the home of the world’s most beloved bear! The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh explores the magical landscapes where Pooh, Christopher Robin, and their friends live and play. The Hundred Acre Wood—the setting for Winnie-the-Pooh’s adventures—was inspired by Ashdown Forest, a wildlife haven that spans more than 6,000 acres in southeast England. In the pages of this enchanting book you can visit the ancient black walnut tree on the edge of the forest that became Pooh’s house, go deep into the pine trees to find Poohsticks Bridge, and climb up to the top of the enchanted Galleons Lap, where Pooh says goodbye to Christopher Robin. You will discover how Milne's childhood connection with nature and his role as a father influenced his famous stories, and how his close collaboration with illustrator E. H. Shepard brought those stories to life. This charming book also serves as a guide to the plants, animals, and places of the remarkable Ashdown Forest, whether you are visiting in person or from the comfort of your favorite armchair. In a delightful narrative, enriched with Shepard’s original illustrations, hundreds of color photographs, and Milne’s own words, you will rediscover your favorite characters and the magical place they called home.

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Book SynopsisAn accessible and comprehensive guide to all things acoustic bat detection. This highly illustrated handbook provides an in-depth understanding of acoustic detection principles, study planning, data handling, properties of bat calls, manual identification of species, automatic species recognition, analysis of results, quality assurance and the background physics of sound. No other method of detecting bats is so popular and widespread in the context of environmental assessment and voluntary work as acoustic detection, and its increased use has driven the development of a large number of sophisticated devices and analytical methods. Acoustic detection has become a standard approach for establishing the presence of bats, carrying out species identification and monitoring levels of activity. The resolution, accuracy and scale with which these tasks can be done has risen dramatically with the availability of automated real-time recording. But anyone interested in acoustic recording will quickly recognise that there are still quite a few open questions about the limits and possibilities of acoustic detection. Clear definitions of how to handle the data are usually missing, for example, and there are no clearly described activity indices. In response to the lack of thorough information on the underlying science of acoustic detection, the authors present this handbook.Trade ReviewAcoustic detection has become a standard method for determining the presence of bats, and for species identification and monitoring. The resolution, accuracy and scale with which these surveys can be carried out has risen dramatically with the availability of automated real-time recording. Acoustic monitoring does have its limitations, however, and The Handbook of Acoustic Bat Detection addresses these by providing an in-depth understanding of the properties of bat calls, manual species identification, analysis of results and the background physics of sound. First published in German in 2018, this English translation includes new content that was not included in the original. * Conservation Land Management *This well-written and ably translated volume presents a thorough but accessible compendium on a timely subject. Runkel et al. give excellent coverage of highly technical systems applied to the biology of the animals. They explain methods with direct application to large-scale industrial developments, but never lose sight of the fundamental importance of the experienced observer who understands the animals and the environment. -- Winston C. Lancaster * The Quarterly Review of Biology *Table of Contents1 - Acoustic recording 2 - Examples of acoustic studies 3 - The planning of acoustic studies 4 - Manual and automatic acoustic recording 5 - Manual identification of species 6 - Automatic species recognition 7 - A comparison of identification methods 8 - The complexities of call analysis 9 - Criteria for detector systems 10 - Interpretation of the results 11 - Quality assurance of reports 12 - Nacelle monitoring – its benefits and its limitations 13 - Bat calls 14 - The physics of sound

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Book SynopsisRivers, landscapes, whole territories: these are the latest entities environmental activists have fought hard to include in the relentless expansion of rights in our world. But what does it mean for a landscape to have rights? Why would anyone want to create such rights, and to what end? Is it a good idea, and does it come with risks? This book presents the logic behind giving nature rights and discusses the most important cases in which this has happened, ranging from constitutional rights of nature in Ecuador to rights for rivers in New Zealand, Colombia, and India. Mihnea Tanasescu offers clear answers to the thorny questions that the intrusion of nature into law is sure to raise.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments; Introduction; Rights Meet Nature; From Theory to Practice; Diversity of Practice; The Perils of Totality; From Practice to Theory; Conclusions; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisCommunity ecology has undergone a transformation in recent years, from a discipline largely focused on processes occurring within a local area to a discipline encompassing a much richer domain of study, including the linkages between communities separated in space (metacommunity dynamics), niche and neutral theory, the interplay between ecology and evolution (eco-evolutionary dynamics), and the influence of historical and regional processes in shaping patterns of biodiversity. To fully understand these new developments, however, students continue to need a strong foundation in the study of species interactions and how these interactions are assembled into food webs and other ecological networks. This new edition fulfils the book''s original aims, both as a much-needed up-to-date and accessible introduction to modern community ecology, and in identifying the important questions that are yet to be answered. This research-driven textbook introduces state-of-the-art community ecology to a Table of Contents1: Community ecology's roots Part I The Big Picture: patterns, causes, and consequences of biodiversity 2: Patterns of biological diversity 3: Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning Part II The Nitty-Gritty: species interactions in simple modules 4: Population growth and density dependence 5: The fundamentals of predator-prey interactions 6: Selective predators and responsive prey 7: The fundamentals of competitive interactions 8: Species coexistence and niche theory 9: Beneficial interactions in communities: Mutualism and facilitation Part III Putting the Pieces Together: food webs, ecological networks and community assembly 10: Species interactions in ecological networks 11: Food chains and food webs: Controlling factors and cascading effects 12: Community assembly and species traits Part IV Patial Ecology: metapopulations and metacommunities 13: Patchy environments, metapopulations and fugitive species 14: Metacommunities Part V Species in Changing Environments: ecology and evolution 15: Species in variable environments 16: Evolutionary community ecology 17: Some concluding remarks and a look ahead

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Book SynopsisAfter a decades long economic slump, the city of Flint, Michigan, struggled to address chronic issues of toxic water supply, malnutrition, and food security gaps among its residents. A community engaged research project proposed a resilience assessment that would use panarchy theory to move the city toward a more sustainable food system. Flint is one of many examples that demonstrate how panarchy theory is being applied to understand and influence change in complex human natural systems. Applied Panarchy, the much anticipated successor to Lance Gunderson and C.S. Holling's seminal 2002 volume Panarchy, documents the extraordinary advances in interdisciplinary panarchy scholarship and applications over the past two decades. Panarchy theory has been applied to a broad range of fields from economics to law to urban planning, changing the practice of environmental stewardship for the better in measurable, tangible ways. Panarchy describes the way systems-whether forests, electrical grids, agriculture, coastal surges, public health, or human economies and governance-are part of even larger systems that interact in unpredictable ways. Although humans desire resiliency and stability in our lives to help us understand the world and survive, nothing in nature is permanently stable. How can society anticipate and adjust to the changes we see around us? Where Panarchy proposed a framework to understand how these transformational cycles work and how we might influence them, Applied Panarchy takes the scholarship to the next level, demonstrating how these concepts have been modified and refined. The book shows how panarchy theory intersects with other disciplines, and how it directly influences natural resources management and environmental stewardship. Intended as a text for graduate courses in environmental sciences and related fields, Applied Panarchy picks up where Panarchy left off, inspiring new generations of scholars, researchers, and professionals to put its ideas to work in practical ways.Table of ContentsTable of Contents Preface Part I. Panarchy Concepts Chapter 1. Panarchy: Nature's Rules Lance H. Gunderson, Ahjond Garmestani, Craig R. Allen Part II. Applications of Panarchy Theory Chapter 2. Panarchy, Cross Scale Resilience, and Discontinuous Structures and Processes Shana M. Sundstrom, Craig R. Allen, David G. Angeler Chapter 3. The Adaptive Cycle: More Than a Metaphor Shana Sundstrom and Craig R. Allen Chapter 4. Scales of Coercion: Resilience, Regimes, and Panarchy David G. Angeler and Craig R. Allen Chapter 5. Applications of Spatial Regimes. Craig R. Allen, David G. Angeler, Ahjond Garmestani, Caleb Roberts, Shana Sundstrom, Dirac Twidwell, Dan R. Uden Chapter 6. An Engineering Perspective on Managing for Resilience and Panarchy Ian Pumo, Margaret Kurth, Stephanie Galaitsi, Igor Linkov Chapter 7. Mapping Panarchy to Improve Visualization of Complex Environmental Change Dirac Twidwell, Daniel R. Uden, Caleb P. Roberts, Brady W. Allred, Matthew O. Jones, David E. Naugle and Craig R. Allen Part III. Diffusion of Panarchy Concepts Chapter 8. Capacities for Navigating Large Scale Sustainability Transformations: Exploring the Revolt and Remembrance Mechanisms for Shaping Collapse and Renewal in Social Ecological Systems Per Olsson, Carl Folke, and Michele Lee Moore Chapter 9. Panarchy and Law in the Anthropocene Robin Kundis Craig, Barbara Cosens, Ahjond Garmestani, and J.B. Ruhl Chapter 10. Panarchy and the Economy Josh Farley and Megan Egler Chapter 11. Assessing Panarchy in Food Systems: Cross Scale Interactions in Flint Michigan, USA Jennifer Hodbod and Chelsea Wentworth Chapter 12. Panarchy and the Governance of Social Ecological Systems Brian Chaffin Chapter 13. Cross Scale Social Ecological Stewardship for Navigating toward More Sustainable and Just Futures F. Stuart Chapin, III, Reinette Biggs, Nadia Sitas, Carl Folke, and Gary P. Kofinas Part IV. Summary, Synthesis, and Future Advances Chapter 14. Applications and Diffusion of Panarchy Theory Lance H. Gunderson, Craig R. Allen, and Ahjond Garmestani About the Editors Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisAn engrossing and revealing study of why we deem certain animals ?pests? and others not?from cats to rats, elephants to pigeons?and what this tells us about our own perceptions, beliefs, and actions, as well as our place in the natural worldA squirrel in the garden. A rat in the wall. A pigeon on the street. Humans have spent so much of our history drawing a hard line between human spaces and wild places. When animals pop up where we don?t expect or want them, we respond with fear, rage, or simple annoyance. It?s no longer an animal. It?s a pest.At the intersection of science, history, and narrative journalism, Pests is not a simple call to look closer at our urban ecosystem. It?s not a natural history of the animals we hate. Instead, this book is about us. It?s about what calling an animal a pest says about people, how we live, and what we want. It?s a story about human nature, and how we categorize the animals in our midst, including bears and coyotes, sparrows and snakes. Pet or pest? In many cases, it?s entirely a question of perspective.Bethany Brookshire?s deeply researched and entirely entertaining book will show readers what there is to venerate in vermin, and help them appreciate how these animals have clawed their way to success as we did everything we could to ensure their failure. In the process, we will learn how the pests that annoy us tell us far more about humanity than they do about the animals themselves.Trade Review"👍!" — Mary Roach, author of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law “Deeply reported and vividly told, Brookshire’s exploration of our most reviled animal neighbors will forever change how you see nature and our relationship to it. Elephants and boas and bears, oh my! Pests is natural history writing at its best.” — Riley Black, author of The Last Days of the Dinosaurs: An Asteroid, Extinction, and the Beginning of Our World “Brookshire convincingly argues that many of the problems we blame on pests arise not from the creatures themselves but from our own self-centered ways of looking at the world. A fascinating look at how culture, traditions, and human behavior shape the way people coexist or come into conflict with the animals that share their habitats.” — Christie Aschwanden, author of Good to Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery “As human populations expand and the climate changes, these animals are not going away. Brookshire has a magnificent ability to bring the ecological context of our epic conflicts with everything from snakes to elephants down to the entertaining and personal.” — John Shivik, author of The Predator Paradox: Ending the War with Wolves, Bears, Cougars, and Coyotes “A deeply thoughtful yet entertaining tour of our thorny and morally complicated relationships with the creatures we consider pests. Integrating first-rate storytelling with ecology, natural history, wildlife management, cultural anthropology, and ethics, Pests provides a compelling perspective on a misunderstood aspect of human-animal interactions.” — Hal Herzog, author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals “In this scintillating, searching, and surprisingly funny debut, Brookshire weaves together history, research, and Indigenous knowledge to reveal our complicity in creating animal conflict—and argues for a new model of coexistence in which neither we nor the animals have to end up as the villains.” — Maryn McKenna, author of Big Chicken, Superbug, and Beating Back the Devil "[An] excellent natural history...the author delivers fascinating accounts of a score of widely deplored pests...Outstanding, possibly mind-changing natural history." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “…An eye-opening account of why certain animals are demonized…Animal lovers will adore this clever survey.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) "An entertaining and pensive perusal of the human-wildlife conflict problem that calls to mind Mary Roach's Fuzz." — Booklist

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsPrologue The Importance of Inland Waters Water as a Substance Rivers and Lakes - Their Distribution, Origins, and Forms Hydrological Systems Light in Inland Waters Fate of Heat Water Movements Structure and Productivity of Aquatic Ecosystems Water as a Chemical Environment Oxygen Salinity and Ionic Composition of Inland Waters The Inorganic Carbon Complex The Nitrogen Cycle The Phosphorus Cycle Other Important Elements Algae and Cyanobacteria Communities Ecology of Algae and Cyanobacteria (Phytoplankton) Zooplankton Communities: Diversity in Time and Space Ecology and Functioning of Zooplankton Communities Benthic Animals Fish Pelagic Bacteria, Archaea, and Viruses Freshwater Plants Benthic Algae and Cyanobacteria of the Littoral Zone Shallow Lakes and Ponds Sediments and Microbiomes Organic Carbon Cycling and Ecosystem Metabolism Wetlands Paleolimnology: Approaches and Applications Inland Waters: The Future of Limnology is Interdisciplinary, Collaborative, Inclusive, and Global

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Book SynopsisThis thought-provoking book introduces a way to study ecosystems that is resonant with current thinking in the fields of earth system science, geobiology, and planetology. Instead of organizing the subject around a hierarchical series of entities (e.g. genes, individuals, populations, species, communities, and the biosphere), the book provides an alternative process-based approach and proposes a truly planetary view of ecological science. It demonstrates how the idea of fundamental ecological processes can be developed at the systems level, specifically their involvement in control and feedback mechanisms. This enables the reader to reconsider fundamental ecological processes such as energy flow, guilds, trade-offs, carbon cycling, and photosynthesis, and to put them in a global (and even planetary) context. In so doing, the book places a much stronger emphasis on microorganisms. Since publication of the first edition in 2006, ever growing societal concern about environmental sustainability has ensured that the earth system science/Gaian approach has steadily gained traction. Its integration with ecology is now more important than ever if ecological science is to effectively contribute to the massive problems and future challenges associated with global environmental change. The Fundamental Processes in Ecology is an accessible text for senior undergraduates, graduate student seminar courses, and researchers in the fields of ecology, environmental sustainability, earth system science, evolutionary biology, palaeontology, history of life, astrobiology, planetology, climatology, geology, and physical geography.Table of ContentsPreface Part I: Introduction 1: Introducing the Thought Experiment Part II: The Fundamental Processes 2: Energy Flow 3: Multiple Guilds 4: Trade-offs and Biodiversity 5: Dispersal 6: Ecological Hypercycles: Covering a Planet with Life 7: Merging of Organismal and Ecological Physiology 8: Photosynthesis 9: Carbon Sequestration Part III: Emerging Systems 10: Nutrient Cycling as an Emergent Property 11: Historical Contingency and the Development of Planetary Ecosystems 12: From Processes to Systems

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Book SynopsisA concise but comprehensive introduction to the biology of standing waters (lakes and ponds). As with other books in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in this book is on the organisms that dominate freshwater environments. Management and conservation aspects are also considered. The first edition of the book published in 1998 with a second, revised edition in 2005. There has been significant development in the field since the last revision appeared, particularly in the ecology of lakes and ponds in subtropical and tropical areas, and a new revision of this now classic text is timely.Trade ReviewLike the first 2 editions (1998, 2005), this one offers an excellent integration of information on limnology, ecology, evolution, and environmental science and a focus on adaptation of organisms to aquatic environments. In this edition, the authors incorporate new concepts, findings of current research, and discussion of new threats to aquatic biodiversity. * Conservation Biology *It does an excellent job at introducing a remarkably wide array of limnological concepts for such a small book. It is very readable and its style will inspire many undergraduate students. * Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin *Table of Contents1: Introduction 2: The abiotic frame and adaptations to cope with abiotic constraints 3: The organisms: the actors within the abiotic frame 4: Biotics: competition, herbivory, predation, parasitism, and symbiosis 5: Food web interactions in freshwater ecosystems 6: Biodiversity and environmental threats

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Book SynopsisIsland biogeography is the study of the distribution and dynamics of species in island environments. Due to their isolation from more widespread continental species, islands are ideal places for unique species to evolve, but they are also places of concentrated extinction. Consequently, they are widely studied by ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and conservationists.This accessible textbook builds on the success and reputation of its predecessors, documenting the recent advances in this exciting field and explaining how islands have contributed to both theory development and testing. In addition, the book describes the main processes of island formation, subsequent dynamics, and eventual demise, explaining the relevance of island environmental history to island biogeography. The authors demonstrate the significance of islands as hotspots of biodiversity and of prehistoric and historic anthropogenic extinction. Since island species continue to feature disproportionally in the lists of threatened species today, the book examines both the chief threats to their persistence and some of the mitigation measures that can be put in play, with conservation strategies specifically tailored to islands.Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements PART 1: Setting the Scene: Islands as Natural Laboratories 1: The natural laboratory paradigm 2: Island types, origins, and dynamics 3: Island environments 4: The biogeography of island life: biodiversity hotspots in context PART 2: Island Ecology 5: Island macroecology 6: Assembly rules for island metacommunities 7: Extending the timescale: island biodynamics in response to island geodynamics PART 3: Island Evolution 8: Colonization, evolutionary change, and speciation 9: Evolutionary diversification across islands and archipelagos 10: Island evolutionary syndromes in animals 11: Island evolutionary syndromes in - and involving - plants PART 4: Human Impact and Conservation 12: The application of island theory to fragmented landscapes 13: The human transformation of island ecosystems 14: Anthropogenic extinction on islands: a synthesis 15: Meeting the conservation challenge

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Book SynopsisThe fourth edition of the most comprehensive and authoritative dictionary of ecology available. Written in a clear, accessible style, it contains over 6,000 entries on all aspects of ecology and related environmental scientific disciplines, and is fully weblinked.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition a fine compendium of unquestionable use...Make sure you have an Allaby handy * Nature *

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThis text offers a critique of the ideological roots of the "Deep Ecology" movement spreading throughout Germany, France and the United States. The author examines European legal cases concerning the status and rights of animals and key ideas that German Romanticism embraced.Table of ContentsPreface. The Passing of the Humanist Era Pt. 1: Animals, or The Confusion of Genres 1: Antinatural Man 2: "Animal Liberation," or The Rights of Creatures 3: Neither Man nor Stone: The Enigmatic Being Pt. 2: The Shadows of the Earth 4: "Think Like a Mountain": The Master Plan of "Deep Ecology" 5: Nazi Ecology: The November 1933, July 1934, and June 1935 Legislations 6: In Praise of Difference, or The Incarnations of Leftism: The Case of Ecofeminism 7: Democratic Ecology and the Question of the Rights of Nature Epilogue. Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism: The Three Cultures Index

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Book Synopsis“At once thoughtful and thought-provoking”, Beloved Beasts tells the story of the modern conservation movement through the lives and ideas of the people who built it, making “a crucial addition to the literature of our troubled time” (Elizabeth Kolber)Trade Review"A definitive and informative history… Nijhuis’s detailed account is clear-eyed and unvarnished in its honesty." -- Valerie Thompson - Science"Michelle Nijhuis has written a book that is both a beautiful, wise history and a measured call to action." -- Florence Williams

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Book Synopsis"In presenting us with a vision of organic exuberance and human delight, which ecology and ecological design promise to open up for us, McHarg revives the hope for a better world. " --Lewis Mumford "...Table of ContentsCity and Countryside. Sea and Survival. The Plight. A Step Forward. The Cast and the Capsule. Nature in the Metropolis. On Values. A Response of Values. The World Is a Capsule. Processes as Values. The Naturalists. The River Basin. The Metropolitan Region. Process and Form. The City: Process and Form. The City: Health and Pathology. Prospect.

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Book SynopsisNature's Economy is a wide-ranging investigation of ecology's past, first published in 1994. It traces the origins of the concept, discusses the thinkers who have shaped it, and shows how it in turn has shaped the modern perception of our place in nature. Our view of the living world is a product of culture, and the development of ecology since the eighteenth century has closely reflected society's changing concerns. Donald Worster focuses on these dramatic shifts in outlook and on the individuals whose work has expressed and influenced society's point of view. The book includes portraits of Linnaeus, Gilbert White, Darwin, Thoreau, and such key twentieth-century ecologists as Rachel Carson, Frederic Clements, Aldo Leopold, James Lovelock, and Eugene Odum.Trade Review'A major purpose of this book, written at a time when ecology burgeons as both a science and a cult, is to show that ecological science has always been shifting ground … Worster's style is warm, intellectually strong, and eloquent.' Frederick E. Smith, Science'The in-depth treatment Worster has given to many who contributed to the evolution and revolution of the discipline reflects scholarship of high order. To write in a highly readable and absorbing style makes it even more praiseworthy. Graduates in ecology at baccalaureate to doctoral levels, and many practitioners of the discipline, basic and applied, would do well to take stock of where they came from. Worster is a very worthwhile guide.' Edward J. Kormondy, Ecology'Donald Worster's book, a gracefully written account of select events in the history of ecology, is designed to show how this field developed prior to the mid-twentieth century explosion of concern about the subject … Worster has written a volume that should be read and pondered.' Keir B. Sterling, The American Historical Review'Worster has produced a fascinating book. One reading left a copy littered with checkmarks, underlined passages, exclamation, and a note paper of quotations and ideas. The book is well written, well organized, interesting, and provocative.' Frank B. Golley, Human EcologyTable of ContentsPreface; Part I. Two Road Diverged: Ecology in the Eighteenth Century: 1. Science in Arcadia; 2. The empire of reason; Part II. The Subversive Science: Thoreau's Romantic Ecology: 3. A naturalist in concord; 4. Nature looking into nature; 5. Roots and branches; Part III. The Dismal Science: Darwinian Ecology: 6. A fallen world; 7. The education; 8. Scrambling for place; 9. The ascent of man; Part IV. O Pioneers: Ecology on the Frontier: 10. Words on a map; 11. Clements and the climax community; 12. Dust follows the plow; Part V. The Morals of a Science: Ethics, Economics, and Ecology: 13. The value of a varmint; 14. Producers and consumers; 15. Declarations of interdependence; Part VI. The Age of Ecology: Science and the Fate of the Earth: 16. Healing the planet; 17. Disturbing nature; Notes; Glossary of terms; Selected Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisWhy have island ecosystems always suffered such high rates of extinction? Over the past eight years, David Quammen has followed the threads of island biogeography on a globe-encircling journey of discovery.Trade ReviewNot only is this book compulsively readable - a masterpiece - it is maybe the masterpiece of science journalism -- Bill Mckibben * Audobon Magazine *A moving book... Quammen is a good writer who has taken the time to master an important subject and do it justice -- Richard Dawkins * The Times *Not since Gerald Durrell's books 30 years ago have I encountered such writing about the natural world. The witty, pithy, modest prose and the clever interweaving of science and storytelling are of a quality unrivalled in th field -- Matt Ridley * Sunday Telegraph *Impressive and deeply moving...blends first-rate science journalism with superb travel and nature writing * Financial Times *David Quammen is a brilliant young star of nature writing... His book is an important example of the genre, written in an enchanting style. His knowledge, based on years of research and adventure around the world, is truly impressive -- Edward O. Wilson, author of 'The Diversity of Life'

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Book Synopsisaeo A lively, accessible introduction to the history of nature and the environment. aeo An outline of the major understandings of a naturea in the western world since classical times from nature as higher authority to its more recent meaning of a threatened form of life.Trade Review"Common green wisdom attributes modern treatment of the environment to all sorts of legacies from history, usually Western, Judaeo-Christian and capitalist. Peter Coates examines all the usual suspects, from the Ancient Greeks, to Renaissance man and the thinkers of the Enlightenment, and no less critically the usual eco-heroes, from St Francis and the Zen Buddhists to the American Indians. He places shifting ideas and attitudes in the full and proper context of their time, and rightly condemns the tendency to raid the past for handy quotations to legitimize the campaigns of the present. He shows us how landscapes in England and elsewhere are related to these ideas, particularly show pieces like National Trust properties and American National Parks, but they are often landscapes of dispossession as well as landscapes of conservation. He takes us into the immediate antecedents of modern environmentalism and shows us a green side to Engels and (alarmingly) to Himmler as well as to Wordsworth and William Morris. Always judicious, Peter Coates's book will prove the best possible guide to the history of environmental ideas. Anyone who seriously wants to find a way through the maze of the past and to judge how we have arrived at the present and who prizes scholarship above polemics, will need to read this book." Professor T. C. Smout, Institute for Environmental History, University of St Andrews "For some years it has struck me as intriguing that there is no good recent history of nature - though in a sense hardly surprising since one could not imagine a more daunting subject for a historian to tackle.... I am delighted to say that Peter Coates's text fills the bill particularly well: it is clear, cogent, comprehensive, and well organized.... This is a stunning book." Roy Porter, Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine "I am very impressed with this book. It offers much more depth on most of the historical periods than any other book I've read.... and I couldn't stop reading it." Michael Barbour, University of California, "Peter Coates's Nature is an engaging book, written in a lucid and accessible style and enlivened by the author's wry humour." Professor Peter Burke, Emmanuel College, Cambridge "Coates' prose is lively and his critical perspactive engaging...students and general readers will find this an enjoyable and thought-provoking introduction to some of the key ideas and debates within environmental history." Andrea Gaynor, University of Western Australia 'Peter Coates's book is a welcome, updated introduction to environmental history. Presuming no prior knowledge of the field on the part of his readers, Coates confirms the discipline's "status as one of the most enthralling...pursuits within historical studies" (p.viii). Though faced with a monumental task of synthesis - even within a considerably narrowed scope - Coates succeeds admirably.' Journal of the History of the Behavioural SciencesTable of ContentsPreface. 1. The Natures of Nature. 2. Ancient Greece and Rome. 3. The Middle Ages. 4. The Advent of Modernity. 5. The World Beyond Europe. 6. Nature as Landscape. 7. Reassessments of Nature: Romantic and Ecological. 8. The Disunited Colours of Nature. 9. The Future of Nature. Notes. Index.

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Book SynopsisBeginning with an overview of early naturalists who marveled at the region’s natural treasures, Eric Bolen and James Parnell’s natural history of the Coastal Plain offers a nature-focused walk through the distinctive geological features and plant and animal communities of the area that extends from the Fall Line to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

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Book SynopsisDiscusses all aspects of water and the evolution of life, including how water acts as the medium of communication between all living organisms.Trade Review"Alick Bartholomew has done a great service to us all by putting the fundamental issues of water so clearly and lucidly in front of us. His [book] is a perfect guide to show us the way to put right our broken relationship with water. This is one of those rare books which brings science, spirituality and practicality in one integrated whole."--Satish Kumar, Editor, Resurgence"In a single volume, by analysing and synthesising the insights of recent research into the qualities of water that best support life, Alick has taken us a step closer to answering that most fundamental of questions, 'What is Life?'!" --Chris Weedon, Co-founder The Water Association"Alick Bartholomew's new book: 'The Story of Water: Source of Life' is a passionate attempt to get us to stop taking water for granted and to give it the attention - and respect and even love - it deserves… 'The Story of Water' covers just about everything that you would want, or need, to know about this most precious element. The book is encyclopaedic in scope, testament to Bartholomew's long and deeply-researched interest in the subject… 'The Story of Water' remains a thought-provoking book which should be read widely."-- Paul Carline, New View, Autumn 2010"In this unique, wide-ranging work, which includes some beautiful colour plates, Bartholomew reiterates the importance and characteristics of water, its purpose in the Cosmos and our solar system, its atmospheric and terrestrial cycles, and its role in nuturing animal and plant life as well as evolutionary progress."-- Ruth Parnell, Nexus"Words cannot describe the extraordinarily comprehensive, deep and lucid treatment of the role of water within our bodies and in the environment. Based on more than a century of scientific study, much of which hasn't been recognized by mainstream scientists, Bartholemew's magnum opus argues convincingly that water is most life-giving and life-enhancing substance known to humanity: we can either destroy ourselves and our surroundings by polluting our water or we can heal through natural processes, positive intention and vortex motion. Water has consciousness and memory. This is the most important book I've read in the new century and will be required reading for all my students."-- Brian O'Leary, Ph.D, author of The Energy Solution Revolution"Through a more profound understanding of the nature of water, Alick has made a very significant contribution to the emergence of a holistic worldview, while not neglecting the ecological and political dimentions of water with which we will have to deal collectively in the next 20 years, This book is essential reading for those who wish to understand the real story of water."-- David Lorimer, Scientific and Medical Network Review, Winter 2010'A rich tapestry that describes the story of water form its many aspects and appearances… It helps give a deeper appreciation of water so that we can give it the respect it deserves. The book starts with lovely meditation.'-- Star & furrow, Winter 2011

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Book SynopsisHow does the complex nature of ecological systems affect ecologists' ability to study them? This Element argues that ecological systems are complex in a rather special way: they are causally heterogeneous. The author presents an updated philosophical account with an optimistic outlook of the methods and status of ecological research.Table of Contents1. Introduction; 2. What is Ecological Complexity? 3. What are the Effects of Ecological Complexity?; 4. Dealing with Ecological Complexity; 5. Concluding Remarks; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisAn eye-opening and witty account of the global ecological transformations wrought by roads, from an award-winning authorTrade Review"An eye-opening road trip that spans continents to show how paved roads, seen as markers of civilisation, disrupt the natural world... This is a rare, beautifully written book, which tells us hard truths about roads, cars and life on Earth, but still manages to make us feel positive about the road ahead. " -- Vijaysree Venkatraman - New Scientist"[A] wide-ranging and absorbing account. " -- Bill McKibben - The New York Review of Books"Fascinating and compassionate. " -- Emily Raboteau - The New York Times Book Review"[A] swift and winding ride... Many readers came away from Goldfarb's first book, Eager, as newly minted beaver fans; don't be surprised if you finish Crossings as an evangelist for road ecology." -- Tess Joosse - Scientific American"Goldfarb is perceptive about how roads tangle animals together with humans... Crossings is well-paced and vivid, an engaging account of a potentially dull subject. " -- Timothy Farrington - Wall Street Journal"Whether he is writing about wallabies or butterflies, beavers or anteaters, Ben Goldfarb approaches our fellow animals with delighted curiosity and rare perception. In Crossings, he chronicles their epic struggles within our global network of roads and hi" -- Michelle Nijhuis, author of Beloved Beasts"A brilliantly panoptic look at our planet’s sprawling network of roads: what’s wrong with them, how they got that way, and how they could be set right. Precise in detail but vast in scale, Goldfarb's storytelling carries echoes of Michael Pollan and John McPhee, but with a wry humor that is uniquely his own. He makes it clear that if we are serious about ending the extinction crisis, we must first learn to care about the unnatural disaster that is our road system." -- Robert Moor, best-selling author of On Trails: An Exploration"Like some David Attenborough of the asphalt, Ben Goldfarb has written a fascinating guide to understanding the wilder side of roads, both symbols of freedom and harbingers of unnatural selection.”" -- Tom Vanderbilt, best-selling author of Traffic"A truly important and landmark book on a subject whose full impacts continue to be disregarded or underestimated in considering conservation efforts. Crossings is a moving, compassionate, and indispensable guide to navigating the issue of wildlife" -- Jeff VanderMeer, best-selling author of the Southern Reach Trilogy"Ben Goldfarb is the kind of gonzo environmental journalist Hunter Thompson would love. He goes everywhere, interviews everyone, pulls his weight alongside biologists, engineers, and road-kill salvagers, then writes compellingly about all of it. Crossings, his meditation on the ecological devastation roads and highways inflict—and on the very clever responses from humans and other creatures that road life demands—is an absolute shining star of a book." -- Dan Flores, best-selling author of Coyote America and Wild New World

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Book SynopsisDevelops a new theory of literary imagination for the Anthropocene by analysing descriptions of the environment from above

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Book SynopsisThis concise introductory text provides a complete overview of biodiversity - what it is, how it arose, its distribution, why it is important, human impact upon it, and what should be done to maintain it. Timely overview of the serious attempts made to quantify and describe biodiversity in a scientific way Acts as an easy entry point into the primary literature Provides real-world examples of key issues, including illustrations of major temporal and spatial patterns in biodiversity Designed primarily with undergraduate students and course lecturers in mind, it will also be of interest to anyone who requires an overview of, and entry to, the vast literature on these topics. All the figures included in the book are downloadable from the Blackwell Publishing website Trade Review".this excellent little book packs a big punch due to the well chosen examples and case studies, and its engaging, concise and readable style." Biological Conservation "...the authors have amassed an excellent collection of literature related to biodiversity and conservation and a numberof good examples to illustrate the threats facing biodiversity and its potential loss. This book is an excellent basic introduction to general biodiversity fo students and teachers, as well as generalists and amateurs interested in exploring the fundamentals, uses, threats and conservation of biodiversity." The Glasgow Naturalist, July 2005Table of ContentsPreface. Acknowledgements. 1. What Is Biodiversity?. Marion Island. What Is Biodiversity?. Elements Of Biodiversity. Measuring Biodiversity. Summary. Further Reading. 2. Biodiversity Through Time:. Introduction. Sources Of Information. A Brief History Of Biodiversity. How Many Extant Species Are There?. Summary. Further Reading. 3. Mapping Biodiversity:. Introduction. Issues Of Scale. Extremes Of High And Low Diversity. Gradients In Biodiversity. Congruence. Summary. Further Reading. 4. Does Biodiversity Matter?. Introduction. Direct Use Value. Indirect Use Value. Non-Use Value. Summary. Further Reading. 5. Human Impacts:. Introduction. Species Extinctions. Populations, Individuals And Genetic Diversity. Threats To Biodiversity. The Scale Of The Human Enterprise. Summary. Further Reading. 6. Maintaining Biodiversity:. Introduction. Objectives Of The Convention. General Measures For Conservation And Sustainable Use. Identification And Monitoring. In-Situ Conservation. Ex-Situ Conservation. Sustainable Use Of Components Of Biological Diversity. Incentive Measures. Reponses To The Convention. Summary. Further Reading. References. Index

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Book SynopsisIn North America, concepts of Historical Range of Variability are being employed in land-management planning for properties of private organizations and multiple government agencies. The National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and The Nature Conservancy all include elements of historical ecology in their planning processes. Similar approaches are part of land management and conservation in Europe and Australia. Each of these user groups must struggle with the added complication of rapid climate change, rapid land-use change, and technical issues in order to employ historical ecology effectively. Historical Environmental Variation in Conservation and Natural Resource Management explores the utility of historical ecology in a management and conservation context and the development of concepts related to understanding future ranges of variability. It provides guidance and insights to all those entrusted with managing aTrade Review“The book provides a rich summary and critique of such ideas and approaches that will provide material both for under-graduate courses and for ecologists interested in the theory and practice of understanding historical ecological dynamics.” (Ecological Management & Restoration, 18 May 2015) “But each chapter provides guidance on how historical ecology may be fruitfully applied to specific cases of management giving the reader much hope for the future and for potential course corrections on the landscape.” (Landscape Ecol, 15 January 2015) "Overall, a very useful reference for advanced students in conservation and ecosystem management as well as researchers and managers developing future adaptation plans. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.” (Choice, 1 March 2013)Table of ContentsContributors vii Foreword x Preface xii Acknowledgments xiv Section 1 Background and History 1John A. Wiens 1 Setting the stage: theoretical and conceptual background of historical range of variation 3William H. Romme, John A. Wiens, and Hugh D. Safford 2 Development of historical ecology concepts and their application to resource management and conservation 19Wayne Padgett, Barbara Schrader, Mary Manning, and Timothy Tear Section 2 Issues and Challenges 29Hugh D. Safford 3 Challenges in the application of historical range of variation to conservation and land management 32Gregory D. Hayward, Thomas T. Veblen, Lowell H. Suring, and Bob Davis 4 Historical ecology, climate change, and resource management: can the past still inform the future? 46Hugh D. Safford, Gregory D. Hayward, Nicole E. Heller, and John A. Wiens 5 What is the scope of “history” in historical ecology? Issues of scale in management and conservation 63John A. Wiens, Hugh D. Safford, Kevin Mcgarigal, William H. Romme, and Mary Manning 6 Native Americans, ecosystem development, and historical range of variation 76Gregory J. Nowacki, Douglas W. Maccleery, and Frank K. Lake 7 Conservation and resource management in a changing world: extending historical range of variation beyond the baseline 92Stephen T. Jackson Section 3 Modeling Historic Variation and Its Application For Understanding Future Variability 111Robert E. Keane 8 Creating historical range of variation (HRV) time series using landscape modeling: overview and issues 113Robert E. Keane 9 Modeling historical range of variability at a range of scales: an example application 128Kevin Mcgarigal and William H. Romme Section 4 Case Studies of Applications 147Gregory D. Hayward 10 Regional application of historical ecology at ecologically defined scales: forest ecosystems in the Colorado Front Range 149Thomas T. Veblen, William H. Romme, and Claudia Regan 11 Incorporating concepts of historical range of variation in ecosystem-based management of British Columbia’s coastal temperate rainforest 166Andy Mackinnon and Sari C. Saunders 12 Incorporating HRV in Minnesota national forest land and resource management plans: a practitioner’s story 176Mary Shedd, Jim Gallagher, Michael Jiménez, and Duane Lula 13 Applying historical fire-regime concepts to forest management in the western United States: three case studies 194Thomas E. Demeo, Frederick J. Swanson, Edward B. Smith, Steven C. Buttrick, Jane Kertis, Jeanne Rice, Christopher D. Ringo, Amy Waltz, Chris Zanger, Cheryl A. Friesen, and John H. Cissel 14 Using historical ecology to inform wildlife conservation, restoration, and management 205Beth A. Hahn and John L. Curnutt 15 River floodplain restoration experiments offer a window into the past 218Ramona O. Swenson, Richard J. Reiner, Mark Reynolds, and Jaymee Marty 16 Streams past and future: fluvial responses to rapid environmental change in the context of historical variation 232Daniel A. Auerbach, N. Leroy Poff, Ryan R. Mcshane, David M. Merritt, Matthew I. Pyne, and Thomas K. Wilding 17 A framework for applying the historical range of variation concept to ecosystem management 246William H. Romme, Gregory D. Hayward, and Claudia Regan Section 5 Global Perspectives 263John A. Wiens 18 Ecological history guides the future of conservation: lessons from Africa 265A.R.E. Sinclair 19 Ecological history has present and future ecological consequences – case studies from Australia 273David Lindenmayer 20 A view from the past to the future 281Keith J. Kirby 21 Is the historical range of variation relevant to rangeland management? 289Brandon T. Bestelmeyer 22 Knowing the Fennoscandian taiga: ecohistorical lessons 297Yrjö Haila Section 6 Challenges for the Future 305 23 Reflections on the relevance of history in a nonstationary world 307Julio L. Betancourt 24 The growing importance of the past in managing ecosystems of the future 319Hugh D. Safford, John A. Wiens, and Gregory D. Hayward Index 329

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Book SynopsisDrawing on recent work by Massumi, Stengers, Debaise and Williams, the book explores their work in relation to other speculative trends in recent philosophy, including new materialisms, posthumanisms, speculative realism and object-oriented-ontology.

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Book SynopsisUsing sensory ethnobotany to understand people-plant relationships and gardening practices in the Brazilian Cerrado, this multispecies ethnography presents a non-Western approach to environmental conservation and resilience.Trade ReviewFascinating...Plant Kin offers a glimmer of hope in the Anthropocene of the possibilities of alternative and sustainable engagements with plants and their ecologies. * CHOICE *Theresa Miller presents a thoughtful portrayal of shifting ideas about the human place both in the world and in relation to plants in our era of changing climate...Each chapter on its own could be read as a unique contribution; taken collectively, they convey what she calls a sensory ethnobotany perspective that is interdisciplinary in scope...Plant Kin pays careful attention to what Canela indigenous people say and do in order to survive in a changing world that has long seen both the people and their places as sacrifice zones to be scoured for resources to feed global wealth. * American Ethnologist *[Plant Kin] contributes a thorough investigation of traditional ecological knowledge in a specific community and provides an in-depth example of the sociocultural processes that promote agrobiodiversity maintenance among a particular group and key group members. As such, it is a great resource for students of ethnobotany and related fields interested in relationships between cultural and biological diversity. * Economic Botany *Plant Kin is a rigorously researched and carefully construed multispecies ethnography that focuses on the Indigenous Canela of the Brazilian Cerrado or savanna environment...Overall, the book is well-written and well-paced. The use of qualitative ethnographic material and testimonies from interlocutors interspersed with the author’s own prose make for a lively and captivating read. * Journal of Latin American Geography *[Plant Kin's] introduction, five chapters, and short conclusion are rich with ethnographic examples, highlighting resilience, multisensory care and multispecies relationships...In Plant Kin, Miller provides a well-written ethnography...it would interest students and scholars in anthropology, ethnobotany, environmental studies, Indigenous studies, and Latin American studies. * Environment and Society *Table of Contents List of Illustrations Introduction: Toward a Sensory Ethnobotany in the Anthropocene Approaching People and Plants in the Anthropocene Approaching Sensory Ethnobotany Introducing the Canela People Introducing the Plant Kin Following the Pathways of This Book 1. Tracing Indigenous Landscape Aesthetics in the Changing Cerrado Tracing a Canela Aesthetics of Land Understanding the Canela Bio-Sociocultural Life-World Understanding the Changing Cerrado Approaching the Canela Territorial Landscape Becoming Resilient: Living with and Valuing the Land 2. Loving Gardens: Human–Environment Engagements in Past and Present-- Understanding Indigenous Landscape Transformations Gardening: A Brief History, 1814–Present Loving Forest and Riverbank Gardens in the Twenty-First Century Learning from Star-Woman: Origins of Horticulture and Biodiversity Maintenance Gardening as Resistance 3. Educating Affection: Becoming Gardener Parents Parenting Plants: Skills, Practice, Process Learning, Knowing, and Feeling with Plants Understanding Gendered Multispecies Bodies Caretaking of Plant Children: The Experts Becoming Strong, Becoming Happy, Becoming Well Making and Growing with Plant Kin 4. Naming Plant Children: Ethnobotanical Classification as Childcare Categorizing Plants: Sensory Pleasures Noticing, Naming, Sorting, and Saving Expanding Multispecies Families Writing: Plant Childcare in the Twenty-First Century Multispecies Loving, Open Taxonomies, and Living Lists 5. Becoming a Shaman with Plants: Friendship, Seduction, and Mediating Danger Talking with Plants Becoming a Shaman: Engagements with Nonhumans Shamanic Caring Shamanic Mediating: Dangers in the Gardens Becoming Friends to Plants in Canela Scalar Animism Conclusion: Exploring Futures for People and Plants in the Twenty-First Century Advocating for Sensory Ethnobotany in Multispecies Futures Epilogue Acknowledgments Appendices Appendix A: Living Lists of Canela Cultivated Crops Appendix B: Living Lists of Canela Native Plants in Savannah, Chapada, and Riverbank Appendix C: Star-Woman (Caxêtikwỳj) Mythic Story Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisDiscover the stories behind Jane Goodall’s visionary approach to community-led conservation. You know of Jane Goodall’s work with wild chimpanzees and her lifelong career advocating for environmental justice. But just as transformative is her work empowering local communities that live on the edge of human settlement to act to protect their natural resources—or to risk losing them forever. Local Voices, Local Choices: The Tacare Approach to Community-Led Conservation is the story of the Jane Goodall Institute’s holistic approach to conservation, which puts the local people in charge of preserving their surrounding ecosystems. Rather than conservationists leading the effort and imposing their solutions, local communities that live in the affected regions make their own decisions. Working with science and technology and with the support of conservationists, these communities grow to understand their human impact on the environment. By choosing to adopt sustainable livelihoods, they decide their own path into the future, finding ways to balance their environmental impact with their communities’ needs. Story by story, Local Voices, Local Choices brings readers into the diverse perspectives behind this approach to community-driven conservation—not only those of JGI staff and program partners but also, and equally, those of the local people who lead these initiatives. Read about: The origins of the Tacare approach, originally designed as a 1994 reforestation project with an abbreviation pronounced “ta-CAR-reh” A retired village member keeping the knowledge of medicinal plants alive in his community Spiritual and cultural story-holders who are vital to the recording and preservation of their traditional ecological knowledge Local people participating as forest monitors, village health workers, beekeepers, small-business owners, and educators of the next generation Former poachers turned advocates for sustainable land management Written for conservationists, fans of Jane Goodall, and readers interested in environmental issues, Local Voices, Local Choices is a vibrant expression of Jane Goodall’s vision and her hope that the Tacare approach will be understood and adopted wherever there is a need for genuine community-driven conservation. Local voices matter, and their choices can make all the difference for generations to come.Table of ContentsForeword by Jack Dangermond Introduction: The birth of Tacare by Jane Goodall The Jane Goodall Institute’s method of community-led conservation. 1 The human-made island: Mzee Jumanne Kikwale meets Jane Goodall at an impressionable age. Dr. Anthony Collins arrives to study Gombe’s baboons. 2 Paradigms and problems: Mzee Jumanne Kikwale moves back to Kigoma to teach the next generation about trees. Dr. Anthony Collins recalls Tacare’s earliest steps — and missteps. 3 1994: Understanding deforestation: George Strunden and the genesis of TACARE. 4 1994: The forester: Mzee Aristides Kashula sees both the forests and the trees. 5 Cultivating a holistic approach: Mzee Emmanuel Mtiti dances with donors. 6 Creating a common language: Dr. Lilian Pintea uses mapping technologies to develop a dialogue between communities and conservationists. 7 Local ambassadors: Learning from and speaking for the chimps: Gabo Paulo, Eslom Mpongo, Hamisi Mkono, Fatuma Kifumu, and Yahaya Almas reflect on decades of chimp observation at Gombe. 8 A confluence of disciplines: Dr. Shadrack Kamenya explains why indigenous researchers are essential to outreach efforts. Dr. Deus Mjungu dedicates his career to creating habitat corridors for endangered wildlife. 9 The cycles of old and new: Japhet Mwanang’ombe educates and inspires the younger generation. Hamisi Matama preserves the traditional ecological knowledge his mother taught him. 10 Seeking homeostasis: KANYACODA, VHTs, PFOs, KIKACODA: Working toward human and ecological health in Uganda. 11 The fatal interface KACODA, Uganda: Finding successful strategies to reduce human/chimp conflict. 12 From the cloud to the ground: Ugandan Wildlife Authority: Obed Kareebi, Frank Sarube, and Philemon Tumwebaze on poverty, technology, and conservation. 13 Outreach through fire: Dario Merlo hears Jane’s words of hope as bombs fall on Goma. 14 The banks and the bees: Phoebe Samwel links microcredit to women’s empowerment Kapeeka Integrated Community Development Association (KICODA) harvests honey — and venom. 15 Changing the retirement plan: Mama Sonja manages difficult conversations about choice. 16 Of women champions: Alice Macharia paves the way for African women in conservation. Yakaka Saweya explains why so many village girls don’t complete their education. 17 The cycle of regeneration: Alice Macharia is in it for the long term — and the short term. 18 A “talking office” with maps: Joseline Nyangoma, Hoima district natural resources officer, wants science to tell a story. 19 People, pixels, and puff adders: Dr. Lilian Pintea contemplates different ways of knowing. Conclusion

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Book Synopsis“Shows us that guiding natural processes rather than fighting them is the key to creating healthier landscapes and happier gardeners.” —Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home Larry Weaner is an icon in the world of ecological landscape design, and now his revolutionary approach is available to home gardeners. Garden Revolution shows how an ecological approach to planting can lead to beautiful gardens that buck much of conventional gardening’s counter-productive, time-consuming practices. Instead of picking the wrong plant and then weeding, irrigating, and fertilizing, Weaner advocates for choosing plants that are adapted to the soil and climate of a specific site and letting them naturally evolve over time. This lushly-photographed reference is for anyone looking for a better, smarter way to garden.

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Book SynopsisMuch has changed with Iowa’s wildlife in the years 1990 to 2020. Some species such as Canada goose, wild turkey, and white-tailed deer that once were rare in Iowa are now common, and others like sandhill crane, river otter, and trumpeter swan are becoming increasingly abundant. Iowa’s Changing Wildlife provides an up-to-date, scientifically based summary of changes in the distribution, status, conservation needs, and future prospects of about sixty species of Iowa’s birds and mammals whose populations have increased or decreased in the past three decades. Readers will learn more about familiar species, become acquainted with the status of less familiar species, and find out how many of the species around them have fared during this era of transformation.Trade ReviewTwo of Iowa’s greatest authorities on wildlife from two generations, who saw remarkable changes, report on the state of Iowa’s wildlife in this wonderful book. It is essential reading for Iowa’s wildlife enthusiasts of today and will be an invaluable resource for Iowa’s wildlife enthusiasts of the future." - Adam Janke, Iowa State University"Since Iowa is one of Earth’s most modified landscapes, it’s critically important to examine how native animals have changed in response. Here the Dinsmores provide well-synthesized wildlife records, as well as rich, historically accurate stories about Iowa’s remaining birds and mammals. This book opens the door to understanding the diverse and fascinating lives that still abound around us." - Cornelia F. Mutel, author, A Sugar Creek Chronicle: Observing Climate Change from a Midwestern Woodland"For wildlife enthusiasts, this book is the perfect companion to A Country So Full of Game, the 1994 volume that traced the history of Iowa wildlife since European settlement of the Midwest. This book traces the efforts and successes in recovery of many wildlife species since that time and the quiet disappearance of some others. Their collective future, as the Dinsmores make clear, is up to us." - Jim Pease, retired Iowa State University extension wildlife specialist

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisForeword by Gillian Burke This is a lovely little book that could and should have a big impact....Let’s all get rebugging right away! Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Meet the intelligent insects, marvellous minibeasts and inspirational invertebrates that bring life to our planet. Discover how we can ‘rebug’ our attitudes and embrace these brilliant, essential insects, so that we can avoid an ‘insectageddon’ and help each other thrive. In Rebugging the Planet, Vicki Hird shows us that bugs are beautiful, inventive and economically invaluable. They are also responsible for pollinating plants, feeding birds, defending crops and cleaning water systems. But with 40% of insect species at risk of extinction and a third more endangered, our planet is headed towards an insect apocalypse. We have to start giving worms, spiders, beetles, ladybirds and butterflies the space they need to flourish! Discover how to: Grow your garden a little wild and plant weedkiller-free, wildlife-friendly plants Take your kids on a bug treasure hunt and build a bug palace in your garden Rebug parks, schools, pavements, verges and other green spaces Make bug-friendly food choices and support good farming practices Rebugging the Planet shows how small changes will have a big impact on our littlest allies – and our planet. Hird’s joy in bug life is infectious and her knowledge encyclopaedic...If you’ve ever asked what bugs have done for us, read this book! Caroline Lucas, Green Party MPTrade Review"This is a lovely little book that could and should have a big impact. The decline of insect life in the UK and globally is one of the biggest concerns of our biodiversity crisis. We often feel so helpless about nature loss, so it’s hugely inspiring to find out that there is something we can actually do about it. Let’s all get rebugging right away!"—Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, multi-award-winning writer and broadcaster"A bold and educational call to action and call to arms in one of the most crucial challenges facing society – halting the dreadful destruction of the amazingly little animals we call invertebrates or bugs. Time to get rebugging!"—Matt Shardlow, author and chief executive of Buglife – The Invertebrate Conservation Trust"Everyone should read Vicki’s delightful bug book! She’s been a committed environmentalist and campaigner for nature ever since the 1980s, when I first met her. Like me, she’s a Londoner, but unlike me, she’s realised that her lifelong fascination for nature in general and insects in particular can be explored in an urban setting. Her passion for bugs is palpable and wonderfully illuminated through individual bug stories, which makes this book totally accessible. Vicki has done a service to the planet and the insects we share it with."—Patrick Holden, CBE organic farmer, and founding director and chief executive of the Sustainable Food Trust"What a fantastic, timely and important book! For too long, our society has taken bugs for granted when in reality they represent the very foundations of our food system, our economy, our civilisation. With her well-researched but personable and highly readable writing style, Vicki Hird offers an engaging and hopeful narrative about what we can and must do to make insects matter, and reverse the appalling declines in insect populations that have taken place these last few years. In doing so, she doesn’t just stick with the easy stuff like what needs to happen in your garden or local park – much as she covers this brilliantly. She also tackles the need for system level change; in agriculture, in politics, in the economy, in culture, if we’re going to succeed in rebugging the planet – all while gaining fascinating insights from the remarkable world of insects."—Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts"Rebugging the Planet is a joyous and impassioned song to the insect life on which we all depend. Brimming with wisdom but accessibly written, it is a call to arms to avert Insectaggedon. Without bugs, we’re in deep trouble!"—Guy Shrubsole, environmental campaigner and author of Who Owns England?"A passionate, accessible, and in-depth introduction to the wonderful world of ‘bugs’. Packed with eye-opening facts and leaving not a stone unturned in her efforts to understand and explain the causes of their decline, Vicki inspires each and every one of us to re-evaluate our relationship with these magnificent minibeasts. Whoever we are, whatever our circumstances, there is always more that we can do to help if we only knew how. This book provides us with the tools and advice we need to ‘rebug’ our gardens, our lives and our world."—Brigit Strawbridge Howard, author of Dancing with Bees"Hird’s joy in bug life is infectious and her knowledge encyclopaedic. I defy even the most bug-phobic reader not to finish Hird’s book without, if not sharing her love of them, at least joining in her admiration. Bugs are essential to a thriving natural world, and indeed to our own future on this planet, yet they’re under threat like never before. If you’ve ever asked what bugs have done for us, read this book – and then join the movement to protect them!"—Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP"In 1987 E.O. Wilson told us that ‘bugs’ were the little things that run the world. We didn’t listen and instead have forced millions of species of these essential creatures to the brink of extinction. Just in time, Vicki Hird tells us how and why we need to change our cultural relationship with ‘bugs’ and reverse these disastrous declines. Despite the serious nature of this subject matter, Rebugging the Planet is a light-hearted and delightful read."—Douglas W. Tallamy, author of Nature’s Best Hope"This book is a delightful exploration into the world of ‘bugs’ – broadly defined to include insects, spiders, centipedes, and even snails – replete with creative use of words like ‘rebug’, ‘rewild’, ‘insectageddon’, ‘invertosphere’, ‘entomophage’ (the practice of eating bugs) and ‘fog basking’ by the Namib beetle to obtain water. Full of colourful stories about specific novel species like the cockchafer, the hummingbird hawkmoth and money spiders, it is also a call to action to do everything we can to stop the modern assault on bugs. The author shows how so many aspects of modern life – chemical-based agriculture, EMFs, plastics and forever chemicals – are forcing many species into extinction, but she also warns that we will come to appreciate what bugs do for us best when we see the carnage left behind when they are gone."—Stephanie Seneff, author of Toxic LegacyPublishers Weekly— "Brimming with tips and tools, this [book] is sure to leave nature-lovers inspired."

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Book SynopsisCarnivores include some of the most impressive, dangerous and mysterious animals in the world. Hans Kruuk has spent his life studying them against magnificent backdrops, from the Serengeti savannahs and Kalahari deserts to the Scottish Highlands, from the Galápagos Islands to the Far East. In each location he has used meticulous observation of animal behaviour to understand the ecology and natural history of wild carnivore populations, and ultimately to promote their conservation. This book describes the methods, challenges and rewards of the science of behavioural ecology. However, it essentially concerns the personal, rather than the scientific, side of that work, and above all the field experiences involved. With photographs and line drawings, it brings to life African safaris, the hyena in his bath, flights with vultures, dives with otters, attacks by a badger in Scotland and by feral dogs in Galápagos, gull-eating hedgehogs in Britain and the role of animals in African witchcraft. The author communicates his lifelong fascination with wildlife through these unique experiences and the insights they afforded him. Professor Kruuk is a leading authority on animal behaviour and the author of classic studies of hyaenas, otters and badgers, as well as a biography of his Oxford mentor Niko Tinbergen.Trade ReviewIn “The Call of Carnivores” Kruuk sheds a more intimate light on his research career than we are able to glean from his numerous scientific publications. Readers are taken along for the scientist’s geographical and professional journey as he entertains us with stories about the many aspects of fieldwork which never make it into published papers. ..... Kruuk provides an exciting and interesting narrative; a mixture of informative discoveries in the natural sciences and the recounting of the journey of his own personal experiences, reflections and contemplations. ..... This book demonstrates how significant contributions to science typically involve a combination of conscientiousness, a good measure of fortuitous meetings or conversations, an abundance of peer support and most importantly – the capacity to recognise and seize opportunities with both hands when they appear. -- Katherine Whitehouse-Tedd (Nottingham Trent University) * Journal of Vertebrate Biology *Kruuk is a humble and engaging narrator… I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who has felt the call of wild places and wild species. -- Heather Cray * The Canadian Field-Naturalist *Table of Contents1. In the field 2. Camouflage in an aquarium 3. Gulls and their enemies: foxes and hedgehogs 4. Serengeti: hyenas, lions and the dusty track to Seronera 5. Solomon, the hyena in my bath 6. Clans of the savannah 7. Hyenas hunt 8. Witches, and death in the dark 9. Masai, people and art on the Serengeti plains 10. Striped without a clan 11. Kalahari desert: a story of sand dunes, people, hyenas and badgers 12. Nomads of northern Kenya 13. Harar, town of the people’s hyena 14. Vultures gathering 15. Flying next to vultures 16. Chasing dogs on Darwin’s islands 17. Badgering in Britain 18. Olfactory delights and olives 19. Shetland otters 20. Otters in and around the garden 21. Otters, crocodiles and orcas 22. Three monks, calls of gibbons, and otters in Thailand 23. Down under: Platypus, Quolls and leeches 24. Just one last project

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Book SynopsisFrom antiquity until today, trees and woods have inspired artists, writers and scientists; they have shaped cultures and reverberated through belief systems. Yet worldwide forest cover has declined dramatically over the last 1,000 years. Now, primeval forests are only to be found at a few sites unreachable by humans, and even then they are affected by climate change, atmospheric pollution and species extinctions. Nonetheless, ancient woods, trees and forests are at the core of many global landscapes. Understanding the vital resources that they provide requires genuinely multidisciplinary research. With contributions from major authorities in the field such as Oliver Rackham, Frans Vera, Elisabeth Johann, George Peterken and Melvyn Jones among others, this timely volume reflects on the importance of our oldest trees from a range of perspectives and varied geographical locations. Individual chapters consider eco-cultural heritage, the archaeology of trees, landscape history, forest rights, tree management, saproxylic insects, the importance of deadwood, practical conservation and monitoring, biodiversity, wood-pasture and more. Fresh insights are provided from across Europe as far as Turkey. Given the urgent need to understand, conserve and restore ancient woodlands and trees, this book will do much raise awareness, foster enthusiasm and inspire wonder.Trade Review...an invaluable addition to woodland literature, putting the role of people firmly with the rest of woodland biodiversity. Reading this book will give new perspectives - and certainly allow the reader to see the woodland (sic) for the trees. -- Peter Bridgewater, The Niche...occasionally one comes across an extra special publication that puts all the others in the shade. This book is one such publication. It sets out to raise awareness, foster enthusiasm, inspiration and understanding of ancient trees and woodlands internationally, which it achieves brilliantly, but it does much more than that. It succeeds in shining new light through old windows and thus has created a significant milestone along the road in communicating the knowledge and understanding regarding ancient trees and woodlands. -- Alan Simson, Emeritus Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Forestry, Leeds Beckett UniversityThis important book makes an original contribution to debates about tree and woodland conservation. There is something here for everyone interested in landscape and woodland history and conservation. The book is very attractively produced, and the many colour illustrations, maps and photographs help the authors to strengthen their arguments. -- Charles Watkins, LandscapesThis richly illustrated and very attractively produced book offers an original perspective to forestry research and to the debate on the management and conservation of ancient woods, trees and forests... The combination of scientific rigour and generally clear and concise language and the widespread use of high-quality images will make it of interest for the general public and a valuable text for university classes. -- Pietro Piana, Environment and HistoryThis is a rich and useful collection, providing plenty of material for academics, woodland managers, and policy makers looking for an informed approach to ancient woods, trees and forests. -- Emily Sloan * Agricultural History Review *Table of Contents1. Ancient woodland in concept and practice George Peterken 2. The cultural heritage of woods and forests Ian D. Rotherham 3. Archaeology of trees, woodland and wood-pasture Oliver Rackham 4. Ancient rights in ancient forests Graham Bathe 5. The importance of an open-grown tree: from seed to ancient Ted Green 6. Ancient and other trees of special interest: indicators of old-growth biodiversity and heritage Jill Butler 7. Worked trees and ecological indicators in wooded landscapes Ian D. Rotherham 8. Ancient forests in Germany: distribution, importance for maintaining biodiversity, protection and threats Monika Wulf 9. Tree abundance, density and age structure: the key factors that determine species richness in saproxylic invertebrates Keith N.A. Alexander 10. Old growth and deadwood as key factors for nature conservation in managed forests Harald Schaich, Thomas A.M. Kaphegyi, Rudolf Lühl, Nicole Schmalfuß, Mattias Rupp, Thomas Waldenspuhl and Werner Konold 11. The diversity of ancient woodlands in Austria: historical developments and contemporary social importance Elisabeth Johann 12. Wood-pasture: for food, wood and biodiversity Frans Vera 13. The ancient woodland concept as a practical conservation tool: the Turkish experience Simay Kırca, Alper H. Çolak and Ian D. Rotherham 14. Using pollen data and models to assess landscape structure and the role of grazers in pre-agricultural Denmark Anne Brigitte Nielsen 15. Tanneries and treescapes: the influence of the tanning industry on woodland management Christine Handley and Ian D. Rotherham 16. A hidden treasure in Turkey: old oaks of unique value Nicklas Jansson, Ogün Ç. Türkay and Mustafa Avcı 17. Antiquity of ancient woodlands and cultures: the example of Sandras Mountain, Turkey Alper H. Çolak, Simay Kırca and Ian D. Rotherham 18. Woods and trees in England’s Anglo-Saxon countryside Della Hooke 19. Ancient and modern: the conservation of ancient woods and trees in a changing world Keith Kirby 20. Walls, woodbanks and woodwards: the protection of coppice woods from trespassers, thieves and grazing animals Melvyn Jones 21. The natural character of ancient woodland Tom Williamson 22. European woodland history and management: some concluding thoughts Ian D. Rotherham, Alper Çolak and Simay Kırca

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Book SynopsisNematodes are incontestably the most numerous and the most diverse metazoans in freshwater habitats, and these properties bestow exceptional significance to their role in the environment. An array of functional roles has been attributed to them: they are grazers on bacteria and primary producers, regulators of decomposition of plant material, predators, prey for other animals, and closely associated symbionts of bacteria and other organisms. Freshwater nematodes are central in the context of environmental monitoring, pollution assessments, global warming and food webs, and this is increasingly being recognized. Moreover, the short generation time (a few days to months) of many species makes nematodes ideal for laboratory studies. This book: Provides a follow-up to Freshwater Nematodes: Ecology and Taxonomy (2006). Offers guidelines for studying the ecology of free-living nematodes, including detailed protocols and case studies. Promotes free-living nematodes as model organisms for studies in a broad range of research fields. Despite the recognized importance of nematodes across ecosystems, many species of free-living nematodes have yet to be discovered, and essential knowledge gaps remain. Ecology of Freshwater Nematodes provides an overview of research efforts in this field, and is an important resource for researchers in the field of nematology and ecology.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction to Freshwater Nematodes in Ecology: Current Knowledge and Research Chapter 2: Sampling and Processing of Freshwater Nematodes with Emphasis on Molecular Methods Chapter 3: Species Composition and Distribution of Free-living Nematodes in Lakes and Streams Chapter 4: Nematodes from Extreme and Unusual Freshwater Habitats Chapter 5: Dispersal of Free-living Nematodes Chapter 6: Feeding Ecology of Free-living Nematodes Chapter 7: Role of Nematodes in the Food Web: Nematodes as Predator and Prey Chapter 8: Production of Freshwater Nematodes Chapter 9: Freshwater Nematodes in Metacommunity Studies Chapter 10: Single- and Multi-species Toxicity Testing with Nematodes Chapter 11: Freshwater Nematodes as Bioindicators in Field Studies – The NemaSPEAR[%]-index Chapter 12: Case Studies with Nematodes from the Individual to Ecosystem Level

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Book SynopsisDr Mark Fisher is a recently retired scientist with a more than 40 years' experience in farming, research and philosophy. He draws onhistory, literature, common understandings and personal experiences to create a distinctive narrative. Mark was until 2021 a Principal Adviser to the NZ Ministry for Primary Industries (formerly Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry) and Director of Kotare Bioethics. He has been a board member of the Toi te Taiao: the Bioethics Council, the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), and was the New Zealand chair of the Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART).

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Book SynopsisWhat do you think of when you think of Nature? Prolific author and National Geographic writer Doug Chadwick’s fresh look at human’s place in the natural world. In his accessible and engaging style, Chadwick approaches the subject from a scientific angle, with the underlying message that from the perspective of DNA humans are not all that different from any other creature. He begins by showing the surprisingly close relationship between human DNA and that of grizzly bears, with whom we share 80 percent of our DNA. We are 60 percent similar to a salmon, 40 percent the same as many insects, and 24 percent of our genes match those of a wine grape. He reflects on the value of exposure to nature on human biochemistry and mentality, that we are not that far removed from our ancestors who lived closer to nature. He highlights examples of animals using “human” traits, such as tools and play. He ends the book with two examples of the healing benefits of turning closer to nature: island biogeography and the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. This book is a reflection on man’s rightful place in the ecological universe. Using personal stories, recounting how he came to love and depend on the Great Outdoors and how he learned his place in the system of Nature, Chadwick challenges anyone to consider whether they are separate from or part of nature. The answer is obvious, that we are an indivisible from all elements of a system that is greater than ourselves and should never be neglected, taken advantage of, or exploited. This is a fresh and engaging take on man’s relationship to nature by a respected and experienced author.Trade Review"Combining the eye of a naturalist, the ear of a storyteller, and the heart of one who cares deeply for the fate of the wild — and the wild lurking within each of us— Chadwick demonstrates the biological truth that the fate of all life on Earth is intertwined." -- Big Sky JournalTable of ContentsPrologue Chapter One: I am at Least Four-Fifths of a Grizzly Chapter Two: Kaboom Chapter Three: The Living Planet Quick Reference Guide Chapter Four: The State of Our Union Chapter Five: Health Coverage for Primates Chapter Six: Elephants and Excavations Chapter Seven: Daydreaming at the Fair Chapter Eight: Rescue at Sea, Part One Chapter Nine: Rescue at Sea, Part Two Chapter Ten; Ode to a Strawberry Chapter Eleven: Coda to a Strawberry Chapter Twelve: Crowboarding Chapter Thirteen: Why Y2Y Epilogue: Note to (Greater) Self

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Book SynopsisThe prevailing scientific view of the world just doesn't work! Our most precious and accepted scientific principles, built over millennia by luminaries including Einstein, Darwin and Hawking, are all built on one basic idea, that time is a straight line. However, logical contradictions that arise are given ever-more improbable explanations to fill the gaps - string theory, dark matter, parallel universes. It just doesn't add up. But what if time is not a straight line? What if time is a circle with a relatively short repeating cycle? Then everything falls neatly into place. Welcome to Flash Time: a revolutionary new world view Flash Time is a revolutionary new way of looking at the universe and our place in it by seeing time as a cycle rather than a line. As a result, our most persistent scientific inconsistencies are swept away, along with all our biggest scientific assumptions, and a new `Theory of Everything' that really works is presented. A truly mind-bending book that will change how you think about the world around you.

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Book SynopsisFeatures almost 300 colour photographs and brings together more than 60 years of research by a leading voice in British woodland ecology. Trees define woodland. They provide a complex, multi-layered habitat for a great range of wildlife, but they are also wildlife themselves, reacting to their circumstances and each other. Woodlands are important to people, supplying timber, food and fuel, accumulating carbon, and offering places of refuge and refreshment. But they are also under threat: some stand in the way of progress', and all are becoming increasingly vulnerable to disease and climate change.In Trees and Woodlands, George Peterken brings together decades of scientific research, while also incorporating his personal experiences, to explore the ecology, nature conservation and wider cultural value of our native trees and shrubs, and the various ways they have combined as woodland. Peterken accepts that all woodlands have been shaped by people as well as nature, and heTrade ReviewGeorge Peterken has written a multilayered book about British woodland that is hugely informative, laced with insights and opinions, and superbly illustrated with carefully chosen photographs, most of which were taken by himself. Few, if any, people can match Peterken’s knowledge of the woodlands of Britain built over a long career embracing intertwined strands of research, conservation and forestry -- Rob Fuller * British Wildlife *This is a fascinating and insightful commentary on trees and our relationship with them. * Countryside *I doubt there is anyone living who is better experienced and skilled to write this book ... George Peterken's book is the one for you. * BSBI News *Yet another great example of the British Wildlife Collection […] I loved this book * Birdwatching Magazine *Peterken writes very clearly and complex issues are carefully explained in a straightforward and entertaining manner. The book is beautifully produced and the photographs and tables add greatly to the strong line of argument … a splendid book which will be invaluable for all those with an interest in landscape history, conservation and management -- Charles Watkins * Landscape History *Table of ContentsPreface 1. Introducing woodlands 2. The forms of trees and shrubs 3. Forest dominants 4. Pioneers, small trees, shrubs and climbers 5. Natural woodland 6. History: how people have used woodland 7. Woodland types 8. Woodland and trees as habitats 9. Utility and well-being 10. Cultural appreciation of woodland 11. Looking forward Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"An excellent grounding in how fire functions, how we think about it and why that matters. In Pyne’s hands, fire becomes more than simply a natural phenomenon." * Los Angeles Times *"Stephen J. Pyne takes a measured, historical, and ecological approach to fire. . . . [A] brief but highly impactful book." * Science *"The Pyrocene is his fullest elucidation yet of how humanity has entered a new age of fire, one that redefines the human-altered era of the Anthropocene. And Pyne . . . is certainly the best writer to make this argument." * Nature *"The Pyrocene may be just the type of analysis that we need to reformulate our understanding of fire and to prepare for the longue duree of a fire age." * Natural Resources and Environment *"A tremendous read, an incisive account of the history and science of fire alongside the evolution of hominids." * Organic Gardener *"Pyne’s book is [a] wonderful and worthy read." * Metascience *"A sweeping, deep biological and geological history of the Earth and how its human inhabitants have for the first time shaped its current state and future." * Utah Historical Quarterly * "Pyne’s book is another wonderful and worthy read. It is a culmination of his work and thinking about fire spanning over forty years." * Springer Nature *Table of ContentsPrologue: Between Three Fires 1 Fire Planet: Fire Slow, Fire Fast, Fire Deep 2 The Pleistocene 3 Fire Creature: Living Landscapes 4 Fire Creature: Lithic Landscapes 5 The Pyrocene Epilogue: Sixth Sun Author's Note Notes Bibliographic Essay Index

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive introduction to tropical ecologyThis full-color illustrated textbook offers the first comprehensive introduction to all major aspects of tropical ecology. It explains why the world''s tropical rain forests are so universally rich in species, what factors may contribute to high species richness, how nutrient cycles affect rain forest ecology, and how ecologists investigate the complex interrelationships among flora and fauna. It covers tropical montane ecology, riverine ecosystems, savanna, dry forestand more.Tropical Ecology begins with a historical overview followed by a sweeping discussion of biogeography and evolution, and then introduces students to the unique and complex structure of tropical rain forests. Other topics include the processes that influence everything from species richness to rates of photosynthesis: how global climate change may affect rain forest characteristics and function; how fragmentation of ecosystems affects species richness and ecological processes; human ecology in the tropics; biodiversity; and conservation of tropical ecosystems and species.Drawing on real-world examples taken from actual research, Tropical Ecology is the best textbook on the subject for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. Offers the first comprehensive introduction to tropical ecology Describes all the major kinds of tropical terrestrial ecosystems Explains species diversity, evolutionary processes, and coevolutionary interactions Features numerous color illustrations and examples from actual research Covers global warming, deforestation, reforestation, fragmentation, and conservation The essential textbook for advanced undergraduates and graduate students Suitable for courses with a field component Leading universities that have adopted this book include: Biola University Bucknell University California State University, Fullerton Colorado State University - Fort Collins Francis Marion University Michigan State University Middlebury College Northern Kentucky University Ohio Wesleyan University St. Mary''s College of Maryland Syracuse University Tulane University University of California, Santa Cruz University of Central Florida University of Cincinnati University of Florida University of Missouri University of New Mexico University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of the West Indies Trade Review"Overall, an ideal resource for a tropical ecology course."--Choice "Tropical Ecology provides a superb introduction to the tropics. Kricher does a remarkable job at bringing together an enormous amount of information and presenting it in an accessible but rigorous way. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and certainly recommend it."--John G. Blake, Biotropica "[A]n excellent college text ... it will become my tropical ecology shelf resource."--Wildlife Activist "Tropical Ecology has 15 chapters and is broadly organized into four sections: a large section dealing with biodiversity in tropical rain forests, a section on productivity and nutrient cycling, a section on other ecosystems in the tropics, and a final section on human ecology in the tropics, including relevant issues in conservation. The first chapter gives an overview of tropical ecology, providing a nice background on the rich history of tropical fieldwork including that of Darwin, Wallace, and Humboldt. It provides a useful synopsis of the advances in tropical ecology over the years. It further gives a nice overview of all the biomes around the world, and a wonderfully succinct and accessible summary of the climatic processes that create the global diversity in biomes... In general ... Kricher was successful in convincing the reader about the unique contributions of tropical ecology to our understanding of ecological processes, especially to our understanding of how biodiversity is generated and maintained. This textbook is a wonderful starting point or reference for students and those generally interested in learning more about tropical ecology."--Ecology "Tropical Ecology by John Kricher unifies both perspectives to a great textbook. While reviewing the different conceptual angels that are necessary to grasp the ecology of the world's tropics, many well-chosen examples illustrate the need to be aware of countless 'descriptive' facts and phenomena before theories can be used to explain them. By viewing topics from many different angles (such as climate, plant physiology, behaviour, evolution, geology), the book makes clear the multidisciplinarity of understanding tropical ecosystems... I think it is a great dual-purpose book. With its non-technical style, nice colour pictures and graphs, and good didactical organization (e.g., boxes for special case stories; accompanying slides for lecturing on http://press.princeton.edu/links/kricher/) it makes a highly recommended, multidisciplinary textbook for academic teaching. At the same time it can be used as a comprehensive review of the state of the art and as a guide to recent original literature for graduate students and researchers starting new on one of the topics."--Jan Beck, Elsevier "As this textbook follows at the heels of Kricher's successful Neotropical Companion, it is no surprise that the text is clearly written and should be accessible to undergraduate and starting graduate students, the primary target of this text. The textbook is written in a narrative that, despite its length, is easy to digest. Kricher uses approachable examples with clear illustrations, and the text is well organized. As a whole, the textbook is nicely done and should provide a wonderful complement for a course in tropical ecology."--J. Albert C. Uy, Ecological Society of America "The book can be dipped into for an in-depth read on many subjects and it is liberally scattered with colour photographs, graphs and quotes from many current research papers. Overall this is a comprehensive account of the ecology of the neotropics and is highly recommended for students."--John Feltwell, Biologist "I think it is a great dual-purpose book. With its non-technical style, nice colour pictures and graphs, and good didactical organization ... it makes a highly recommended, multidisciplinary textbook for academic teaching. At the same time it can be used as a comprehensive review of the state of the art and as a guide to recent original literature for graduate students and researchers starting new on one of the topics."--Jan Beck, Basic and Applied Ecology "Kricher has written the text in an easy to read style, which makes the study of the subject pleasurable, rather than a chore. Overall, Kricher provides a great text for the beginning and advanced student. I would recommend it as a text for students to obtain a good understanding of the concepts of tropical ecology."--Noel D. Preece, Austral EcologyTable of ContentsACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii INTRODUCTION 1 Chapter 1: What and Where Are the Tropics? 6 Chapter 2: Biogeography and Evolution in the Tropics 38 Chapter 3: Inside Tropical Rain Forests: Structure 79 Chapter 4: Inside Tropical Rain Forests: Biodiversity 109 Chapter 5: A Study in Biodiversity: Rain Forest Tree Species Richness 154 Chapter 6: A Shifting Mosaic: Rain Forest Development and Dynamics 188 Chapter 7: Biotic Interactions and Coevolution in Tropical Rain Forests 227 Chapter 8: Trophic Dynamics in Evolutionary Context 272 Chapter 9: Carbon Flux and Climate Change in Tropical Ecosystems 323 Chapter 10: Nutrient Cycling and Tropical Soils 359 Chapter 11: Tropical Savannas and Dry Forests 390 Chapter 12: Other Tropical Ecosystems: From the Mountains to the Rivers to the Sea 422 Chapter 13: Humans as Part of Tropical Ecosystems: Focus on the Neotropics 469 Chapter 14: Forest Fragmentation and Biodiversity 500 Chapter 15: Conservation Outlook for the Tropics 530 APPENDIX: GEOLOGIC TIME CHART 565 LITERATURE CITED 566 ILLUSTRATION CREDITS 594 INDEX 606

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Book SynopsisIn The Medea Hypothesis, renowned paleontologist Peter Ward proposes a revolutionary and provocative vision of life's relationship with the Earth's biosphere--one that has frightening implications for our future, yet also offers hope. Using the latest discoveries from the geological record, he argues that life might be its own worst enemy. This staTrade ReviewOne of the 2009 New York Times Magazine's 9th Annual Featured Books in Ideas "Ward holds the Gaia Hypothesis, and the thinking behind it, responsible for encouraging a set of fairy-tale assumptions about the earth, and he'd like his new book, due out this spring, to help puncture them. He hopes not only to shake the philosophical underpinnings of environmentalism, but to reshape our understanding of our relationship with nature, and of life's ultimate sustainability on this planet and beyond."--Drake Bennett, Boston Globe "Author and Earth Sciences professor Ward has authored numerous books for non-specialists; this latest is a critical response to James Lovelock's Gaia concept, which argues that homeostatic physical and chemical interactions work to maintain Earth's habitability. Ward argue, passionately, that the opposite is true--that living organisms decrease Earth's habitability, hastening its end by perhaps a billion years."--PublishersWeekly.com "When avid science readers browse the shelves for new titles, the books that grab their attention are best described by a single adjective: thought-provoking. And no scientist/author is more provocative in his approach and innovative in his thinking than University of Washington astrobiologist Peter Ward ... [R]eaders looking for solace will not find it in Ward's latest effort, The Medea Hypothesis. This time Ward goes after motherhood itself--or at least the central idea of the Gaia ('good mother') hypothesis that has evolved to describe the relationship between life and the planet as a whole."--Fred Bortz, Seattle Times "Reading the book will widen your field of vision about life on earth, which is still there after about 4 billion years."--Dr. Hein van Bohemen, Ecological Engineering "The point of The Medea Hypothesis is that life, rather than helping to regulate the Earth 'System' by negative feedbacks, does all it can to consume the resources available--sowing the seeds of its own extinction."--Dr. Henry Gee, BBC Focus Magazine "[Ward] makes his points succinctly and supports them well."--Rebecca Wigood, Vancouver Sun "[The Medea Hypothesis] is an interesting intellectual exercise on the history of life."--Choice "Ward ... adopts the tone of a planetary mortician gruesomely interested in his subject's decease. Ward is an expert on mass extinctions, and the subject seems to have infected his general outlook. He does not come across a happy camper."--Roger Gathman, Austin American-Statesman "The Medea Hypothesis is a valuable and well-needed challenge to the hegemony of Gaian thought, and this is a very clearly presented and thought provoking book... Ward's book is a crucial step in opening this debate and I would certainly recommend reading it, but with a critical eye open for chinks in the argument."--Lewis Dartnell, Astrobiology Society of BritainTable of ContentsIntroduction ix Chapter 1: Darwinian Life 1 Chapter 2: What Is Evolutionary "Success"? 14 Chapter 3: Two Hypotheses about the Nature of Life on Earth 24 Chapter 4: Medean Feedbacks and Global Processes 55 Chapter 5: Medean Events in the History of Life 72 Chapter 6: Humans as Medeans 91 Chapter 7: Biomass through Time as a Test 98 Chapter 8: Predicted Future Trends of Biomass 114 Chapter 9: Summation 126 Chapter 10: Environmental Implications and Courses of Action 128 Chapter 11: What Must Be Done 141 References 157 Index 173

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Book SynopsisExpanding and updating H.A. Stephens's 1969 classic, this handbook offers full descriptions of woody plant species found in the wild in Kansas, 138 of them native. County-level distribution maps show where species have been documented, and nearly 1,000 color photographs highlight morphological features - habit, bark, leaves, flowers, and fruit.Trade ReviewThe authors provide not only updated and detailed descriptions plus excellent color photos but also fascinating plant associations, such as using sand sagebrush as relief for intestinal ailments, and insect relationships, such as gall psyllids and hackberry. The organization and plant keys make available quick access to information about 166 Kansas species. A first-rate guide to the woody plants of Kansas!"" - Iralee Barnard, author of Field Guide to the Common Grasses of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska

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Book SynopsisA clear grasp of economics is essential to understanding why environmental problems arise and how we can address them. So it is with good reason that Markets and the Environment has become a classic text in environmental studies since its first publication in 2007. Now thoroughly revised with updated information on current environmental policy and real-world examples of market-based instruments, the primer is more relevant than ever. The authors provide a concise yet thorough introduction to the economic theory of environmental policy and natural resource management. They begin with an overview of environmental economics before exploring topics including cost-benefit analysis, market failures and successes, and economic growth and sustainability. Readers of the first edition will notice new analysis of cost estimation as well as specific market instruments, including municipal water pricing and waste disposal. Particular attention is paid to behavioural economics and cap-and-trade programmes for carbon. Throughout, Markets and the Environment is written in an accessible, student-friendly style. It includes study questions for each chapter, as well as clear figures and relatable text boxes. The authors have long understood the need for a book to bridge the gap between short articles on environmental economics and tomes filled with complex algebra. Markets and the Environment makes clear how economics influences policy, the world around us, and our own lives.

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Book SynopsisThe pace, intensity, and scale at which humans have altered our planet in recent decades is unprecedented. We have dramatically transformed landscapes and waterways through agriculture, logging, mining, and fire suppression, with drastic impacts on public health and human well-being. What can we do to counteract and even reverse the worst of these effects? Restore damaged ecosystems. The Primer of Ecological Restoration is a succinct introduction to the theory and practice of ecological restoration as a strategy to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems. In twelve brief chapters, the book introduces readers to the basics of restoration project planning, monitoring, and adaptive management. It explains abiotic factors such as landforms, soil, and hydrology that are the building blocks to successfully recovering microorganism, plant, and animal communities. Additional chapters cover topics such as invasive species and legal and financial considerations. Each chapter concludes with recommended reading and reference lists, and the book can be paired with online resources for teaching. Perfect for introductory classes in ecological restoration or for practitioners seeking constructive guidance for real-world projects, Primer of Ecological Restoration offers accessible, practical information on recent trends in the field.

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Book SynopsisFloods, fires, famines, epidemics and disasters of all kinds are on the increase, and as their frequency rises so does the call for greater resilience. But what does that mean? The word is used differently in psychology, ecology, economics and engineering and runs the risk of becoming meaningless jargon. This would be most unfortunate because, if we are to successfully navigate very real and dangerous global trends, it is resilience that needs to be understood and fostered. Finding Resilience is international in scope and unravels how ecosystems, societies and people cope with disturbance and adversity. Written for a general readership and based on the experiences of researchers, the fascinating stories from around the world reveal what resilience is, how it works in different kinds of systems, how it is expressed, and how it can be gained and lost.Table of Contents1: WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? 1: Connections in a changing world 2: Another pathway 2: ENCOUNTERING RESILIENCE IN NATURE 3: Living together in ecosystems 4: Ecological choreography 5: Disturbance, change and diversity 3: THE NATURE OF RESILIENCE IN SOCIETY 6: Coping with life 7: Living together in society 8: Weathering crises 4: NATURE, SOCIETY AND RESILIENCE 9: Unintended outcomes 10: Growing pains 5: A WAY FORWARD 11: Changing cultures 12: A resilience pathway

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[Insects and Their Beneficial Microbes] is no small undertaking. . . . This is a decades-overdue and much-needed overview of the diversity of insect-microbe associations."---Alison Ravenscraft, Quarterly Review of Biology

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