Earth sciences Books

Book SynopsisTable of ContentsPART 1. GEOLOGY Exercise 1. The Study of Minerals Exercise 2. Rocks and the Rock Cycle Exercise 3. Plate Tectonics Exercise 4. Earthquakes and Earth's Interior Exercise 5. Volcanism and Volcanic Hazards Exercise 6. Geologic Maps, Block Diagrams, and Rock Structures Exercise 7. Aerial Photographs, Satellite Images, and Topographic Maps Exercise 8. Shaping Earth's Surface: Running Water and Groundwater Exercise 9. Shaping Earth's Surface: Arid and Glacial Landscapes Exercise 10. Geologic Time PART 2. OCEANOGRAPHY Exercise 11. Introduction to Oceanography Exercise 12. Waves, Currents, and Tides PART 3. METEOROLOGY Exercise 13. Earth-Sun Relationships Exercise 14. Heating the Atmosphere Exercise 15. Atmospheric Moisture, Pressure, and Wind Exercise 16. Air Masses, Midlatitude Cyclones, and Weather Maps Exercise 17. Global Climates PART 4. ASTRONOMY Exercise 18. Astronomical Observations Exercise 19. Patterns in the Solar System Exercise 20. Locating the Planets Exercise 21. Exercise A mining the Terrestrial Planets Exercise 22. Motions of the Earth-Moon System PART 5. EARTH SCIENCE SKILLS Exercise 23. Location and Distance on Earth Exercise 24. The Metric System, Measurements, and Scientific Inquiry

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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 SynopsisFire is rarely out of the headlines, from large natural wildfires raging across the Australian or Californian countrysides to the burning of buildings such as the disasters of Grenfell tower and Notre Dame. Fire on these scales can represent a serious risk to human life and property. But the advent of fire made and controlled by humans also represented a crucial point in our evolution, allowing us to cook our food, forge our weapons, and warm our homes.This Very Short Introduction covers the fundamentals of fire, whether wild or under human control, starting with the basics of ignition, combustion, and fuel. Andrew Scott considers both natural wildfires and the role of humans in making and suppressing fire. Despite frightening reports of wildfire destruction, he also shows how landscape fires have been part of our planet''s history for 400 million years, and do not always have to be extinguished. He also considers the problem of fires in urban settings, including new ways to prevent fires. The cost of wildfire can be steep - as well as the burning, post-fire erosion and flooding can have a great impact on both humans and the environment. It can also have a lasting effect in shaping ecosystems and plant life. Scott ends by examining the relationship between fire and the climate, and considering the future of wildfire in a warming world.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements List of Illustrations 1: The elements of fire 2: The deep history of fire 3: Fire and humankind 4: Containing and suppressing fire 5: New technologies and changing fire policies 6: Fire and climate change References Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisAn earthquake shatters Haiti and a hurricane slices through Texas. We hear that nature runs rampant, seeking to destroy us through these ''natural disasters''. Science recounts a different story, however: disasters are not the consequence of natural causes; they are the consequence of human choices and decisions. We put ourselves in harm''s way; we fail to take measures which we know would prevent disasters, no matter what the environment does.This can be both hard to accept, and hard to unravel. A complex of factors shape disasters. They arise from the political processes dictating where and what we build, and from social circumstances which create and perpetuate poverty and discrimination. They develop from the social preference to blame nature for the damage wrought, when in fact events such as earthquakes and storms are entirely commonplace environmental processes. We feel the need to fight natural forces, to reclaim what we assume is ours, and to protect ourselves from what we perTrade ReviewThe main message of this book is that disasters are not natural. Societies and humanity choose to create them. We can also, with insight, economic resources and political will, choose to prevent them ... I hope that this book is widely read and its message heeded. * Brent Wilson, The Geological Society *A choose-your-ending book for grown-ups facing a world full of real-life monsters. * Kendra Reed, AIPT Comics *Grimly informative. * Andrew Robinson, Nature *I hope that this book is widely read and its message heeded. * Brent Wilson, Geoscientist *Disaster by Choice demonstrates in a vivid and engaging way why big issues like the current climate crisis, where people are starting to accept that their actions can contribute to a collective result on a global scale, are just the tip of the iceberg. * Dominic Lenton, Engineering & Technology *[An] engaging book filled with rich examples and details of specific historical events Kelmans succinct and generally lucid account of the state of knowledge within the field, will likely be useful to a wide range of readers. * Journal of Disaster Risk Studies *You can tell that Kelman had a clear, well-defined vision for the book. The writing is concise and to the point, resulting in a quick read ... Disaster by Choice really brings the examples and recommendations down to our daily lives and practices to make them more impactful. * Scott Miles, Impact 360 *This is an excellent little book that crystallises ideas about the influence and impact of human actions on natural catastrophes into a thoughtful and informative narrative, concluding - and rightly so - that there is no such thing as a natural disaster. A must-read book. * Professor Bill McGuire, author of Waking the Giant *This perfectly crafted and well written book ... is long overdue, much needed and greatly welcomed. * James Lewis, Buildings & Cities *Table of ContentsPrelude: Disasters are not natural 1: An island shattered 2: Nature's hazards 3: The story of vulnerability 4: Vulnerability by choice 5: Making the choice 6: Making the change Endnotes Further reading

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a critical update of the most recent and innovative developments of avalanche science. It aims at re-founding avalanche science on clear scientific bases, from field observations and experiments up to mathematical and physical analysis and modeling. In this respect, it stands in a still unoccupied but fundamental niche amidst the abundant avalanche literature.In the current context of a accelerated climate warming, the book also discusses possible evolutions of snow cover extent and stability. It also shows how the present analysis can be extended, in mountainous areas, to other gravitationally induced phenomena that are likely to take over from avalanches under specific circumstances.The text is supported by online links to field experiments and lectures on triggering mechanisms, risk management, and decision making.Trade ReviewProvides the best overall understanding of avalanche science in the most practical way. * Henry Schniewind, Director of Henry's Avalanche Talk (HAT), London and Val d'Isère *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION SNOW, AN INTRIGUING, COMPLEX AND CHANGEABLE SOLID 2.1: From ice to snow 2.2: Snow crystals 2.3: From snowfalls to snow layers 2.4: Snow as a granular medium 2.5: Snow as a porous medium: the concept of percolation BASICS OF DEFORMATION, FRACTURE AND FRICTION PROCESSES 3.1: Deformation of solids 3.2: Fracture initiation and extension 3.3: Griffith's criterion 3.4: The brittle to ductile transition 3.5: Coulomb's law of friction SLAB AVALANCHE RELEASE: DATA AND FIELD EXPERIMENTS 4.1: Geometry and dynamical characteristics 4.2: Statistical aspects: scale invariance 4.3: The weak layer, starting point for slab avalanche release 4.4: Stability and Bridging indexes SLAB AVALANCHE MODELING 5.1: Old myths and beliefs to shoot down 5.2: Basis for modeling 5.3: Statistical approach: Playing with cellular 5.4: Sliding or sticking? 5.5: Slab avalanche release in four steps SUPERFICIAL AND FULL-DEPTH AVALANCHES 6.1: Loose snow avalanches 6.2: Full depth avalanches 6.3: Summary SNOW AND AVALANCHES IN A CLIMATE WARMING CONTEXT 7.1: Climate change 7.2: Possible consequences on avalanching SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION APPENDIX A COMPLEXITY AND CRITICAL PHENOMENA A1: From simple to complex systems A2: Scale invariance and self-organized criticality APPENDIX B MODELING A FLUID TO SOLID PHASE TRANSITION IN SNOW WEAK-LAYERS. B1: A fluid to solid phase transition in healable granular materials B2: Application to slab avalanche release APPENDIX C STABILITY OF A SINTERED WEAK LAYER DISK SURROUNDED BY A RING-SHAPED FLUID WEAK LAYER ZONE

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Book SynopsisShows that geomagnetism is an enduring area of science, one that offers answers to some of the biggest questions about our planet's past - and maybe even its future. Suitable for those who have struggled with a compass or admired a ragged V of migrating geese, this book demonstrates that education and entertainment need not be polar opposites.Trade Review"If you're looking for a gift for a self-described geek drawn to science books like an iron filing to a magnet, then consider Our Magnetic Earth, a fascinating explanation of that mysterious force." (Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune)"

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Book SynopsisExplores animal body size from a macroecological perspective, examining species, populations, and other large groups of animals in order to uncover the patterns and causal mechanisms of body size throughout time and across the globe.Trade Review"This diverse collection provides a fascinating glimpse into a fundamental property of animal communities: the distribution of body sizes. With a stimulating integration of ecology and paleobiology that addresses the interplay of structure, function, the environment, and evolutionary history, this compilation is sure to appeal to a broad readership. By bringing to the forefront a suite of unanswered questions, the contributors' efforts will motivate exciting new research into how communities are structured across space and through time." (Rebecca Terry, Oregon State University)"

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Book SynopsisThis work demonstrates the advantages of macroecology for conservation, showing how it allows scientists to look beyond endangered species and ecological communities in order to consider the long history and large geographic scale of human impacts.

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Book SynopsisOriginally published anonymously in 1844, "Vestiges" was the first attempt to connect the natural sciences to a history of creation. This volume includes Chambers's earliest works on cosmology, an essay on Darwin and an autobiographical essay. It also features a new introduction by James Secord.

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Book SynopsisEconomic research on climate change has been crucial in advancing our understanding of the consequences associated with global warming as well as the costs and benefits of policies that might reduce emissions. This volume looks at the possible effects of various climate policies on economic outcomes.

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Book SynopsisThe Sourcebook on the Environment, produced in conjunction with the Association of American Geographers, provides a much-needed, objective, and comprehensive guide to environmental studies. Twenty-six specialists have compiled and critically annotated commentaries on the sources treating a broad spectrum of crucial issues, ranging from resource scarcity to the environmental impact of urbanization. Their syntheses of information encompass questions of both long-range value (Environment and the Quality of Life) and immediate utility (Solid Waste and Resource Recovery) as well as thoroughgoing state-of-the-art reviews (Energy and the Environment). Beginning with an introduction to various philosophies and perspectives, the Sourcebook examines major elements of the environment and selected case studies of human alteration of our surroundings. The essential references in each field are carefully presented, and directions are given for examining more advanced and specialized works. Appendixes on selected periodicals, the latest relevant federal legislation, and environmental organizations point to further areas of investigation. To maintain its value in this volatile area, this indispensable work will be periodically revised and updated.

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Book SynopsisThe environmental movement is plagued by pessimism. And that's not unreasonable: with so many complicated, seemingly intractable problems facing the planet, coupled with a need to convince people of the dangers we face, it's hard not to focus on the negative But that paints an unbalanced-and overly disheartening-picture of what's going on with environmental stewardship today. There are success stories, and Our Once and Future Planet delivers a fascinating account of one of the most impressive areas of current environmental experimentation and innovation: ecological restoration. Veteran investigative reporter Paddy Woodworth has spent years traveling the globe and talking with people-scientists, politicians, and ordinary citizens-who are working on the front lines of the battle against environmental degradation. At sites ranging from Mexico to New Zealand and Chicago to Cape Town, Woodworth shows us the striking successes (and a few humbling failures) of groups that are attempting to

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Book SynopsisEarth has been witness to mammoths and dinosaurs, global ice ages, continents colliding or splitting apart, and comets and asteroids crashing catastrophically to the surface, as well as the birth of humans who are curious to understand it. But how was all this discovered? How was the evidence for it collected and interpreted? And what kinds of people have sought to reconstruct this past that no human witnessed or recorded? In this sweeping and accessible book, Martin J. S. Rudwick, the premier historian of the Earth sciences, tells the gripping human story of the gradual realization that the Earth's history has not only been unimaginably long but also astonishingly eventful. Rudwick begins in the seventeenth century with Archbishop James Ussher, who famously dated the creation of the cosmos to 4004 BC. His narrative later turns to the crucial period of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, when inquisitive intellectuals, who came to call themselves geologists, began to in

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Book SynopsisA fine treatment of this critical time in geology's history. Although it goes against our standard histories of the field, Laudan defends her views convincingly. Her style is direct, with carefully reasoned personal opinions and interpretations clearly defined.Jere H. Lipps, The Scientist

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Book SynopsisFor most of history, people trusted mythology or religion to provide an answer to the pressing question of the earth's age. This title tells the fascinating story of how scientists and philosophers examined those clues and from them built a chronological scale that has made it possible to reconstruct the history of nature itself.Trade Review"Richet is fascinated by every speculation in the entire history of Western thought that bears upon the question of the earth's antiquity. The wonderful thing is that he succeeds in changing what might have been dry recitation into an almost Dickensian world of characters in conflict and in love." - William Bryant Logan, Globe and Mail "The story of how the age of the earth was determined is a marvelous concatenation of red herrings and presuppositions from which the truth eventually emerges.... I cannot imagine a better attempt at such a broad sweep through science and history.... Richet's natural history is - dare I say it? - timely." - Richard A. Fortey, Times Literary Supplement "Geology and natural science buffs will discover a rich, baroquely embellished birthday cake to dig into and enjoy." - Publishers Weekly"

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Book SynopsisExamines the ideas and practices of earth scientists throughout the Western world to show how the story of what we call "deep time" was pieced together. This title explores who was responsible for the discovery of the earth's history, and details how the study of the history of the earth helped define a new branch of science called geology.Trade Review"Bursting the Limits of Time is a massive work and is quite simply a master-piece of science history.... The book should be obligatory for every geology and history of science library, and is a highly recommended companion for every civilized geologist who can carry an extra 2.4 kg in his rucksack." - Stephen Moorbath, Nature "To describe Rudwick as 'scholarly' is rather like describing Mozart as 'musically talented.' He is omniscient, and it's greatly to be wished that this book becomes known beyond the ranks of historians of the recondite." - Richard Fortey, London Review of Books"

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Book SynopsisIn 1965 English scientist James Lovelock had a flash of insight: the Earth is not just teeming with life; the Earth, in some sense, is life. In this book, the author uses Gaia and its history, its supporters and detractors, to illuminate the nature of science itself.Trade Review"It is difficult to believe that yet another book on Darwin and the Darwinian Revolution could add anything new or contain any surprises. Michael Ruse's book is an exception on all counts. Darwin scholars and the general reader alike can learn from it." -David L. Hull, Nature "Useful and highly readable.... Skillfully organized and written with verve, imagination, and welcome touches of humor." -John C. Greene, Science"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Consisting of a stunning array of essays, poems, and interviews, this collection makes the case that the actions and perspectives of a single person can have a ripple effect across generations of people and nature. . . . Recommended for readers interested in environmentalism, anthropology, sociology, history, philosophy, and Indigenous peoples in the United States." * Library Journal *"A wonderfully unclassifiable book, What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be? challenges us to live not just for tomorrow, or for our children, but for many generations in the future. Featuring interviews with and essays by thinkers from across social disciplines—anthropologists, environmental activists, Indigenous leaders, sociologists, and more." * Book Culture Blog *"This compendium of poems, essays, and dialogues contains the voices of a range of writers and speakers from widely disparate cultures, traditions, and ethnicities, speaking out as they grapple with this question. The question itself causes one to pause, containing, as it does, an implicit instruction to consider one’s own ancestors and their/our relationship with the future. Who were they and what has their impact been upon ourselves and the world? How should or might we, ourselves, carry their influence into the future, while adding the work of our own lives to that stream?" * Resilience.org *"This volume edited by Hausdoerffer, Hecht, Nelson, and Cummings incorporates the work of 47 contributors addressing the urgent and central concern of establishing spiritual, social, and ecological continuity in this uncertain age. Employing diverse textual strategies and genres, including essays, ethnographic interviews, and poems, these authors are intent on communicating the understanding and reactions of indigenous people to the problem of providing guidance to future generations. Arguing that the world is currently in the throes of an ecological, economic, and political crisis, this study invites readers to seek essential new wisdom by exploring the traditional wisdom of indigenous ancestors, so as to embrace the role of "ancestor" in the present. . . .Highly recommended." * Choice *“What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be? explores the challenge of climate disruption and ecological disaster through poems, essays and interviews. By offering diverse responses from a worldly selection of multicultural voices, the book provokes examination and inspiration. At the same time, the collection delivers no easy answers. Instead, the responses are personal and detailed, thick with values and reflection." * Gunnison Country Times *“What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be? captures the deep dialogue, continuity, and resonance Indigenous peoples feel and espouse for ancestors, ourselves, our children—with a view for the now and for our very uncertain future. And yet, its audience is at once Indigenous and Universal. Weaving poetry, narrative, interview, essay, and spirit, it is a unique, landmark tapestry. Utterly timely and profoundly urgent.” -- Gregory Cajete, author of "Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence"“The questions this book raises are of such staggering importance and relevance today. I cried. I laughed. I smiled. Many reading moments, beautiful or tragic or just deeply human, are difficult to forget.” -- Jeffrey J. Kripal, author of "The Flip: Epiphanies of Mind and the Future of Knowledge"Table of ContentsIntroduction Poem: Unsigned Letter to a Human in the 21st Century Jamaal MayI. Embedded: Our ancestral responsibility is deeply rooted in a multigenerational relationship to place. a. Poem: Great Granddaddy Taiyon Coleman b. Essays: i. Ancestor of Fire Aaron A. Abeyta ii. Grounded Aubrey Streit Krug iii. My Home / It’s Called the Darkest Wild Sean Prentiss c. Interview: Wendell Berry Leah Bayens d. Poem: To the Children of the 21st Century Frances H. KakugawaII. Reckoning: Reckoning with ancestors causing and ancestors enduring historical trauma. a. Poem: Forgiveness? Shannon Gibney b. Essays: i. Sister’s Stories Eryn Wise ii. Of Land and Legacy Lindsay Lunsford iii. Cheddar Man Brooke Williams iv. Formidable Kathleen Dean Moore c. Interview: Caleen Sisk Brooke Parry Hecht and Toby McLeod d. Poem: Promises, Promises Frances H. KakugawaIII. Healing: Enhancing some ancestral cycles while breaking others. a. Poem: To Future Kin Brian Calvert b. Essays: i. Moving with the Rhythm of Life Katherine Kassouf Cummings ii. (A Korowai) For When You Are Lost Manea Sweeney iii. To Hope of Becoming Ancestors Princess Daazhraii Johnson and Julianne Warren c. Interview: Camille T. Dungy and Crystal Williams d. Poem: Yes I Will Frances H. KakugawaIV. Interwoven: Our descendants will know the kind of ancestor we are by reading the lands and waters where we lived. a. Poem: Alive in This Century Leora Gansworth b. Essays: i. What Is Your Rice? John Hausdoerffer ii. Restoring Indigenous Mindfulness within the Commons of Human Consciousness Jack Loeffler iii. Reading Records with Estella Leopold Curt Meine iv. How to Be Better Ancestors Winona LaDuke c. Interview: Wes Jackson John Hausdoerffer and Julianne Lutz Warren d. Poem: Omoiyare Frances H. KakugawaV. Earthly: Other-than-human beings are our ancestors, too. a. Poem: LEAF Elizabeth Herron b. Essays: i. The City Bleeds Out (Reflections on Lake Michigan) Gavin Van Horn ii. I Want the Earth to Know Me as a Friend Enrique Salmón iii. The Apple Tree Peter Forbes iv. Humus Catroina Sandilands v. Building Good Soil Robin Kimmerer c. Interview: Vandana Shiva John Hausdoerffer d. Poem: Your Inheritance Frances H. KakugawaVI. Seventh Fire a. Poem: Time Traveler Lyla June Johnston b. Essays: i. Seeds Native Youth Guardians of the Waters 2017 Participants and Nicola Wagenberg ii. Onëö’ (Word for Corn in Seneca) Kaylena Bray iii. Landing Oscar Guttierez iv. Regenerative Melissa K. Nelson v. Nourishing Rowen White vi. Light Rachel Wolfgramm and Chellie Spiller c. Interview: Ilarion Merculieff Brooke Parry Hecht d. Poem: Lost in the Milky Way Linda Hogan Acknowledgments Notes About the Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Quantitative ecology is the application of mathematical modeling and probability theory to ecological concepts. Kitzes provides a short introduction to the quantitative methods most relevant to an introductory undergraduate course in ecology. In addition to short chapters introducing the methods of quantitative ecology, 20 chapters each present a simple example that can be studied through a quantitative method. Each chapter extends to four or five pages. After presenting the chapter's problem, the appropriate mathematical method is explained. Kitzes presents readers with specific instructions on setting up the mathematical model in a spreadsheet. His writing style is very clear, employing only minimal jargon. The mathematics is limited to algebra, presenting a low barrier to students without much mathematical background. The methods include difference equations, probability, matrix models, and several others. . . . Recommended." * Choice *"Handbook of Quantitative Ecology is most valuable. The book clearly, briefly, and gently introduces readers to many quantitative approaches one can find used in ecology today . . . This book can (and should) be given to the enthusiastic undergraduate with an interest in ecology, the master’s or PhD student with little to no mathematical training, or a professor looking to develop or reshape a course in quantitative biology. The author beautifully illustrates how effective quantitative analysis can be for solving ecological questions." * The Quarterly Review of Biology *“A stroke of genius. Kitzes does an excellent job of translating the properties of biological systems into mathematical models, using basic logic and without any advanced math. His approach is a powerful way to demystify these models and make them intuitive.” -- Corlett Wolfe Wood, University of Pennsylvania“A low-threshold, high-ceiling introduction. Kitzes’s book will appeal to undergraduate and graduate students who wish to increase their quantitative understanding to be able to better engage with the literature (which has grown increasingly quantitative) and take the first step—a large leap, in fact—toward becoming practitioners of quantitative ecology.” -- Andrew Rominger, University of MaineTable of ContentsIntroduction Part I Change over Time Chapter 1 Introducing Difference Equations Chapter 2 Duckweed on a Pond: Exponential Growth Chapter 3 Throwing Shade I: Logistic Growth Chapter 4 Throwing Shade II: Lotka-Volterra Competition Chapter 5 Rabies Removal: SIR Models Part II Understanding Uncertainty Chapter 6 Introducing Probability Chapter 7 A Bird in the Cam I: Single-Variable Probability Chapter 8 A Bird in the Cam II: Two-Variable Probability Chapter 9 Picking Ticks: Bayes’s Rule Chapter 10 Rabbit Rates: Probability Distributions Part III Modeling Multiple States Chapter 11 Introducing Matrix Models Chapter 12 Imagine All the Beetles: Age-Structured Models Chapter 13 The Road to Succession: Transition Matrices Chapter 14 A Pair of Populations: Absorption Chapter 15 Fish Finders: Diffusion Part IV Explaining Data Chapter 16 Introducing Statistics Chapter 17 Seedling Counts I: Maximum Likelihood Chapter 18 Seedling Counts II: Model Selection Chapter 19 Flattened Frogs I: Generalized Linear Models Chapter 20 Flattened Frogs II: Hypothesis Testing Part V Expanding the Toolbox Chapter 21 Other Techniques Chapter 22 Bird Islands: Graphical Thinking Chapter 23 Max Plant Institute: Optimization Chapter 24 Bears with Me: Stochastic Simulation Chapter 25 Natives in the Neighborhood: Cellular Automata References Index

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Book SynopsisThe first English translation of Johannes Weigelt's 1927 classic makes available the seminal work in taphonomy, the study of how organisms die, decay, become entombed in sediments, and fossilize over time. Weigelt emphasized the importance of empirical work and made extensive observations of modern carcasses on the Texas Gulf Coast. He applied the results to evidence from the fossil record and demonstrated that an understanding of the postmortem fate of modern animals is crucial to making sound inferences about fossil vertebrate assemblages and their ecological communities. Weigelt spent sixteen months on the Gulf Coast in the mid-1920s, gathering evidence from the carcasses of cattle and other animals in the early stages of preservation. This book reports his observations. He discusses death and decomposition; classifies various modes of death (drowning, cold, dehydration, fire, mud, quicksand, oil slicks, etc.); documents and analyzes the positions of carcasses; presents detailed data on carcass assemblages at the Smither's Lake site in Texas; and, in a final chapter, makes comparisons to carcass assemblages from the geologic past. He raises questions about whether much of the fossil record is a product of unusual events and, if so, what the implications are for paleoecological studies. The English edition of Recent Vertebrate Carcasses includes a foreword and a translator's note that comment on Weigelt's life and the significance of his work. The original bibliography has been brought up to date, and, where necessary, updated scientific and place names have been added to the text in brackets. An index of names, places, and subjects is included, and Weigelt's own photographs of carcasses and drawings of skeletons illustrate the text.

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Book SynopsisThe first English translation of Johannes Weigelt's 1927 classic makes available the seminal work in taphonomy, the study of how organisms die, decay, become entombed in sediments, and fossilize over time. Weigelt emphasized the importance of empirical work and made extensive observations of modern carcasses on the Texas Gulf Coast. He applied the results to evidence from the fossil record and demonstrated that an understanding of the postmortem fate of modern animals is crucial to making sound inferences about fossil vertebrate assemblages and their ecological communities. Weigelt spent sixteen months on the Gulf Coast in the mid-1920s, gathering evidence from the carcasses of cattle and other animals in the early stages of preservation. This book reports his observations. He discusses death and decomposition; classifies various modes of death (drowning, cold, dehydration, fire, mud, quicksand, oil slicks, etc.); documents and analyzes the positions of carcasses; presents detailed data on carcass assemblages at the Smither's Lake site in Texas; and, in a final chapter, makes comparisons to carcass assemblages from the geologic past. He raises questions about whether much of the fossil record is a product of unusual events and, if so, what the implications are for paleoecological studies. The English edition of Recent Vertebrate Carcasses includes a foreword and a translator's note that comment on Weigelt's life and the significance of his work. The original bibliography has been brought up to date, and, where necessary, updated scientific and place names have been added to the text in brackets. An index of names, places, and subjects is included, and Weigelt's own photographs of carcasses and drawings of skeletons illustrate the text.

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Book SynopsisThis monograph attempts to unlock the mechanics of sedimentation, focusing on the production, accumulation and preservation of organic matter in marine and lacustrine sediments. The contributors cover a range of geological ages, as well as temperature and organic matter types.Table of ContentsContributors Acknowledgments Part I: Preliminaries 1. Introduction, by Jean K. Whelan and John W. Farrington 2. Reflections on the Career and Times of John M. Hunt, by Wallace G. Dow 3. Modeling Petroleum Generation in Sedimentary Basins, by John M. Hunt and R. J-C. Hennet Part II: Recent Sediments and Depositional Environments 4. Sources, Cycling, and Distribution of Water Column Particulate and Sedimentary Organic Matter in Northern Newfoundland Fjords and Bays: A Stable Isotope Study, by Nathaniel E. Ostrom and Stephen A. Macko 5. Organic Matter Accumulation, Remineralization, and Burial in an Anoxic Coastal Sediment, by C.S. Martens, Robert I. Haddad, and Jeffrey P. Chanton 6. Organic Carbon Remineralization and Preservation in Sediments of Skan Bay, Alaska, by Marc. J. Alperin, William S. Reeburgh, and Alan H. Devol 7. Preservation of Sargassum Under Anoxic Conditions: Molecular and Isotopic Evidence, by Mahlon c. Kennicutt II, Stephen A. Macko, H. Rodger Harvey, Robert R.Bidigare 8. Geochemical Features of Organic Matter in Sediment Cores from Lutzow-Holm Bay, Antarctica, by Genki I. Matsumoto, Eiji Matsumoto, Kiyotaka Sasaki, and Kunihiko Watanuki 9. Sedimentation and Preservation of Amino Compounds and Carbohydrates in Marine Sediments, by Jean K. Whelan and Kay-Christian Emeis 10. Hydrodynamic Controls of Anoxia in Shallow Lakes, by Paul W. Jewell Part III: Transition 11. Organic Carbon Accumulation and Preservation in Marine Sediments: How Important is Anoxia?, by Stephen E. Calvert and T.F. Pedersen 12. Early-Stage Incorporation of Sulfur Into Protokerogens and Possible Kerogen Precursors, by R.P. Philp, N. Suzuki, and A. Galvez-Sinibaldi 13. Bitumen Classification and Biomarker Correlation Studies Based on Organic Extracts from Neogene Gulf of California Sediments, by Paul A. Comet, J. McEvoy, and Mahlon C. Kennicutt II 14. Resolution of Sediment Hydrocarbon Sources: Multiparameter Approaches, by Mahlon C. Kennicutt II and Paul A. Comet 15. Biomarkers in Recent and Ancient Sediments: The Importance of the Diagenetic Continuum, by Simon C. Brassell 16. Natural Hydrous Pyrolysis: Petroleum Generation in Submarine Hhydrothermal Systems, by Bernd R.T. Simoneit 17. Stable Carbon Isotope Changes During the Maturation of Organic Matter, by Margarita E. Conkright and W.M. Sackett Part IV: Ancient Sediments 18. Source and Biomarker Composition Characteristics of Chinese Nonmarine Crude Oils, by Jiamo Fu and Guoying Sheng 19. Volatile Organic Compounds Associated with Oil Seepage Along the Northern Continental Slope of the Gulf of Mexico, by Thomas J. McDonald, Mahlon C. Kennicutt II, James M. Brooks, and Roger R. Fay 20. Maturity and Facies-Controlled Composition of the Organic Matter of Selected Oil Shales, by H. Wehner, H. Hufnagel, M. Teschner, and J. Koester 21. Organic Matter Response to Change of Depositional Environment in Kimmeridgian Shales, Dorset, U.K., by A.Y. Huc, E. Lallier-Verges, P. Bertrand, B. Carpentier, and D.J. Hollander 22. The Distribution and Generation of Hydrocarbons in Carbonate Source Rocks, by Kazuo Taguchi and Kazushi Mori Index

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Book SynopsisPresents the fundamental principles constructed from the nature of minerals and rocks to the plate tectonics.

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Book SynopsisThe science editor of the New York Times issues a call to arms for beach lovers and environmentalists in a beautifully written book that covers the science as well as the hubris-filled history of Americans' efforts to hold back the sea.Trade ReviewAgainst the Tide flashes like a metaphorical lighthouse to warn scientists, policymakers, and the public about the state of the shoreline. -- Tom Drake Science Entertaining and thoroughly thought provoking. American Scientist Dean powerfully argues [that] America may face a future of beachless beach towns. Time Magazine Dean has done a first-rate job of making coastal conservation interesting. Against the Tide would be good beach reading. -- David Rains Wallace New York Times Book Review To anyone interested in the preservation of the nation's beaches this is the handbook-incredibly well researched and interestingly presented. And that 'anyone'should be all of us for our beaches are a national heritage and a precious resource that we owe our future generations. -- Walter Cronkite Engaging yet informative... Y[oung] A[dult]s interested in environmental careers and beach lovers of all ages will get caught up in this book. Logically arranged and written in a straightforward style, it enables readers to look at the familiar with new and knowledgeable eyes. School Library Journal Dean has written a workmanlike description of the ongoing struggle to turn back the tide on America's beaches by pinning down our shorelines-defying their essential nature, a continual dance of destruction and renewal. -- Heather Dewar The Japan Times Dean's thoughtful and eloquent plea to save America's beaches from overdevelopment and erosion is destined to be a classic of environmental writing. Library Journal Best Books of 1999 For anyone who has ever walked along a beach in that Zen-like state that only beach walks provide, do not miss this book. Especially if you're a taxpayer... I honestly think this could be one of those rare books that changes government policy-at local, state, and federal levels. -- Molly Ivins Against the Tide should be a potent weapon in the environmental effort to save what remains of our natural coastline. Everyone who reads it will be forcefully reminded that the Bible was right: it is not a good idea to build your house upon the sand. -- Kate Barnes The Amicus Journal An eloquent, forceful plea to save America's rapidly eroding beaches and coastline. Publisher's Weekly Dean knows that the best advocacy is to lay out the whole story, all sides, fairly and neutrally... She has made her case so clearly and cleanly, with such persuasive examples, and so much credit where it is due, that I'm convinced. -- Ann Finkbeiner New York Times An engaging overview of the powerful natural forces at work on the beach and why the various manmade strategies designed to alter them either don't work at all or don't work as intended. -- John Manuel The Raleigh News & Observer Beachgoers, coastal residents, planners, and anyone with a love of the sea will enjoy reading this fascinating book about historic coastal communities, the ravages of past winter storms and summer hurricanes, and our often futile attempts to protect oceanfront property while preserving the beach. -- Margaret Ann Aycock Library Journal Dean's opening chapter on the hurricane that flattened Galveston in 1900... is worth the price of the book. Discover Dean... covers considerable territory as she details the persistent efforts of developers and developer-prodded government agencies to 'armor' the coast against the action of wind and waves. But 'nature,' she notes, usually 'has the last word,' undercutting seawalls and toppling houses. -- Michael Kenney Boston Globe Dean tells a gripping tale, drawing on her knowledge of the coasts of Massachusetts and New York, and on the experts who have spent a generation learning the working of sea and sand. -- Jeff Hecht New ScientistTable of Contents1. September, Remember 2. The Great Beach 3. Armor 4. Unkind Cuts 5. Unnatural Appetite 6. Cause and Effect 7. The Big One 8. Clues 9. Constituency of Ignorance 10. For Sale Epilogue

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Book SynopsisHow will patterns of human interaction with the earth's eco-system impact on biodiversity loss over the long term--not in the next ten or even fifty years, but on the vast temporal scale be dealt with by earth scientists? This volume brings together data from population biology, community ecology, comparative biology, and paleontology to answer this question.Table of ContentsIntroduction, by Michael McKinney List of Contributors 1. Biodiversity dynamics: Niche preemption and saturation in diversity equilibria, by Michael McKinney Part I. Phylogenetic Turnover: From Populations Through Higher Taxa 2. Do taxa persist as metapopulations in evolutionary time?, by Susan Harrison 3. Geographic range fragmentation and the evolution of biological diversity, by Brian Maurer and Phillip Nott 4. Detecting ecological pattern in phylogenies, by John Gittleman, C. Anderson, S. Cates, H-K Luh, H. Hilton, N. Leahy, R-L Wan 5. Testing models of speciation and extinction with phylogenetic trees of extant taxa, by Jody Hey, Holly Hinton, Nicholas Leahy, Rong-Lin Wang 6. Dynamics of diversification in state space, by Daniel W. McShea 7. Diversification of body sizes: patterns and processes in the assembly of terrestrial mammal faunas, by Douglas A. Kelt and James H. Brown 8. The role of development in evolutionary radiations, by Gunther J. Eble 9. Declining taxonomic turnover in geologic time, by Norman Gilinsky Part II. Community Turnover: From Populations Through Global Diversity 10. Scaling the ecosystem: A hierarchical view of stasis and change, by Kenneth M. Schopf and Linda C. Ivany 11. Nested patterns of species distribution: processes and implications, by Alan Cutler 12. Diversification of North American mammals: a test of equilibrial dynamics, by John Alroy 13. Scales of diversification and the Ordovician radiation, by Arnold I. Miller and Shuguang Mao 14. Preston's ergodic conjecture: the accumulation of species in space and time, by Michael L. Rosenweig 15. An intermediate disturbance hypothesis of maximal speciation, by Warren Allmon, Paul Morris, Michael McKinney 16. Turnover dynamics across ecological and geological scales, by Gareth Russell 17. Catastrophic fluctuations in nutrient levels as an agent of mass extinction: upward scaling of ecological processes?, by Ronald E. Martin 18. Scale-independent interpretations of macroevolutionary dynamics, by Richard B. Aronson and Roy E. Plotnick References Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA very intelligent presentation... Highly Recommended. Choice Of great value to anyone interested in policies influencing the future of the Amazon basin. Southeastern Naturalist An outstanding collection on the cultural and political ecology of native Amazonians and other traditional inhabitants of the region. -- Thomas Ludewigs Environmental Conservation

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Book SynopsisThis book discusses the impact of recent advances in the theory of "scaling relationships" and identifies critical issues that must be considered if experimental results are used to understand the temporal and spatial scales of actual ecosystems.Table of ContentsFigures Tables Contributors Preface I. Background 1. Scale Dependence and the Problem of Extrapolation: Implications for Experimental & Natural Coastal Ecosystems, by W. Michael Kemp, John E. Petersen, Robert H. Gardner II. Scaling Theory 2. Understanding the Problem of Scale in Experimental Ecology, by John A. Wiens 3. The Nature of the Scale Issue in Experimentation, by Timothy F. H. Allen 4. Spatial Allometry: Theory & Application to Experimental and Natural Aquatic Ecosystems, by David C. Schneider III. Scaling Mesocosms to Nature 5. Getting it Right and Wrong: Extrapolations Across Experimental Scales, by Michael L. Pace 6. Some Reluctant Ruminations on Scales (and Claws and Teeth) in Marine Mesocosms, by Scott Nixon 7. Evaluating and Modeling Foraging Performance of Planktivorous & Picivorous Fish: Effects of Containment and Issues of Scale, by Michael R. Heath & Edward D. Houde 8. Experimental Validity & Ecological Scale as Criteria for Evaluating Research Programs, by Shahid Naeem IV. Scale & Experiment in Different Ecosystems 9. Scaling Issues in Experimental Ecology: Fresh Water Systems, by Thomas M. Frost, Robert E. Ulanowicz, Steve C. Blomenshine, Timothy F. H. Allen 10. Terrestrial Perspectives on Issues of Scale in Experimental Ecology, by Anthony W. King, Robert H. Gardner, Colleen A. Hatfield, Shahid Naeem, John E. P 11. Issues of Scale in Land-Margin Ecosystems, by Walter R. Boynton, James D. Hagy, and Denise L. Breitburg 12. Scaling Issues in Marine Experimental Ecosystems: The Role of Patchiness, by David L. Scheurer, David C. Schneider, and Lawrence P. Sanford Index

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Book SynopsisThis book discusses the impact of recent advances in the theory of "scaling relationships" and identifies critical issues that must be considered if experimental results are used to understand the temporal and spatial scales of actual ecosystems.Table of ContentsFigures Tables Contributors Preface I. Background 1. Scale Dependence and the Problem of Extrapolation: Implications for Experimental & Natural Coastal Ecosystems, by W. Michael Kemp, John E. Petersen, Robert H. Gardner II. Scaling Theory 2. Understanding the Problem of Scale in Experimental Ecology, by John A. Wiens 3. The Nature of the Scale Issue in Experimentation, by Timothy F. H. Allen 4. Spatial Allometry: Theory & Application to Experimental and Natural Aquatic Ecosystems, by David C. Schneider III. Scaling Mesocosms to Nature 5. Getting it Right and Wrong: Extrapolations Across Experimental Scales, by Michael L. Pace 6. Some Reluctant Ruminations on Scales (and Claws and Teeth) in Marine Mesocosms, by Scott Nixon 7. Evaluating and Modeling Foraging Performance of Planktivorous & Picivorous Fish: Effects of Containment and Issues of Scale, by Michael R. Heath & Edward D. Houde 8. Experimental Validity & Ecological Scale as Criteria for Evaluating Research Programs, by Shahid Naeem IV. Scale & Experiment in Different Ecosystems 9. Scaling Issues in Experimental Ecology: Fresh Water Systems, by Thomas M. Frost, Robert E. Ulanowicz, Steve C. Blomenshine, Timothy F. H. Allen 10. Terrestrial Perspectives on Issues of Scale in Experimental Ecology, by Anthony W. King, Robert H. Gardner, Colleen A. Hatfield, Shahid Naeem, John E. P 11. Issues of Scale in Land-Margin Ecosystems, by Walter R. Boynton, James D. Hagy, and Denise L. Breitburg 12. Scaling Issues in Marine Experimental Ecosystems: The Role of Patchiness, by David L. Scheurer, David C. Schneider, and Lawrence P. Sanford Index

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Book SynopsisWhether discussing habitat placement for the northern spotted owl or black-tailed prairie dog or strategies for controlling exotic pests, this book explains how capturing ecological relationships across a landscape with pragmatic optimization models can be applied to real world problems.Trade ReviewReaders without an extensive background in mathematics should not shy away from this book. The authors present the mathematical techniques outlined in each section clearly and in a way that is accessible to students, academics, or professionals... This is both an intriguing and thought provoking book, that will be of interest to ecologists, geographers, and resource managers with an interest in spatial analysis. -- Peter Deadman EnvironmentsTable of ContentsPreface 1. Introduction Part I. Simple Proximity Relationships 2. Sedimentation 3. Stormflow Management 4. Natural Regeneration in Any-aged Forest Management 5. Combining Simulation with Optimization: Habitat Placement for the Northern Spotted Owl Part II. Reaction-Diffusion Models6. Characteristics of the Discrete Reaction-Diffusion Model 7. The Basic Model: Habitat Placement for the Black-Footed Ferret 8. Population-Dependent Dispersal: Habitat Placement for the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog 9. Topography-Based Dispersal: Habitat Location for the Western Prairie Fringed Orchid 10. Habitat Edge Effects Part III. Control Models 11. Strategies for Controlling Exotic Pests 12. Strategies for Controlling Wildfire Part IV. Using Optimization to Develop Hypotheses About Ecosystems 13. Multi-Scaled Ecological Limiting Factors 14. Carbon Fixation in Trees as an Optimization Process 15 Postscript References Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis book deserves significant attention... Recommended. Choice The author offers the most careful treatment available of our moral obligations specifically to animals in the wild. -- Jason Zinser Quarterly Review of Biology It makes an original and important contribution to the philosophical literature on animal ethics and would make an excellent textbook for an introductory philosophy course in animal ethics, as it introduces readers to a range of theories, problems, and arguments as well as developing the author's own thought-provoking position. -- Chloe Taylor Journal for Critical Animal StudiesTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Animals' Capacities and Moral Status 2. Capacity-Oriented Accounts of Animal Ethics 3. Capacities, Contexts, and Relations 4. Wildness, Domestication, and the Laissez-faire Intuition 5. Developing a New, Relational Approach 6. Past Harms and Special Obligations 7. Some Problems and Questions 8. Puzzling Through Some Cases Conclusion Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisIs anthropomorphism a scientific sin? This book investigates the changing patterns of anthropomorphism across different time periods and settings, as well as their transformative effects, both figuratively and literally, upon animals, humans, and their interactions.Trade ReviewThinking with Animals...will surely join the growing literature on consciousness, animal cognition, and the continuity between human and animal minds. -- Juliet Clutton-Brock Nature Thoughtful and well researched... The interdisciplinary nature of this collection makes it a valuable addition. -- Robert B. Ridinger E-Streams An interesting and elegantly produced book. -- Alan Costall AnthrozoosTable of ContentsPreface Introduction. The How and Why of Thinking with Animals, by Lorraine Daston and Gregg Mitman 1. Zoomorphism in Ancient India: Humans More Bestial Than the Beasts, by Wendy Doniger 2. Intelligences: Angelic, Animal, Human, by Lorraine Daston 3. The Experimental Animal in Victorian Britain, by Paul S. White 4. Comparative Psychology Meets Evolutionary Biology: Morgan's Canon and Cladistic Parsimony, by Elliott Sober 5. Anthropomorphism and Cross-Species Modeling, by Sandra D. Mitchell 6. People in Disguise: Anthropomorphism and the Human-Pet Relationship, by James A. Serpell 7. Digital Beasts as Visual Esperanto: Getty Images and the Colonization of Sight, by Cheryce Kramer 8. Pachyderm Personalities: The Media of Science, Politics, and Conservation, by Gregg Mitman 9. Reflections on Anthropomorphism in The Disenchanted Forest, by Sarita Siegel

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Book SynopsisSince the early days of traveling menageries and staged attractions that included animal acts, balloon ascents, and pyrotechnic displays, zoos have come a long way. This book presents the evolution of zoos and the expectations of their visitors. It reveals the hazards and rewards of running a modern zoo.Trade ReviewThe author entertains while educating the reader...an excellent introduction to the zoo world...the best single book to give teens who want to work in a zoo. -- Nancy Bent Booklist A thorough tour of zoos...His professional concern for animal care qualifies him to present fairly a comprehensive look. Library Journal Robinson's wry tone, coupled with his intimate knowledge of zoo animals and melancholic love for them, makes Life at the Zoo eerily compelling. -- Kate Callen San Diego Union-Tribune People not involved in the zoo field will probably enjoy this behind the scenes look into what happens at the zoo. It is also a good addition to any zookeeper's personal collection if you enjoy reading zoo related books. -- Nannette Driver Animal Keepers' Forum: The Journal of the American Association of Zoo Keepers Life at the Zoo is more than a personal memoir of an illustrious career, it is a wise and witty reflection on all aspects of zoo life. -- John Bonner New Scientist His plain-spoken descriptions of these close encounters make for the most vivid reading. -- Julia M. Klein Washington Post The book is compelling and ought to appeal to zoo lovers of all stripes. American Scientist Many lessons and much entertainment for all in this fascinating, frank and fair-minded book. -- Sally Walker Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society The reader will come away with a better appreciation for zoo evolution and the difficulties faced as zoos cope with mounting political and fiscal pressures while trying to conserve dwindling wild animal populations. -- Kirk Suedmeyer Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine Robinson's wildly entertaining tales of illuminate the hazards and rewards of a world in which the "natural" and "unnatural" can collide, insightfully tracing the evolution of zoos from banal menageries to important conservation institutions. Animal Keepers' ForumTable of ContentsPreface Introduction 1. Intern at the Zoo: An Eclectic Orientation 2. Too Early for the Autopsy: Fitting in at the Zoo 3. Growing Pains: Educating the Menagerie Makers 4. The Keepers: Nurturing the Health of Animals 5. Zoo Babies: Promoting Motherhood 6. Exhibit Making: Creating Zoo Ecosystems 7. Creature Comfort: The Power of Microenvironments 8. What's This Thing? Searching for the Normal 9. Holding the Tiger: Zoos Say Yes to Drugs 10. Finding the Sick in the Zoo: Seeking Out Disease and Discomfort 11. Feeding the Ark: The Nutritional Wisdom of Animals 12. Getting Closer to Animals: Judas Goats and Alpaca Coats 13. So, You Work at the Zoo? Employees, Visitors, and Fence Jumpers 14. Animal Cases and Chases: And Some Things Better Kept to Myself 15. Zoo Regulars: Coworkers Without Titles 16. Ethical Captivity: Animal Well-Being in Zoos 17. What a Zoo Should Be: And Ought Not Be Annotated Bibliography of Selected Works on Zoos Index Photo Credits and Attributions

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Book SynopsisCommunity-based forest management (CBFM) is a model of forest management in which a community takes part in decision making. This volume looks at communities in China, Zanzibar, Brazil, and India where, despite differences in landscape, common challenges and themes arise in making a transition from forest management by government agencies to CBFM.Trade ReviewThis book makes for compelling reading and will be useful to ecologists and other scientists through to anthropologists and political scientists. -- Peter Thomas British Ecological Society Bulletin This excellent volume should be required reading for everyone working in forest conservation or resource management. -- Alaka Wali The Quarterly Review of Biology Well-written, thoughtful... [An] authoritative volume. -- Marianne Schmink Human EcologyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments 1. Introduction 2. Naidu Village, Yunnan Province, China 3. Jozani Forest, Ngezi Forest, and Misali Island, Zanzibar 4. The Varzea Forests of Mazagao, Amapa State, Brazil 5. Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India 6. The Community Narrative of Forest Loss and Degradation 7. Invoking the Community 8. The Capacity to Manage 9. Negotiating Partnerships: Whose Voice Is Loudest? 10. Governance and Empowerment 11. Conclusions Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewRising Seas provides a comprehensive and thoughtful discussion of the science, impacts, and policy matters surrounding one of the most pressing societal threats we face today-global sea level rise. -- Michael E. Mann, director, Penn State Earth System Science Center, and author of The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines This essential and readable survey of the history and science of sea level change should be on the desk of anyone involved in coastal planning and resource management and will be extremely effective as a textbook. A great, much-needed book! -- Maureen E. Raymo, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University Rising Seas: Past, Present, Future is a siren warning of the imminent and ongoing ecological catastrophe that humans are inflicting upon the planet... Highly recommended. The Midwest Book Review If you have any interest in coastal areas, impacts of global climate change and changes in sea level, Rising Seas: Past, Present, Future is a must read. Weather Doctor Blog ...Gornitz writes with articulate scholarship, which will make a lasting, positive impression on her readers. -- Alexander S. Kolker, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium BioScience This book presents a thoroughly documented, comprehensive overview of perhaps the most urgent issue closely associated with global warming... Gornitz has succeeded in presenting a complicated subject in a scholarly and captivating manner, making it accessible to both the expert and the lay person. Metascience Excellent... I can give the book the highest praise: I wish that I had written it. Reports of the National Center for Science EducationTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments 1. The Ever-Changing Ocean 2. The Causes and Detection of Sea Level Change 3. Piercing the Veil of Time: Sea Levels After the Dinosaurs 4. When the Mammoths Roamed: Sea Level During the Ice Ages 5. The Great Ice Meltdown and Rising Seas 6. The Modern Speedup of Sea Level Rise 7. Sea Level Rise on a Warming Planet 8. Shorelines at Risk 9. Coping with the Rising Waters 10. Charting a Future Course Appendix. Geologic Time Scale Notes Glossary Bibliography Credits Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAnimals and the Human Imagination soars. Intellectually exciting, smart, and accessible, this volume will intrigue and revolt, surprise and inspire. The opening overview by Gross is a tour de force and each essay fascinates. Collectively they offer an invitation to think in new ways about what we, perhaps wrongly, call our humanity. I can't imagine a better introduction to the essential new field of critical animal studies. -- Jonathan Safran Foer [A] lively, fascinating, moving book. -- Scott Cowdell Journal of Animal Ethics This is a beautiful, profound, and important book that works through and around long-held and cherished assumptions, both within and without animal studies. -- Lindgren Johnson Journal for Critical Animal StudiesTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Creaturely Bodies Part 1 The Inhumanity of Literature 1. Humanity Unraveled, Humanity Regained: The Holocaust and the Discourse of Species 2. Neanderthal Poetics in William Golding's The Inheritors 3. The Indignities of Species in Marie Darrieussecq's Pig Tales Part 2 The Inhumanity of Film 4. Cine-Zoos 5. Scientific Surrealism in the Films of Georges Franju and Frederick Wiseman 6. Werner Herzog's Creaturely Poetics Conclusion: Animal Saintliness Notes Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewScholarly readers with an interest in Coetzee's novels or philosophy's relationship to literature will find this work highly rewarding. Library JournalTable of ContentsIntroduction: Coetzee and Philosophy, by Anton Leist and Peter Singer Part I. People, Human Relationships, and Politics 1. The Paradoxes of Power in the Early Novels of J. M. Coetzee, by Robert Pippin 2. Disgrace, Desire, and the Dark Side of the New South Africa, by Adriaan van Heerden 3. Ethical Thought and the Problem of Communication: A Strategy for Reading Diary of a Bad Year, by Jonathan Lear 4. Torture and Collective Shame, by Jeff McMahan Part II. Humans, Animals, and Morality 5. Converging Convictions: Coetzee and His Characters on Animals, by Karen Dawn and Peter Singer 6. Coetzee and Alternative Animal Ethics, by Elisa Aaltola 7. Writing the Lives of Animals, by Ido Geiger 8. Sympathy and Scapegoating in J. M. Coetzee, by Andy Lamey Part III. Rationality and Human Lives 9. Against Society, Against History, Against Reason: Coetzee's Archaic Postmodernism, by Anton Leist 10. Coetzee's Critique of Reason, by Martin Woessner 11. J. M. Coetzee, Moral Thinker, by Alice Crary 12. Being True to Fact: Coetzee's Prose of the World, by Pieter Vermeulen Part IV. Literature, Literary Style, and Philosophy 13. Truth and Love Together at Last: Style, Form, and Moral Vision in Age of Iron, by Samantha Vice 14. The Lives of Animals and the Form-Content Connection, by Jennifer Flynn 15. Irony and Belief in Elizabeth Costello, by Michael Funk Deckard and Ralph Palm 16. Coetzee's Hidden Polemic with Nietzsche, by Alena Dvorakova List of Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewScholarly readers with an interest in Coetzee's novels or philosophy's relationship to literature will find this work highly rewarding. Library JournalTable of ContentsIntroduction: Coetzee and Philosophy, by Anton Leist and Peter Singer Part I. People, Human Relationships, and Politics 1. The Paradoxes of Power in the Early Novels of J. M. Coetzee, by Robert Pippin 2. Disgrace, Desire, and the Dark Side of the New South Africa, by Adriaan van Heerden 3. Ethical Thought and the Problem of Communication: A Strategy for Reading Diary of a Bad Year, by Jonathan Lear 4. Torture and Collective Shame, by Jeff McMahan Part II. Humans, Animals, and Morality 5. Converging Convictions: Coetzee and His Characters on Animals, by Karen Dawn and Peter Singer 6. Coetzee and Alternative Animal Ethics, by Elisa Aaltola 7. Writing the Lives of Animals, by Ido Geiger 8. Sympathy and Scapegoating in J. M. Coetzee, by Andy Lamey Part III. Rationality and Human Lives 9. Against Society, Against History, Against Reason: Coetzee's Archaic Postmodernism, by Anton Leist 10. Coetzee's Critique of Reason, by Martin Woessner 11. J. M. Coetzee, Moral Thinker, by Alice Crary 12. Being True to Fact: Coetzee's Prose of the World, by Pieter Vermeulen Part IV. Literature, Literary Style, and Philosophy 13. Truth and Love Together at Last: Style, Form, and Moral Vision in Age of Iron, by Samantha Vice 14. The Lives of Animals and the Form-Content Connection, by Jennifer Flynn 15. Irony and Belief in Elizabeth Costello, by Michael Funk Deckard and Ralph Palm 16. Coetzee's Hidden Polemic with Nietzsche, by Alena Dvorakova List of Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisBy comparing practices of animal exploitation for food and resources in different societies over time, David A. Nibert finds in the domestication of animals, which he renames “domesecration,” a perversion of human ethics, the development of large-scale acts of violence, disastrous patterns of destruction, and epidemics of infectious disease.Trade Review... A book with great cross-disciplinary appeal. Highly recommended. CHOICE An impressive and extensive historical analysis of key intersections between the exploitation of animals and the oppression of human beings. The Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory A profoundly important book and should be widely read and discussed. AAG Review of Books One of the great virtues of Animal Oppression and Human Violence is that it holds the potential for providing the expanding but vastly interdisciplinary field of Animal Studies with a unifying theory, and is therefore a highly significant contribution to this field. -- Brian M. Lowe Society & AnimalsTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Nomadic Pastoralism, Ranching, and Violence 2. Domesecration and the Americas 3. Ranching and Violence in North America 4. Domesecration in the Western Plains 5. Capitalist Colonialism and Ranching Violence 6. Social Construction of the "Hamburger" Culture 7. The "Hamburger" Culture and Latin America 8. Domesecration and Impending Catastrophe 9. New Welfarism Notes Index

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Book SynopsisBy comparing practices of animal exploitation for food and resources in different societies over time, David A. Nibert finds in the domestication of animals, which he renames “domesecration,” a perversion of human ethics, the development of large-scale acts of violence, disastrous patterns of destruction, and epidemics of infectious disease.Trade Review... A book with great cross-disciplinary appeal. Highly recommended. CHOICE An impressive and extensive historical analysis of key intersections between the exploitation of animals and the oppression of human beings. The Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory A profoundly important book and should be widely read and discussed. AAG Review of Books One of the great virtues of Animal Oppression and Human Violence is that it holds the potential for providing the expanding but vastly interdisciplinary field of Animal Studies with a unifying theory, and is therefore a highly significant contribution to this field. -- Brian M. Lowe Society & AnimalsTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Nomadic Pastoralism, Ranching, and Violence 2. Domesecration and the Americas 3. Ranching and Violence in North America 4. Domesecration in the Western Plains 5. Capitalist Colonialism and Ranching Violence 6. Social Construction of the "Hamburger" Culture 7. The "Hamburger" Culture and Latin America 8. Domesecration and Impending Catastrophe 9. New Welfarism Notes Index

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