Ecological science, the Biosphere Books

Book SynopsisThe epic that began with the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning classic DUNE continues ...Trade ReviewI know nothing comparable to it except The Lord of the Rings * Arthur C. Clarke on Dune *It is possible that Dune is even more relevant now than when it was first published * The New Yorker on Dune *An astonishing science fiction phenomenon * The Washington Post on Dune *One of the monuments of modern science fiction * The Chicago Tribune on Dune *Powerful, convincing, and most ingenious * Robert A. Heinlein on Dune *A novel of extraordinary complexity ... the work of a speculative intellect with few rivals in modern SF * The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction on Dune *A tight mesmerising fabric, interwoven with a potent element of mysticism ... intensely realised * Brian W. Aldiss on Dune *

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Book SynopsisAn updated edition of an underground classicThis is the 4th edition of a self-published book that no respectable publisher would touch with a ten-foot shovel. The 1st edition was published in 1994 with a print run of 600 copies, which the author expected to watch decompose in his garage for the rest of his life. Now, 24 years later, the book has sold over 65,000 print copies in the U.S. alone, been translated in whole or in part into 19 languages and been published in foreign editions on four continents.The previous editions won numerous awards, including the Independent Publisher Outstanding Book of the Year Award, deeming the book Most Likely to Save the Planet. The book has been mentioned on such diverse media outlets as: Mother Earth News, Whole Earth Review, Countryside Journal, The Journal of Environmental Quality, Natural Health, NPR, BBC, CBC, Howard Stern, The Wall Street Journal, Playboy Magazine, Organic Gardening Magazine, the History Channel, Tree House Masters, and many other national and international venues.The 4th edition is a completely revised, expanded, and updated version of what has become an underground classic bestseller. The author draws from 40 years of research, experience, and travel, to expand and clarify your knowledge and understanding of... your poop!Not only does the book address what to do with human turds, but it is also a priceless manual for anyone involved in composting or gardening, or looking for basic survival skills. There is no other book like this in print!Trade Review"This is a cult classic which might strike those without an outhouse as disgusting. But the methods outlined within have the potential to change the ecological fate of the world."–New Yorker Magazine"Despite all the books on manure and how to use it, human manure composting is not covered elsewhere, making the Humanure Handbook a fine reference for any who would learn these basics. If you're an avid composter, there's nothing like this on the market."–Midwest Book Review"Finally we have a comprehensive book on recycling human excrement without chemicals, high technology, or pollution. Well written, practical, and thoroughly researched . . ."–Whole Earth Review"Almost certain to become a classic in its field. This book should be required reading. . . ."–Countryside Journal"We think The Humanure Handbook ranks right up there with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring . . ."–HortIdeas

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Book Synopsis*2022 Nautilus Book Award Gold Medal Winner: Ecology & Environment *2022 Nautilus Book Award Special Honors as Best of Anthology For readers of Braiding Sweetgrass and The Overstory From The Center for Humans and Nature, a collection in five volumes: essays, interviews, poetry, and stories of solidarity that highlight the interdependence that exists between humans and nonhuman beings We live in an astounding world of relations. We share these ties that bind with our fellow humans—and we share these relations with nonhuman beings as well. From the bacterium swimming in your belly to the trees exhaling the breath you breathe, this community of life is our kin—and, for many cultures around the world, being human is based upon this extended sense of kinship. Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations is a lively series that explores our deep interconnections with the living world. More than 70 contributors—including Robin Wall Kimmerer, Richard Powers, David Abram, J. Drew Lanham, and Sharon Blackie—invite readers into cosmologies, narratives, and everyday interactions that embrace a more-than-human world as worthy of our response and responsibility. These diverse voices render a wide range of possibilities for becoming better kin. Contents: Planet: What are the sources of our deepest evolutionary and planetary connections, and of our profound longing for kinship? Place: To what extent does crafting a deeper connection with the Earth’s bioregions reinvigorate a sense of kinship with the place-based beings, systems, and communities that mutually shape one another? Partners: How do relations between and among different species foster a sense of responsibility and belonging in us? Persons: Which experiences expand our understanding of being human in relation to other-than-human beings? Practice: What are the practical, everyday, and lifelong ways we become kin? From the recognition of nonhumans as persons to the care of our kinfolk through language and action, Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations is a guide and companion into the ways we can deepen our care and respect for the family of plants, rivers, mountains, animals, and others who live with us in this exuberant, life-generating, planetary tangle of relations. Proceeds from sales of Kinship benefit the nonprofit, non-partisan Center for Humans and Nature, which partners with some of the brightest minds to explore human responsibilities to each other and the more-than-human world. The Center brings together philosophers, ecologists, artists, political scientists, anthropologists, poets and economists, among others, to think creatively about a resilient future for the whole community of life.Trade Review“This collection is a passionate call to turn towards the living Earth with reverence and respect, and in so doing to cultivate new and old forms of curiosity, of understanding, and of responsibility. Across five captivating volumes, Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations brings together a rich diversity of voices and perspectives. Contributions range in form from poetry to interviews and essays, drawing on and engaging with the insights of Indigenous stories, philosophy, the natural sciences, and much more. Ultimately, this is a collection that does much more than simply describe the webs of relationship that are our world of kin. At the same time, it invites and at times pulls the reader into a sense of the fundamental sharedness of all life and our profound obligations, perhaps now more than ever, to hold open room for others to be and to become in their own unique and precious ways.”—Thom van Dooren, author of The Wake of Crows: Living and Dying in Shared Worlds“Essential reading about the question of our time: how to belong. A chorus of beautiful, wise, grieving, exulting, and generative voices, guiding us into true ‘family values’ for a wild living Earth. These collections offer rare and rich insight into how to find, honor, and heal the bonds of blood, place, time, and ethics that knit us to all other beings.”—David George Haskell, author of The Forest Unseen and The Songs of Trees"Sometimes when we are working with a document, when it’s growing and changing, we call it “live.” Likewise, this book is live. It’s full of life. It’s living inside you as you read it and you are living inside it. It’s changing you and you’re changing it. May this book be a living document that guides us toward love and care for all kin."—Janisse Ray, author of Wild Spectacle"The Kinship series of books is an ensemble of outstanding essays that reveal the truth that reality is rooted in relationships. After reading these marvellous essays, it becomes crystal clear that there is no reality outside relationships. These books shatter the old story of separation between humans and Nature and explode the belief that nature is a machine and the planet Earth is a dead rock. Here is the new story of the living Earth and a celebration of deep connectivity of life; human as well as more-than-human life. These are inspiring and enlightening essays. They will change your perception of Nature. I recommend these books wholeheartedly!"—Satish Kumar, Founder, Schumacher College, Editor Emeritus, Resurgence & Ecologist“What a joyful series this is, this family of books, crafted with love, clarity, and compassion by a family of poets, scholars, and sages. Together the volumes form a five-part harmony, converging beautifully around notions of kinship and kinning. The authors ask, how do we rightly relate? How may we learn to live well with our kin? Can we listen with sensitivity to the voices and languages of others, the beings with fur, claws, wings, scales, and fins with whom we share the mountains, rivers, seas, grasslands, and forests, places that ring with spirit and meaning, too, who are family, too? The chapters are stories as much as studies, narratives born from experience, wisdom, and observations over many generations. I can’t wait to share this family with my students and colleagues in conservation and anthropology, and with my friends and kin everywhere.“—Dr. Amanda Stronza, Anthropologist and Professor of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University“Kinship is essential reading. Five books of elemental grace and charm, beginning with a spider's web. Each strand glistens in the sunlight, dreaming, catch and release, a journey through the multiverse. Each gathering of words, a page, a tribe, a story of who we are, who we have been, and who we've yet to become, shiny, bright, new, and very old. The DNA of rock and stone, of all our relations, the chemistry of breathing, letting go, and Love. Again, again, and again.”—John Francis, PhD, author of Planetwalker: 17 Years of Silence, 22 Years of Walking “At a time when divisive politics and human-first ideologies dominate public discourse, Kinship provides a deeply-moving, soul-rejuvenating, and course-correcting primer for recognizing and building relationships among all living things. Here readers will find solace in essays and poems about what we’re losing, as well as inspiration for how to live well with other humans—and with our other-than-human kin. But Kinship is more than instructive. Taken together, these exquisite volumes are a balm for the soul.”—Dr. Amy Brady, Executive Director of Orion magazine"Kinship is the type of series I would want to gift to my wild, untamed, and unschooled children, for from its pages springs an education at the end of homogenous time, a crack in the tarmac of ascension, an insurgency of the hitherto invisible. At a time when the human is no longer tenable as a category unto itself, we will need the prophetic voices of these poets, philosophers, mothers, fathers, scientists, thinkers, public intellectuals, artists, and awestruck fugitives to kindle a politics of humility, to help us fall down to earth from our gilded perches, to help us stray from the threatening familiarity of our own image. It is time to meet the others we imagined we left behind: this constellation of stars will guide us."—Bayo Akomolafe, Ph.D., author of These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity’s Search for Home “The Kinship series upends colonial paradigms around humans and our relationship with more-than-human nature. These paradigms have driven mainstream environmental movements to engage in myopic efforts that at times have exacerbated ecological imbalances. Through stories, essays, art, poetry, and more, contributors chip away at the layers that bind our collective colonial ethos. Rather than owning nature, we are urged to think about our kinship with all that is nonhuman. Rather than controlling our environments using methods rooted in human exceptionalism (i.e., we know best), we are urged to learn from our kin. Rather than “using” land, water, and wildlife as “natural resources,” we are urged to be in reciprocity and right relationship with our kin. Rather than labeling birds, rocks, and rivers as “it,” we are urged to think of them as persons who have their own rights. Rather than being static, we are urged to be kinetic (Kin-etic?). Decolonization begins with unlearning, and this is a good place to begin.”—Aparna Rajagopal (she/her), founding partner of the Avarna Group and cofounder of PGM ONE Summit"The wonderful essays gathered here will stir minds and open hearts with the reminder that kinship is about how all things are connected, and that these relationships are best when acknowledged, attended to, and above all, savored."—Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix: How Being in Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative"A powerful, multidimensional work of extraordinary vision and reach whose overarching theme of humans sharing encounters with our other-than-human relations presaged a project out of the ordinary."—Resilience

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Book SynopsisNautilus Award Gold Medal Winner, Ecology & Environment In Matter and Desire, internationally renowned biologist and philosopher Andreas Weber rewrites ecology as a tender practice of forging relationships, of yearning for connections, and of expressing these desires through our bodies. Being alive is an erotic process—constantly transforming the self through contact with others, desiring ever more life. In clever and surprising ways, Weber recognizes that love—the impulse to establish connections, to intermingle, to weave our existence poetically together with that of other beings—is a foundational principle of reality. The fact that we disregard this principle lies at the core of a global crisis of meaning that plays out in the avalanche of species loss and in our belief that the world is a dead mechanism controlled through economic efficiency. Although rooted in scientific observation, Matter and Desire becomes a tender philosophy for the Anthropocene, a “poetic materialism,” that closes the gap between mind and matter. Ultimately, Weber discovers, in order to save life on Earth—and our own meaningful existence as human beings—we must learn to love.Trade Review“The most powerful antidote to our pernicious culture of excessive material consumption is the creation and nurturing of communities, finding happiness in human relationships rather than seeking it in material possessions. At the very heart of community, at all levels of life, we find a fundamental impulse to establish connections. The author of this beautifully written book identifies this yearning for connections with the essence of love. In his philosophical meditations, Andreas Weber deepens the recent scientific advances toward a new systemic understanding of life by investing them with a vital emotional dimension. While the experience of being fully alive is, for him, an erotic experience, it has also been recognized as the very essence of spirituality. An important and inspiring book!”—Fritjof Capra, author of The Web of Life; coauthor of The Systems View of Life“Andreas Weber is an indispensable voice in ecological and philosophical thought. With fearless probity and autobiographical intimacy, Matter and Desire composes the symphonic grand design of desire, relationships, the metaphysics of the body—and much more—as page by page we experience Weber’s elegant subversion of all convenient ways of looking at the natural world. This is a timeless yet urgent, and splendid book.”—Howard Norman, author of I Hate To Leave This Beautiful Place“Andreas Weber offers us the best medicine I know for a culture benumbed by dead-end pursuits. Pulsing with life, his work delivers us from the centuries-long dichotomies between mind and matter that have robbed us of vitality, joy, and true purpose. It brings us home to the fertile reciprocities that link us with all forms and levels of life; in so doing, it reflects and reinforces great spiritual teachings of our planet.”—Joanna Macy, author of Coming Back to Life“A slow tidal wave of change is gathering force and will take us beyond the mechanistic world of Newton toward one of becoming. Andreas Weber’s Matter and Desire is a passionate evocation of intermingled life surging. He writes with the poetry, care, and insight that urges us forward.”—Stuart Kauffman, professor emeritus, biochemistry and biophysics, University of Pennsylvania; and MacArthur Fellow“With a dazzling blend of biological rigor and poetic grace, Andreas Weber explains the principles of erotic connection that lie at the heart of life on Earth. It is a journey that transcends the reductionist taxonomies of modern science and explains the transformational role of desire, interdependence, and meaning in the glorious unfolding of natural ecosystems—and in our own lives. Be prepared for a bracing adventure!”—David Bollier, author of Think Like a Commoner“When Andreas Weber looks on a meadow, he sees ‘part of our body, folded outward, ready to be strolled through.’ The ocean’s tides are ‘the way the Earth perceives the moon,’ and gravitation is ‘the Earth’s tender longing for us.’ With such graceful, lucid lines, Weber invites us to see a world filled with delight and one that yearns, as we do, for contact: the erotics of encounter. Part scientific reflection, part philosophical reverie, part lyrical benediction for the stones and swifts and plants and water ouzels of his beloved Ligurian countryside, Matter and Desire is a deeply felt book from a profoundly humane writer.”—Fred Bahnson, author of Soil and Sacrament; director, Food, Health, and Ecological Well-Being Program, Wake Forest University School of Divinity“Every page of Weber’s deeply illuminating new book is a passionate journey into the experience of being alive and in relationship. As an emergent ‘erotic ecology,’ this book is urgently needed medicine for a planet suffering from a shortage of love.”—David Lukas, author of Language Making Nature“Two hundred years ago, John Keats complained that modern science would ‘unweave a rainbow.’ This visionary and poetic discourse by Andreas Weber achieves the near-miraculous task of reweaving the stunning beauty of the natural world back into the realm of science. Transcending conventional barriers between categories of Western thought, with a style reminiscent of Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Weber explores some profound implications of modern biology and physics, presenting his vision of biology as the erotic science with the recognition that to truly experience love, we need to be fully connected to the creativity of life.”—Jeremy Lent, author of The Patterning Instinct“To read this marvellous book is to enter a secret garden where you’ll discover a natural world far more alive, sentient, and meaningful than science has so far dared suppose. With luminous prose Weber’s ‘erotic ecology’ charts a path into a new scientific understanding in which atoms, organisms, and entire ecosystems overflow with purpose, interiority, and psyche, lighting up your life, helping you experience reality with freshness and depth of vision. A masterpiece.”—Dr. Stephan Harding, author of Animate Earth“A stunning piece of writing, as existential as it is experiential, Matter and Desire delves into the ‘science of the heart’ in compelling prose that frequently dances on the edge of poetry. The book provides vivid depictions of a big love: a near-mystical practice of discovering who we are through the creative energies that surround us and dwell within us. Andreas Weber ably guides his readers on this relational journey, articulating ecological intuitions that may have gone unnoticed yet were always on the tips of our tongues. From the forces of desire within molecules to the mistle thrush’s song vibrating in the evening air, Weber offers a bold and convincing case for the physicality of feeling and the ‘biology of love.’ The result is a profound meditation that bravely explores the subjectivity of a living biosphere and our particular relations within it. If philosophy literally means the love of wisdom, then in Matter and Desire, Weber presents the wisdom of love, a reflective account of his intentional free-fall into the embrace of matter.”—Gavin Van Horn, director, Cultures of Conservation, Center for Humans and Nature“If what Andreas says is anything to go by—that love permeates all things so intrusively that the world can only be conceived in terms of relationship—then holding this book in your hand is an outrageous act of lovemaking, the breadth and depth of which you will never know! This is a gasp of a book.”—Bayo Akomolafe, author of These Wilds Beyond our Fences

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Book SynopsisEcology: Concepts and Applications was written for students taking their first undergraduate course in ecology. The authors have assumed that students in this one-semester course have some knowledge of basic chemistry and mathematics and have had a course in general biology, which included introductions to evolution, physiology, and biological diversity.Table of Contents1 Introduction to Ecology: Historical Foundations and Developing FrontiersSection I Natural History and Evolution 2 Life on Land 3 Life in Water 4 Population Genetics and Natural Selection Section II Adaptations to the Environment5 Temperature Relations 6 Water Relations 7 Energy and Nutrient Relations 8 Social Relations Section III Population Ecology9 Population Distribution and Abundance 10 Population Dynamics 11 Population Growth 12 Life Histories Section IV Interactions13 Species Interactions and Competition 14 Exploitative Interactions: Predation, Herbivory, Parasitism, and Disease 15 Mutualism Section V Communities and Ecosystems16 Species Abundance and Diversity 17 Species Interactions and Community Structure18 Primary and Secondary Production19 Nutrient Cycling and Retention 20 Succession and Stability Section VI Large-Scale Ecology21 Landscape Ecology 22 Geographic Ecology 23 Global Ecology

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Book SynopsisIf you don't know where to start or how to use QGIS, this is the practical guide for you. Simple, step-by-step instructions and practical exercises make it easy and fun.

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Book SynopsisNature produces energy by slow, cool, implosive means - by a centripeta inward motion, while our presnt culture uses explosive centrifugal (outwards) movement, which is wasteful and many times less powerful and effective. It aslo uses up the Earth's resources and pollutes her ecosystems. This volume describes different kinds of energy machines which depend on the principle of implosion: a spring water-producing machine a tornado home energy generator a Klimator which produces mountain-quality air the biotechnical submarine a technique for producing power from ocean deeps

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Book SynopsisWINNER of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Author of the New York Times 2023 "Notable Book" Crossings Washington Post “50 Notable Works of Nonfiction” Science News “Favorite Science Books of 2018” Booklist “Top Ten Science/Technology Book of 2018” "A marvelously humor-laced page-turner about the science of semi-aquatic rodents…. A masterpiece of a treatise on the natural world.”—The Washington Post In Eager, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb reveals that our modern idea of what a healthy landscape looks like and how it functions is wrong, distorted by the fur trade that once trapped out millions of beavers from North America’s lakes and rivers. The consequences of losing beavers were profound: streams eroded, wetlands dried up, and species from salmon to swans lost vital habitat. Today, a growing coalition of “Beaver Believers”—including scientists, ranchers, and passionate citizens—recognizes that ecosystems with beavers are far healthier, for humans and non-humans alike, than those without them. From the Nevada deserts to the Scottish highlands, Believers are now hard at work restoring these industrious rodents to their former haunts. Eager is a powerful story about one of the world’s most influential species, how North America was colonized, how our landscapes have changed over the centuries, and how beavers can help us fight drought, flooding, wildfire, extinction, and the ravages of climate change. Ultimately, it’s about how we can learn to coexist, harmoniously and even beneficially, with our fellow travelers on this planet.Trade Review“Written with clarity, intelligence, and humor, this engaging book will appeal to basically everyone.”―Forbes“Eager takes us inside the amazing world of nature’s premier construction engineer…and shows us why the restoration of an animal almost driven to extinction is producing wide-ranging, positive effects on our landscapes, ecology, and even our economy.”―National Geographic"Impressively researched, charmingly written, absolutely persuasive book. . . .Goldfarb makes his argument with a quiet power and deceptively breezy writing that paints a vivid picture of how the various inhabitants of the natural world rely on one other. Take one vital piece out and the whole thing could collapse."—The Seattle Times"This book lodges itself among the ranks of the best sort of environmental journalism.”―The Boston Globe“Eager is a passionate, captivating love letter to the beaver.”―The Christian Science Monitor "Goldfarb’s writing shines with beautiful language and colorful stories.”―Science News“Engrossing and elegantly written…. Within its wide scope, Eager includes nuggets sure to make you the most fascinating conversationalist at your next party.”―Scientific American“A revelation! If we only let them live, beavers are the solution to many of our nation’s ecological problems. . . . Goldfarb’s wonderful book might just tail-slap a politician or two into realizing how much we need them to restore our critical wetlands.”—Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus “This witty, engrossing book will be a classic from the day it is published.”—Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature“European settlers who cut, plowed, and shot their way west also trapped the country nearly clean of mammals. . . . Now, though, beavers are on the rebound, and the how and who of that story, as told in Eager, will give you a new and completely different concept of the continent.”—Carl Safina, New York Times bestselling author of Beyond Words“[Goldfarb] writes eloquently of the return of this industrious, habitat–enriching animal, its conflicts with humans and their property, and of the ways both elegant and Rube Goldbergian in which beaver and human needs can be balanced.”―Booklist, Starred Review"[Goldfarb] shares his findings in lucid and entertaining prose….Filled with hard facts and fascinating people (and animals), [Eager] is an authoritative, vigorous call for understanding and action."―Kirkus, Starred Review"In this diverting volume, environmental journalist Goldfarb sings the praises of beavers. . . . An affectionate portrait of these 'hardy rodents.’"―Publishers Weekly“This comprehensive book provides a well-rounded consideration of a frequently misunderstood species….Even if you don’t think you have an opinion on beavers, this engaging book will make you a beaver believer."―Library Journal"Lively and educational….Eager offers rare insight into the history of beavers and their behavior, qualities, and characteristics. Even more importantly, [it] explores the animals’ complex relationship with humans, and the essential role they play in developing ponds and streams that support wildlife."―Foreword ReviewsChoice Reviews— "A thought-provoking book for anyone interested in ecosystems science." Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Nature’s Engineers 2. Dislodged 3. An Uneasy Truce 4. Embracing the Pest 5. The Beaver Whisperer 6. California Dreamin’ 7. Making the Desert Bloom 8. Too Far Gone 9. Going Global 10. Future of the Dammed

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“An excellent addition to anyone’s bee library.”—Adrian Waring, Bee Craft “Anyone deeply interested in natural history will ignore this mad little volume at their peril.”—Simon Ings, New Scientist“Highly engaging.”—Gard W. Otis, American Entomologist“A must have book for all beekeepers and bee lovers.”—Scott Shalaway, Youngstown Vindicator“Delightful.”—Harvard Magazine“Following the Wild Bees just might give readers an intellectually (and physically) stimulating new outdoor activity.”—The Scientist“Seeley’s passion for the social insects blazes as he quotes historical accounts by Henry David Thoreau and describes the intricacies of the chase.”—Barbara Kiser, Nature

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"An engaging book."---Tom Tierney, New Scientist"A fascinating, important, and timely book about a major icon of extinction."---Mark V. Barrow Jr., Science"[A] moving and well thought out tale. . . . This book is an important part of an innocent species' life."---Deb Hirt, Muskogee Phoenix"Much has been written about the demise of the Great Auk . . . and this work by Gísli Pálsson is an important addition to the body of work on this iconic and enigmatic species. It is scholarly and well-presented."---David Gascoigne, Travels with Birds

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"With a focus on the 66 million years since the end-Cretaceous extinction stripped away all dinosaurs but birds, Mr. Prothero's book ably demonstrates that mammalian evolution has been just as circuitous and strange as that of the terrible lizards... [This book shows] the unexpected variety that life is capable of and raise[s] the question of what the next 235 million years will bring."--Brian Switek, Wall Street Journal "In The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals, author Donald Prothero ... introduces readers to an array of real-life, but seemingly fantastic beasts--extinct mammals."--Mindy Weisberger, LiveScience "Written by American paleontologist Donald Prothero and beautifully illustrated by renowned scientific illustrator Mary Persis Williams, this publication is a 'must have' for academics and fans of fossils as well as anyone with an interest in general science... Highly recommended."--Everything Dinosaur blog "One of the most important things about this book is that it is fully up to date, and thus, the only current mammalian evolutionary overview that is available, to my knowledge. In some areas of fossil mammal research there has been a lot of work over recent years, so this is important. I highly recommend this excellent book."--Greg Laden's BlogTable of ContentsPreface 6 1 The Age of Mammals 7 Dating Rocks 8 Clocks in Rocks 10 What's in a Name? 11 How Do We Classify Animals? 12 Bones vs Molecules 15 Bones and Teeth 15 2 The Origin and Early Evolution of Mammals 20 Synapsids (Protomammals or Stem Mammals) 20 Mammals in the Age of Dinosaurs 23 Morganucodonts 23 Docodonts 25 Monotremes (Platypus and Echidna) and Their Relatives 27 Multituberculates 30 Triconodonts 31 Theria 34 3 Marsupials: Pouched Mammals 37 Marsupial vs Placental 37 Marsupial Evolution 38 Ameridelphia 39 Australiadelphia 41 4 Placental Mammals (Eutheria) 47 The Interrelationships of Placentals 50 5 Xenarthra: Sloths, Anteaters, and Armadillos 51 Edentate vs Xenarthran 51 Order Cingulata (Armadillos) 53 Order Pilosa (Anteaters and Sloths) 55 6 Afrotheria: Elephants, Hyraxes, Sea Cows, Aardvarks, and Their Relatives 58 Tethytheres and Afrotheres 58 Order Proboscidea (Elephants, Mammoths, Mastodonts, and Their Relatives) 60 Order Sirenia (Manatees and Dugongs, or Sea Cows) 67 Order Embrithopoda (Arsinoitheres) 72 Order Desmostylia (Desmostylians) 73 Order Hyracoidea (Hyraxes) 75 Order Tubulidentata (Aardvarks) 77 Order Macroscelidia (Elephant Shrews) 78 Order Afrosoricida 79 7 Euarchontoglires: Euarchonta Primates, Tree Shrews, and Colugos 80 Archontans 80 Order Scandentia (Tree Shrews) 82 Order Dermoptera (Colugos, or Flying Lemurs) 82 Order Plesiadapiformes (Plesiadapids) 84 Order Primates (Euprimates) 86 8 Euarchontoglires: Glires Rodents and Lagomorphs 94 Chisel Teeth 94 Order Rodentia (Rodents) 95 Order Lagomorpha (Rabbits, Hares, and Pikas) 101 9 Laurasiatheria: Insectivores Order Eulipotyphla and Other Insectivorous Mammals 103 Order Eulipotyphla 103 Extinct Insectivorous Groups 107 10 Laurasiatheria: Chiroptera Bats 112 Bat Origins 114 11 Laurasiatheria: Pholidota Pangolins, or Scaly Anteaters 117 Order Pholidota (Pangolins) 118 Palaeanodonts 120 12 Laurasiatheria: Carnivora and Creodonta Predatory Mammals 122 Carnivores, Carnivorans, and Creodonts 122 Order Creodonta 124 Order Carnivora 127 13 Laurasiatheria: Ungulata Hoofed Mammals and Their Relatives 146 Condylarths 147 14 Laurasiatheria: Artiodactyla Even-Toed Hoofed Mammals: Pigs, Hippos, Whales, Camels, Ruminants, and Their Extinct Relatives 151 Artiodactyl Origins 153 Suoid Artiodactyls 154 Whippomorpha 160 Tylopods 169 Ruminantia 175 15 Laurasiatheria: Perissodactyla Odd-Toed Hoofed Mammals: Horses, Rhinos, Tapirs, and Their Extinct Relatives 186 Equoids 187 Tapiroids 191 Rhinocerotoids 196 Brontotheres, or Titanotheres 199 16 Laurasiatheria: Meridiungulata South American Hoofed Mammals 203 Order Notoungulata (Southern Ungulates) 205 Order Pyrotheria (Fire Beasts) 206 Order Astrapotheria (Lightning Beasts) 207 Order Litopterna (Litopterns, or Smooth Heels) 207 17 Uintatheres, Pantodonts, Taeniodonts, and Tillodonts 209 Order Dinocerata (Uintatheres) 209 Order Pantodonta (Pantodonts) 212 Order Taeniodonta (Taeniodonts) 214 Order Tillodontia (Tillodonts) 216 18 Mammalian Evolution and Extinction 218 Why Were Prehistoric Mammals So Big? 218 Where Have All the Megamammals Gone? 219 How Did Mammals Diversify after the Dinosaurs Vanished? 222 What about Mass Extinctions? 228 The Future of Mammals 229 Illustration Credits 231 Further Reading 232 Index (with Pronunciation Guide for Taxonomic Names) 234

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Book SynopsisThis is a book about how ecologists can integrate remote sensing and GIS in their research. It will allow readers to get started with the application of remote sensing and to understand its potential and limitations. Using practical examples, the book covers all necessary steps from planning field campaigns to deriving ecologically relevant information through remote sensing and modelling of species distributions. An Introduction to Spatial Data Analysis introduces spatial data handling using the open source software Quantum GIS (QGIS). In addition, readers will be guided through their first steps in the R programming language. The authors explain the fundamentals of spatial data handling and analysis, empowering the reader to turn data acquired in the field into actual spatial data. Readers will learn to process and analyse spatial data of different types and interpret the data and results. After finishing this book, readers will be able to address questions such as “What is the distance to the border of the protected area?”, “Which points are located close to a road?”, “Which fraction of land cover types exist in my study area?” using different software and techniques. This book is for novice spatial data users and does not assume any prior knowledge of spatial data itself or practical experience working with such data sets. Readers will likely include student and professional ecologists, geographers and any environmental scientists or practitioners who need to collect, visualize and analyse spatial data. The software used is the widely applied open source scientific programs QGIS and R. All scripts and data sets used in the book will be provided online at book.ecosens.org. This book covers specific methods including: what to consider before collecting in situ data how to work with spatial data collected in situ the difference between raster and vector data how to acquire further vector and raster data how to create relevant environmental information how to combine and analyse in situ and remote sensing data how to create useful maps for field work and presentations how to use QGIS and R for spatial analysis how to develop analysis scripts Table of ContentsPreface 1. Introduction and overview 1.1 Spatial data 1.2 First spatial data analysis 1.3 Next steps Part I. Data acquisition, data preparation and map creation 2. Data acquisition 2.1 Spatial data for a research question 2.2 AOI 2.3 Thematic raster map acquisition 2.4 Thematic vector map acquisition 2.5 Satellite sensor data acquisition 2.6 Summary and further reading 3. Data preparation 3.1 Deciding on a projection 3.2 Reprojecting raster and vector layers 3.3 Clipping to an AOI 3.4 Stacking raster layers 3.5 Visualizing a raster stack as RGB 3.6 Summary and further reading 4. Creating maps 4.1 Maps in QGIS 4.2 Maps for presentations 4.3 Maps with statistical information 4.4 Common mistakes and recommendations 4.5 Summary and further reading Part II. Spatial field data acquisition and auxiliary data 5. Field data planning and preparation 5.1 Field sampling strategies 5.2 From GIS to global positioning system (GPS) 5.3 On-screen digitization 5.4 Summary and further reading6. Field sampling using a global positioning system (GPS) 97 6.1 GPS in the field 98 6.2 GPX from GPS 101 6.3 Summary 102 7. From global positioning system (GPS) to geographic information system (GIS) 103 7.1 Joint coordinates and measurement sheet 104 7.2 Separate coordinates and measurement sheet 105 7.3 Point measurement to information 106 7.4 Summary 108 Part III. Data analysis and new spatial information 8. Vector data analysis 110 8.1 Percentage area covered 114 8.2 Spatial distances 118 8.3 Summary and further analyses 121 9. Raster analysis 122 9.1 Spectral landscape indices 122 9.2 Topographic indices 128 9.3 Spectral landscape categories 128 9.4 Summary and further analysis 133 10. Raster-vector intersection 134 10.1 Point statistics 135 10.2 Zonal statistics 136 10.3 Summary 138 Part IV. Spatial coding 11. Introduction to coding 140 11.1 Why use the command line and what is ‘R’? 140 11.2 Getting started 142 11.3 Your very first command 142 11.4 Classes of data 144 11.5 Data indexing (subsetting) 145 11.6 Importing and exporting data 147 11.7 Functions 148 11.8 Loops 149 11.9 Scripts 149 11.10 Expanding functionality 150 11.11 Bugs, problems and challenges 151 11.12 Notation 152 11.13 Summary and further reading 15212. Getting started with spatial coding 153 12.1 Spatial data in R 153 12.2 Importing and exporting data 158 12.3 Modifying spatial data 162 12.4 Downloading spatial data from within R 166 12.5 Organization of spatial analysis scripts 170 12.6 Summary 171 13. Spatial analysis in R 172 13.1 Vegetation indices 172 13.2 Digital elevation model (DEM) derivatives 174 13.3 Classification 175 13.4 Raster-vector interaction 179 13.5 Calculating and saving aggregated values 182 13.6 Summary and further reading 184 14. Creating graphs in R 185 14.1 Aggregated environmental information 185 14.2 Non-aggregated environmental information 189 14.3 Finalizing and saving the plot 194 14.4 Summary and further reading 195 15. Creating maps in R 196 15.1 Vector data 197 15.2 Plotting study area data 202 15.3 Summary and further reading 206 Afterword and acknowledgements 207 References 209 Index 210

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Book SynopsisInvasive species are everywhere, from forests and prairies to mountaintops and river mouths. Their rampant nature and sheer numbers appear to overtake fragile native species and forever change the ecosystems that they depend on. Concerns that invasive species represent significant threats to global biodiversity and ecological integrity permeate conversations from schoolrooms to board rooms, and concerned citizens grapple with how to rapidly and efficiently manage their populations. These worries have culminated in an ongoing “war on invasive species,” where the arsenal is stocked with bulldozers, chainsaws, and herbicides put to the task of their immediate eradication. In Hawaii, mangrove trees (Avicennia spp.) are sprayed with glyphosate and left to decompose on the sandy shorelines where they grow, and in Washington, helicopters apply the herbicide Imazapyr to smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) growing in estuaries. The “war on invasive species” is in full swing, but given the scope of such potentially dangerous and ecologically degrading eradication practices, it is necessary to question the very nature of the battle. Beyond the War on Invasive Species offers a much-needed alternative perspective on invasive species and the best practices for their management based on a holistic, permaculture-inspired framework. Utilizing the latest research and thinking on the changing nature of ecological systems, Beyond the War on Invasive Species closely examines the factors that are largely missing from the common conceptions of invasive species, including how the colliding effects of climate change, habitat destruction, and changes in land use and management contribute to their proliferation. There is more to the story of invasive species than is commonly conceived, and Beyond the War on Invasive Species offers ways of understanding their presence and ecosystem effects in order to make more ecologically responsible choices in land restoration and biodiversity conservation that address the root of the invasion phenomenon. The choices we make on a daily basis—the ways we procure food, shelter, water, medicine, and transportation—are the major drivers of contemporary changes in ecosystem structure and function; therefore, deep and long-lasting ecological restoration outcomes will come not just from eliminating invasive species, but through conscientious redesign of these production systems.Trade ReviewChoice- "Emphasizing a holistic use of what is present in the landscape, rather than what managers presume should be there, Orion (Oregon State Univ.) delves into the somewhat controversial field of invasive ecology, using both plant and animal examples in ecosystem restoration. She thoughtfully discusses the ethics of restoring function to ecosystems and looks at species migrations and movements in a broader context than would most land managers having conversations on landscape scales. She also points out many examples in which understanding the roles and relationships of problem species could lead to multiple solutions for ecosystem health and society. A permaculture perspective is not widely seen in restoration science; however, Orion calls for managers and scientists to recognize destructive patterns, especially with changing climate, habitat shifts, and society's attitudes toward conservation. This thought-provoking book is an interesting read for anyone dealing with natural resources or agricultural sciences who aspires to be an environmental steward of a healthier planet. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, graduate students, researchers/faculty, and professionals/practitioners.”Library Journal, Starred Review- "Here is a brilliant, alternative way of dealing with nonnative, invasive species. Oregon State University permaculturist Orion’s emphasis is on plants, and her survey of relevant literature is a virtuoso incorporation of books, journals, electronic resources, and personal communications, written in commendable expository prose. In the face of overwhelming political correctness, which dictates that invasive species should be eliminated, the author offers ways to exploit and adapt to them in addition to extolling the virtues some of the species exhibit. As an instructor, Orion teaches ways to manage ecosystems with an eye to long-term results, free of herbicides and destructive attempts to remove species seen as undesirable. She pays special attention to the behaviors of ‘primitive' societies in relation to their surroundings. In her view, pre-Columbian America was already far from pristine; it underwent many changes wrought by Native Americans, especially through fire. This thoughtful, controversial, and well-documented book is guaranteed to infuriate many and to provoke us into rethinking our attitudes about what is natural and best for the land. With essays such as 'The Myth of Wilderness,' the reader is challenged to confront revolutionary ideas about our landscapes. VERDICT: Ideal for all interested in natural history, agriculture, chemicals, climate change, ecology, and anthropology.” Booklist- "Ecosystem restoration, broadly defined as reinstating native flora and fauna by controlling invasive species, is a noble goal. But in the case of plants, it is often achieved through the use of harsh pesticides. This irony is not lost on botanist Orion, who encourages fellow environmental professionals to factor in the larger picture and “turn on the macroscope” to meet desired end goals. Systematically pointing out avenues for improvement in our approach to restoration, from consuming more local foods to changing how we work with “pristine” nature, Orion provides us with a practical worksheet that takes the permaculture view, a holistic way of looking at habitat. This slender volume might be too “textbookish” to be accessible to the lay reader but Orion’s reminders that the very definition of “native” is in flux (a process exacerbated by climate change) and her eco-friendly suggestions about what to do with “unwanted” species should be essential reading for all. Plenty of real-world instances of invasive flora and fauna (e.g., kudzu, zebra mussels) make the case effectively.”“Some of our most productive and tasty plants in the permaculture landscape are vilified as invasive weeds that need controlling. This is a mindset that also promotes a delineation between conservation and agriculture. My personal response is to cultivate fewer conventional annual vegetables and grow and eat as many of these weeds as is appropriate, creating an extensive, diverse, and resilient forage system in my own backyard. It is time to stop putting land management into boxes and create wildlife habitats and food in stacked systems. "Tao Orion explains how to take advantage of the vigor of ‘invasive’ edible and useful exotics and harvest them. This is how to bring ecosystems back into balance. This is adaptive permaculture thinking at the broad-scale level. Chelsea Green has produced yet another pioneering book, demonstrating how permaculture is way ahead of conventional land-management practices.”--Maddy Harland, editor of Permaculture magazine, cofounder of The Sustainability Centre in the UK, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts“An interesting and valuable contribution to the ongoing refutation of invasive species ideology. Detailed and wide-ranging, Orion extends and deepens several analyses of invasionism, and offers several interesting new perspectives. She points to holistic systems management as an alternative to the current war on invasives. Land managers and invasionists would do well to give it a careful read.”--D.I. Theodoropoulos, author of Invasion Biology: Critique of a Pseudoscience“Beyond the War on Invasive Species creates an essential pathway for deeper care of the Earth. The holistic perspective of invasives is shared through deep experience and thoughtfulness and ultimately leads us to a greater and more aligned role in restoration of our home’s ecosystems in these changing times. This book offers a critical role in civilization’s evolution and highlights actions that recognize deeper values that benefit our society as a whole.”--Katrina Blair, author of The Wild Wisdom of Weeds: 13 Essential Plants for Human Survival“In her fascinating and highly readable book, Beyond the War on Invasive Species, author Tao Orion points out the shortcomings of our current approach toward landscape restoration and invasive species. Rather than seeing these exotic plants and animals simply as invaders that need to be eradicated, she argues, we should recognize the beneficial role they play in the environment and the many essential services they could provide to human beings. “Embracing rampancy,” as Orion exuberantly puts it, turns the perceived problem of invasive species into practical solutions that also allow us to make peace with both the land and ourselves.”--Larry Korn, author of One-Straw Revolutionary: The Philosophy and Work of Masanobu Fukuoka“This book brings much-needed balance to the overheated debate about so-called invasive species. Tao Orion’s meticulously researched yet engaging work shows that the true culprits are nearly always human-caused disturbance and development, and that species shifts are a symptom, not a cause, of this habitat destruction. Beyond the War on Invasive Species is an important book that offers a path away from unsuccessful restoration efforts—based on poor science and policy—and toward new, ecologically sound programs for building and preserving biodiversity.”--Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture and The Permaculture City: Regenerative Design for Urban, Suburban, and Town Resilience“Beyond the War on Invasive Species is part of a new, much more nuanced conversation about ‘invasive’ species that is taking place in science, agriculture, and land management. It provides an analysis of the new science that looks for ecosystem function as well as harm from newly arrived species, looks at species migration in the context of climate change, and broadens our conversation to look at these organisms in the context of the human ecological footprint. Orion offers land management guidelines, based in permaculture design process, that help to chart a new way forward in our new land of novel ecosystems.”--Eric Toensmeier, author of Paradise Lot and Perennial Vegetables“Tao Orion has brought together personal experience, careful study, and visionary thinking to turn us toward becoming useful people of place. Her exploration widens the narrow concept of invasion (so often repeated but seldom carefully thought through) and elucidates the trouble of short sightedness. We are not threatened by aliens, but rather we are turning our backs on the big picture.”--Tom Ward, author of Greenward, Ho! Herbal Home Remedies and cofounder of Siskiyou Permaculture“A gathering body of evidence against the scale of chemical interventions in both agriculture and wild nature is fueling a battle of geopolitical proportions. In the process of asking the questions about how best to restore nature, Orion exposes a deep ethical corruption at the heart of both ecological science and the environmental movement.”--David Holmgren, from the Foreword“Beyond the War on Invasive Species is a devastating exposé of the military industrial invasive species complex and a sorely needed and impeccably researched volume that should become one of many as we recover from self-destructive attempts to eradicate parts of nature instead of acting with an understanding of the whole.”--Ben Falk, author of The Resilient Farm and Homestead and founder of Whole Systems Design

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Book SynopsisOffers an introduction to critical transitions in complex systems - the radical changes that happen at tipping points when thresholds are passed. This title describes the dynamical systems theory behind critical transitions, covering catastrophe theory, bifurcations and chaos.Trade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2009 "This excellent, well-crafted volume outlines theoretical/applied evidence describing regime shifts that occur in natural and societal systems, and suggests how to address deleterious change to further human welfare. Scheffer expertly argues that system shifts are critical transitions arising when normal cyclical processes are stressed, thereby generating 'tipping points'... A highly important book of intellectual and applied significance."--M. Evans, Choice "Scheffer's book is a good read. It is fluently written and breathes authority, while still being highly consistent in its terminology."--Carsten F. Dormann, Basic and Applied Ecology "We recommend this book as the best integration of the multiple rubrics (resilience, regime change, panarchy, complexity, dynamical systems theory) found on the subject of critical transitions or abrupt change, and as an enjoyable as well as enlightening synthesis of a timely and important topic bearing on many of the crucial dilemmas of our time."--William A. Reiners, Ecology "The marvelous Scheffer's book is strongly recommended for all geoscientists because of three main reasons. First, it explains the outstanding importance of critical transitions in the abiotic, biotic, and social evolution and establishes a helpful framework for their further studies. Second, this book gives an exceptional opportunity to realize how broad, even philosophical treatment of very particular ideas can facilitate development of the tatters. Third, the author was very successful in demonstration of how do general laws work in the both nature and society. This unconventional book is very informative, well-written, and stimulating, and, consequently, nobody will lose her/his time reading it."--Dmitry A. Ruban, Zentralblatt fur Geologie und PalaontologieTable of ContentsAcknowledgments xiii CHAPTER 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Coral Reef Collapse 2 1.2 The Birth of the Sahara Desert 3 1.3 Shifts in Societies 5 1.4 Content of this Book 6 Part I: THEORY OF CRITICAL TRANSITIONS CHAPTER 2. Alternative Stable States 11 2.1 The Basics 13 2.2 Some Mechanisms 25 2.3 Synthesis 36 CHAPTER 3. Cycles and Chaos 37 3.1 The Limit Cycle 37 3.2 Complex Dynamics 42 3.3 Basin Boundary Collision 50 3.4 Synthesis 54 CHAPTER 4. Emergent Patterns in Complex Systems 55 4.1 Spatial Patterns 56 4.2 Stability of Complex Interacting Networks 65 4.3 The Adaptive Cycle Theory 75 4.4 Synthesis 79 CHAPTER 5. Implications of Fluctuations, Heterogeneity, and Diversity 81 5.1 Permanent Change 82 5.2 Spatial Heterogeneity and Modularity 85 5.3 Diversity of Players 90 5.4 Synthesis 95 CHAPTER 6. Conclusion: From Theoretical Concepts to Reality 96 6.1 Alternative Stable States 96 6.2 Basins of Attraction 98 6.3 Resilience 101 6.4 Adaptive Capacity 103 6.5 Critical Transitions 104 6.5 Synthesis 104 PART II: CASE STUDIES CHAPTER 7. Lakes 109 7.1 Transparency of Shallow Lakes 110 7.2 Dynamics 125 7.3 Other Alternative Stable States 131 7.4 Synthesis 138 CHAPTER 8. Climate 139 8.1 Deep Time Climate Shifts 141 8.2 Glaciation Cycles 149 8.3 Abrupt Climate Change on Shorter Timescales 157 8.4 Synthesis 164 CHAPTER 9. Evolution 166 9.1 Introduction 166 9.2 Early Animal Evolution and the Cambrian Explosion 168 9.3 The End-Permian Extinction 172 9.4 The Angiosperm Radiation 174 9.5 From Dinosaurs to Mammals 176 9.6 Global Warming and the Birth of Primates, Deer, and Horses 177 9.7 In Search of the Big Picture 178 9.8 Synthesis 184 CHAPTER 10. Oceans 186 10.1 Open Ocean Regime Shifts 187 10.2 Coastal Ecosystems 201 10.3 Synthesis 213 CHAPTER 11. Terrestrial Ecosystems 216 11.1 Vegetation-Climate Shifts in Dry Regions 216 11.2 Small-Scale Transitions in Semiarid Vegetation 221 11.3 Boreal Forests and Tundra 226 11.4 The Rise and Fall of Raised Bogs 230 11.5 Species Extinction in Fragmented Landscapes 234 11.6 Epidemics as Critical Transitions 237 11.7 Synthesis 239 CHAPTER 12. Humans 240 12.1 Shifting Cells 242 12.2 Shifting Minds 243 12.3 Behavioral Lock-In 244 12.4 Inertia and Shifts in Group Attitudes 246 12.5 Societies in Crisis 250 12.6 Synthesis 257 CHAPTER 13. Conclusion: Critical Transitions in a Complex World 259 PART III: DEALING WITH CRITICAL TRANSITIONS CHAPTER 14. How to Know if Alternative Basins of Attraction Exist 265 14.1 Hints from Field Data 265 14.2 Experimental Evidence 270 14.3 Mechanistic Insight 273 14.4 Synthesis 280 CHAPTER 15. How to Know if a Threshold Is Near 282 15.1 The Theory: Signs of Upcoming Transitions 283 15.2 Precursors of Transitions in Real Systems 290 15.3 Reliablility of the Signals 293 15.4 Synthesis 294 CHAPTER 16. The Winding Road from Science to Policy 296 16.1 Exploiting Nature in the Smartest Way 297 16.2 Barriers to Good Solutions 303 16.3 Synthesis 309 CHAPTER 17. New Approaches to Managing Change 311 17.1 Promoting Good Transitions 312 17.2 Preventing Bad Transitions 320 17.3 Synthesis 324 CHAPTER 18. Prospects 326 18.1 The Delicate Issue of the Burden of Proof 326 18.2 Toward a Practical Science of Critical Transitions 327 Appendix 329 A.1 Logistic Growth 329 A.2 Allee Effect 332 A.3 Overexploitation 332 A.4 Competition between Two Species 334 A.5 Multispecies Competition 338 A.6 Predator-Prey Cycles 339 A.7 The Hopf Bifurcation 341 A.8 Stabilization by Spatial Heterogeneity 341 A.9 Basin Boundary Collision 344 A.10 Periodic Forcing 344 A.11 Self-Organized Patterns 345 A.12 Alternative Stable States in Shallow Lakes 347 A.13 Floating Plants 348 A.14 Contingency in Behavior 350 Glossary 353 Notes 359 Index 379

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Book SynopsisA unique and personal insight into the ecology and evolution of pollinators, their relationships with flowers, and their conservation in a rapidly changing world. The pollination of flowers by insects, birds and other animals is a fundamentally important ecological function that supports both the natural world and human society. Without pollinators to facilitate the sexual reproduction of plants, the world would be a biologically poorer place in which to live, there would be an impact on food security, and human health would suffer. Written by one of the world's leading pollination ecologists, this book provides an introduction to what pollinators are, how their interactions with flowers have evolved, and the fundamental ecology of these relationships. It explores the pollination of wild and agricultural plants in a variety of habitats and contexts, including urban, rural and agricultural environments. The author also provides practical advice on how individuals and organisations can study, and support, pollinators. As well as covering the natural history of pollinators and flowers, the author discusses their cultural importance, and the ways in which pollinator conservation has been portrayed from a political perspective. The book draws on field work experiences in South America, Africa, Australia, the Canary Islands and the UK. For over 30 years the author has spent his career researching how plants and pollinators evolve relationships, how these interactions function ecologically, their importance for society, and how we can conserve them in a rapidly changing world. This book offers a unique and personal insight into the science of pollinators and pollination, aimed at anyone who is interested in understanding these fascinating and crucial ecological interactions.Trade ReviewSUPERB. It contains everything I've spent the last 10 years trying to grasp, all in one book, AND written in a way I can understand! It makes such a difference to a non-scientist (like me) to be able to grasp the facts, and the science behind the facts, without having to first look up dozens of terms I don't understand. -- Brigit Strawbridge Howard * Author of Dancing with Bees: A Journey Back to Nature *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements 1. The importance of pollinators and pollination 2. More than just bees: the diversity of pollinators 3. To be a flower 4. Fidelity and promiscuity in Darwin's entangled bank 5. The evolution of pollination strategies 6. A matter of time: from daily cycles to climate change 7. Agricultural perspectives 8. Urban environments 9. The significance of gardens 10. Shifting fates of pollinators 11. New bees on the block 12. Managing, restoring and connecting habitats 13. The politics of pollination 14. Studying pollinators and pollination References Index

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Book Synopsis`Panarchy’ is a new term coined from the name of the Greek god Pan, a symbol of universal nature and associated with unpredictable change. It represents an alternative framework for managing the issues that emerge from the interaction between people and nature. That interaction generates countless surprises, often the result of slow changes that can accumulate and unexpectedly flip an ecosystem or an economy into a qualitatively different state. That state may be not only impoverished, but also effectively irreversible. Thus, understanding how such change occurs is critical to achieving a sustainable society. Developed from the work of the Resilience Alliance, a worldwide group of leading organizations and individuals involved in ecological and economic research, Panarchy provides a framework to understand the cycles of change in complex systems and to gauge if, when, and how they can be influenced. This synopsis introduces lay readers and decision makers to this widely acclaimed line of inquiry and to the basic concept behind Panarchy, published by Island Press.

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Book SynopsisThis is a book about how ecologists can integrate remote sensing and GIS in their daily work. It will allow ecologists to get started with the application of remote sensing and to understand its potential and limitations. Using practical examples, the book covers all necessary steps from planning field campaigns to deriving ecologically relevant information through remote sensing and modelling of species distributions. All practical examples in this book rely on OpenSource software and freely available data sets. Quantum GIS (QGIS) is introduced for basic GIS data handling, and in-depth spatial analytics and statistics are conducted with the software packages R and GRASS. Readers will learn how to apply remote sensing within ecological research projects, how to approach spatial data sampling and how to interpret remote sensing derived products. The authors discuss a wide range of statistical analyses with regard to satellite data as well as specialised topics such as time-series analysis. Extended scripts on how to create professional looking maps and graphics are also provided. This book is a valuable resource for students and scientists in the fields of conservation and ecology interested in learning how to get started in applying remote sensing in ecological research and conservation planning.Trade ReviewRemote Sensing and GIS for Ecologists could become an essential undergraduate-level textbook, but it is also a guide to practising ecologists who want to broaden their toolkit. * Conservation Biology *We recommend this book not only as an interesting and informative guide to remote sensing concepts, but also as a vehicle to quickly delve into hands-on processing and analysis of remote sensing data to answer many questions relevant to landscape ecologists. -- Danica Schaffer-Smith and Jennifer J. Swenson * Landscape Ecology *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 Spatial Data and Software 2 Introduction to Remote Sensing and GIS 3 Where to Obtain Spatial Data? 4 Spatial Data Analysis for Ecologists: First Steps 5 Pre-Processing Remote Sensing Data 6 Field Data for Remote Sensing Data Analysis 7 From Spectral to Ecological Information 8 Land Cover or Image Classification Approaches 9 Land Cover Change or Change Detection 10 Continuous Land Cover Information 11 Time Series Analysis 12 Spatial Land Cover Pattern Analysis 13 Modelling Species Distributions 14 Introduction to the added value of Animal Movement Analysis and Remote Sensing Outlook and Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR CONSERVATION 2023The Sunday Times Science Book of the YearAs seen on CountryfileIf anyone was born to save Britain's rainforests, it was Guy Shrubsole' Sunday TimesShortlisted for the Richard Jefferies Society Literary PrizeTemperate rainforest may once have covered up to one-fifth of Britain, inspiring Celtic druids, Welsh wizards, Romantic poets, and Arthur Conan Doyle's most loved creations. Though only fragments now remain, they are home to a dazzling variety of luminous life-forms.In this awe-inspiring investigation, Guy Shrubsole travels through the Western Highlands and the Lake District, down to the rainforests of Wales, Devon, and Cornwall to map these spectacular lost worlds for the first time.This is the extraordinary tale of one person's quest to find Britain's lost rainforests and bring them back.*Guy Shrubsole''s The Lost Rainforests of Britain was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2023-04-30*Trade Review‘Remarkable … Shrubsole has completely changed the way many people look at the temperate woodlands that remain in parts of western Britain’ Financial Times ‘If anyone was born to save Britain’s rainforests, it was Guy Shrubsole’ Sunday Times, The Sunday Times Science Book of the Year ‘Fascinating, lyrical … A celebration of these dazzling worlds and a plea to act before they are extinguished’ The Times ‘[The Lost Rainforests of Britain] could be a lament but instead it is suffused with the irrepressible positivity and cheerful enthusiasm of a born campaigner’ Patrick Barkham, Guardian ‘Enchanting and insightful … Wonderfully evocative’ Geographical ‘Excellent … Inspiring’ Unherd ‘A treasure chest full of woodland jewels, rare, precious and beautiful’Chris Packham ‘A magnificent and crucial book that opens our eyes to untold wonders’George Monbiot ‘A beautiful, lyrical and urgent book … I cannot recommend it enough’Nick Hayes, author of the Sunday Times-bestselling The Book of Trespass ‘Utterly enchanting, transporting and spellbinding … A rallying cry for restoring the rainforests of Britain urgently, and an inspiring and informative must-read for anyone interested in rewilding and ecological restoration’Lucy Jones, author of Losing Eden ‘Passionate, powerful, political and practicable, Guy Shrubsole gives us a blueprint for how to bring our missing rainforests back to life in all their riotous, tangled glory. Impeccably researched, convincingly argued and with generous measures of joyful discovery, this really is a spectacular book’Lee Schofield, author of Wild Fell

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Book SynopsisUnderstanding how our living environment works is essentially a study of ecological systems. Ecology is the science of how organisms interact with each other and with their environment, and how such interactions create self-organising communities and ecosystems. This science touches us all. The food we eat, the water we drink, the natural resources we use, our physical and mental health, and much of our cultural heritage are to a large degree products of ecological interactions of organisms and their environment. This Very Short Introduction celebrates the centrality of ecology in our lives. Jaboury Ghazoul explores how ecology has evolved rapidly from natural history to become a predictive science that explains how the natural world works, and which guides environmental policy and management decisions. Drawing on a range of examples, he shows how ecological science can be applied to management and conservation, including the extent to which theory has shaped practice. Ecological science has also shaped social and cultural perspectives on the environment, a process that influences politics of the environment. Ghazoul concludes by considering the future of ecology, particularly in the light of current and future environmental challenges. 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.Trade ReviewOverall, this is a good starting point to get acquainted with ecology by being synthetic and easy to read; it would be a good resource also for undergraduate students. * Conservation Biology *This is a good starting point to get acquainted with ecology by being synthetic and easy to read. * Society for Conservation Biology *Table of ContentsPreface List of illustrations 1: What is ecology? 2: History of ecology 3: Principles and theories 4: The big questions 5: Applied ecology 6: Ecology in culture and politics 7: The future of ecology Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisA plethora of different theories, models, and concepts make up the field of community ecology. Amid this vast body of work, is it possible to build one general theory of ecological communities? What other scientific areas might serve as a guiding framework? As it turns out, the core focus of community ecologyunderstanding patterns of diversity and composition of biological variants across space and timeis shared by evolutionary biology and its very coherent conceptual framework, population genetics theory. The Theory of Ecological Communities takes this as a starting point to pull together community ecology''s various perspectives into a more unified whole.Mark Vellend builds a theory of ecological communities based on four overarching processes: selection among species, drift, dispersal, and speciation. These are analogues of the four central processes in population genetics theoryselection within species, drift, gene flow, and mutationand together they subsume almosTrade Review"In 1986, Thomas W. Schoener wrote a thought-provoking book chapter describing ecological communities along five organismal and five environmental axes. It was thought-provoking in the sense that Schoener attempted to unify community ecology using a minimal set of variables at a time when ecologists were doubtful of any unifying principle in community ecology. After three decades of Schoener's chapter, community ecologists are still divided about whether there could be a general theory of community. . . . Mark Vellend elegantly attempts to bridge this divide by introducing the theory of high-level processes in ecological communities in his Princeton Population Monograph entitled The Theory of Ecological Communities."---Madhav P. Thakur, Trends in Ecology and Evolution"Vellend (biology, Univ. de Sherbrooke, Canada) provides a useful historical account of the wide variety of methods used in the field to lay the foundation for his proposed resolution of the resulting ‘mess.' The book is well written, profusely referenced, and a worthy addition to the distinguished ‘Monographs in Population Biology’ series from Princeton University Press." * Choice *"Vellend does a tremendous job, and accomplishes for the field of community ecology what few have attempted, and even fewer, if any, have achieved. . . . With its overall plain language and clear prose, his book is excellent material for pre- and postgraduate students."---Lars Götzenberger and Jan Lepš, Conservation Biology"[Vellend] brings together diverse empirical and theoretical traditions in an unprecedented, engaging, and productive manner."---Max W. Dresow and Jake J. Grossman, Metascience"This is a very useful book for students and researchers."---Kevin S. McCann, Quarterly Review of Biology

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Book SynopsisThe oceans are our planet''s most distinctive and imposing natural habitat. They cover 71 per cent of its surface; support a remarkably diverse and exquisitely adapted array of life forms, from microscopic viruses, bacteria, and plankton to the largest existing animals; and possess many of Earth''s most significant, intriguing, and inaccessible ecosystems. In an era in which humans are significantly altering the global environment, the oceans are undergoing rapid and profound changes. The study of marine biology is thus taking on added importance and urgency as people struggle to understand and manage these changes to protect our marine ecosystems. Healthy oceans produce half of the oxygen we breathe; stabilize our climate; create ecosystems that protect our coasts from storms; provide us with abundant food; and host diverse organisms that provide us with natural products for medicine and biotechnology. In this Very Short Introduction, marine biologist Philip Mladenov provides an accessible and up-to-date overview of marine biology, offering a tour of marine life and marine processes that ranges from the unimaginably abundant microscopic organisms that drive the oceans'' food web to the apex predators that we exploit for food; from polar ocean ecosystems to tropical coral reefs; and from the luxurious kelp beds of the coastal ocean to deep-ocean hydrothermal vents where life exists without the energy of the sun. Throughout the book he considers the human impacts on marine life including overfishing, plastic and nutrient pollution, the spread of exotic species, and ocean warming and acidification. He discusses the threats these pose to our welfare, and the actions required to put us on a path to a more sustainable relationship with our oceans so that they can be restored and protected for future generations. Mladenov concludes with a new chapter offering an inspiring vision for the future of our oceans in 2050 that can be realised if we are wise enough to accelerate actions already underway and be bold with implementing new approaches.The next decade will decide the state of the oceans that we leave behind for future generations. 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.Trade ReviewMarine Biology represents a useful "very short introduction" for students looking to develop their understanding of the marine field and for enthusiasts and conservationists looking to dive further into the oceans and the life they hold. * Conservation Biology *Broken into logical and easily digestible chapters and aided by intuitive easy-to-read diagrams, the author makes numerous complex ideas and theories easily comprehensible. * Society for Conservation Biology *Authoritative yet tender, this is a first-rate introduction to the mysteries of life in the ocean - and a glimpse of how that life is changing as humans damage the very chemistry of the sea around us. * Alanna Mitchell, author of Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis *Dipping a toe into any chapter of this Very Short Introduction is like diving into the complex, wonderful world of ocean life. You're quickly and fully immersed in every topic. * Professor Stephen Palumbi, Stanford University *Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsList of illustrationsList of tablesList of abbreviations Introduction 1: The oceanic environment 2: Marine biological processes 3: Life in the coastal ocean 4: Polar marine biology 5: Marine life in the tropics 6: Deep-ocean biology 7: Intertidal life 8: Food from the oceans 9: The future of our oceansFurther readingIndex

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsPreface xiii List of Contributors xv 1 What Is the Arctic? 1Kjell Danell 1.1 Setting the Scene 1 1.2 In Which Ways Is the Arctic Different? 2 1.3 How Was the Arctic Discovered? 3 1.4 How Large Is the Arctic? 4 1.5 What Is in the Arctic? 4 1.5.1 Arctic Haze and Ice Fog 4 1.5.2 Aurora Borealis 5 1.6 Climate and Weather 5 1.7 Ice and Snow 6 1.8 Permafrost, Polygons, Pingos, and Palsas 6 1.9 Animals, Plants, and Fungi 7 1.10 Arctic Ecosystems 9 1.10.1 Terrestrial Ecosystems 10 1.10.2 Freshwater Ecosystems 12 1.10.3 Marine Ecosystems 14 1.10.4 Humans 15 1.11 Which Natural Resources and Ecosystem Services does the Arctic Offer? 17 1.12 Biotic Changes in the Arctic 19 References 22 2 Arctic Ecology – A Paleoenvironmental Perspective 23Michael Pisaric and John P. Smol 2.1 Introduction 23 2.2 The Distant Past 25 2.2.1 Bones, DNA, and Megafauna 26 2.2.2 Beringian Biota 27 2.2.3 Ancient DNA 29 2.3 Rings and Things: Examining Paleoenvironmental and Paleoclimatic Change Using Dendrochronology 30 2.3.1 Dendrochronology in Action: Examples from the Field 32 2.4 Lake Sediments: Continuous Archives of Environmental Change 33 2.5 Paleolimnology and Arctic Climate Change 37 2.5.1 Subfossil Pollen, Stomata, and Macrofossils for Tracking Vegetation Change 38 2.5.2 Charcoal and Past Wildfires 39 2.5.3 Using Past Assemblage Changes in Lake Biota to Reconstruct Past Climatic Trends 39 2.5.4 Using Paleolimnology to Study the Source and Fate of Contaminants 43 2.5.5 Linking Paleolimnology and Archeology: Tracking the Limnological Effects of Early Peoples in the Arctic 48 2.6 Concluding Remarks 49 References 50 3 Climate Change in the Arctic 57Edward Hanna, Joseph E. Nolan, James E. Overland, and Richard J. Hall 3.1 Introduction to Arctic Climates – Datasets Available for Analyzing Climate Change 57 3.2 Atmospheric Aspects of Arctic Climate Change: Arctic Amplification and Global Warming, Changes in Air Temperature and Precipitation, and Changes in Atmospheric Circulation 59 3.3 Oceanic Aspects of Arctic Climate Change, Including Surface and Deep Ocean Circulation Changes 61 3.4 Climate Change Impacts on Arctic Sea Ice and Greenland Ice Sheet – The Unprecedented Recent Decline in Late Summer Sea-Ice Cover and Record Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Melt and Mass Loss 65 3.5 Feedbacks in the Arctic Climate System and Global Impacts – the Ice/Albedo Feedback and Ice Insulation Feedbacks – the “Warm Arctic, Cold Continents” Hypothesis 71 3.6 Concluding Remarks 73 References 75 4 Arctic Permafrost and Ecosystem Functioning 81Torben R. Christensen 4.1 Permafrost and Ecosystems in the Arctic 81 4.2 Permafrost Shapes the Landscape 83 4.2.1 Permafrost Specific Landforms and Their Importance for Ecosystems 83 4.2.2 Permafrost Specific Landforms and Effects of a Changing Climate 86 4.3 The Biology of Permafrost 87 4.3.1 Microbes 87 4.3.2 Vegetation 88 4.4 Ecosystem Function – Carbon Cycling in Permafrost Environments 91 4.4.1 General Carbon Cycling 91 4.4.2 Methane Emissions 92 4.5 Concluding Remarks 94 References 95 5 Arctic Tundra 103John Hobbie, Gaius Shaver, Toke Thomas Høye, and Joseph Bowden 5.1 Distribution and Description of Arctic Tundra 103 5.2 Tundra Organisms: A Typical Food Web 105 5.3 Flora and Fauna: Diversity and Communities 106 5.4 Primary Production and Organic Matter Stocks in the Low and High Arctic 110 5.5 Primary Production and Organic Matter Stocks 112 5.6 Adaptations to the Arctic Tundra 112 5.6.1 Plant Adaptations 112 5.6.2 Microbial Activity and Soil Carbon and Nitrogen 115 5.6.3 Invertebrates: Diversity, Freeze-Tolerance, and Freeze-Avoidance 116 5.6.4 Vertebrates of the Tundra: Wintertime Survival Strategies 117 5.7 Reproductive Strategies 118 5.8 Populations and Communities of the Tundra 120 5.8.1 Diversity and Interactions: The Case of Beringia 120 5.8.2 Development of Arctic Tundra Food Webs: Complexity, Insects 121 5.8.3 Belowground Arctic Food Web: Bacteria, Mycorrhizal Fungi, Nitrogen, and Carbon Cycling 122 5.9 Tundra Ecosystem Analysis 123 5.9.1 Why Nutrient Limitation? 123 5.9.2 Nitrogen Budget: Pools of Nitrogen, Rates of Transport, and Transformations 124 5.9.3 Carbon Budget: Pools, Gross Photosynthesis and Respiration, Accumulation and Feedbacks 126 5.9.4 Insights from Manipulation Experiments: Control of Net Primary Production and Herbivory by Nutrients, Light, and Heat 126 5.10 Expected Future Changes and Responses in Arctic Tundra 128 5.10.1 Effects of Increased Shrubs 128 5.10.2 Pest Outbreaks, Changes in Phenology and Species Interactions 129 References 130 6 Ecology of Arctic Glaciers 133Alexandre M. Anesio and Johanna Laybourn-Parry 6.1 Introduction 133 6.2 The Biodiversity and Food Webs of Glacial Habitats 136 6.2.1 Ice Shelves 136 6.2.2 Supraglacial or Cryolakes 138 6.2.3 Cryoconite Material, Cryoconite Holes, and Wet Ice Surfaces 139 6.2.4 Snow on the Surface of Ice 141 6.2.5 Life Within Ice 141 6.2.6 Life in Subglacial Environments 143 6.3 Quantification of Microbial Processes in Glaciers and Export of Material to Adjacent Ecosystems 144 6.3.1 Supraglacial Habitats: Ice Shelf Lakes, Ponds, Cryoconites 144 6.3.2 Subglacial Habitats 149 6.4 Anthropogenic Impacts 151 References 152 7 Ecology of Arctic Lakes and Ponds 159Erik Jeppesen, Kirsten S. Christoffersen, Milla Rautio, and Torben L. Lauridsen 7.1 Introduction 159 7.2 Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Arctic Lakes and Ponds 160 7.3 Biological Communities and Production 162 7.3.1 Phytoplankton and Phytobenthos 162 7.3.2 Macrophytes 164 7.3.3 Microbial Loop 165 7.3.4 Zooplankton and Zoobenthos 165 7.3.5 Fish 168 7.3.6 Food Webs 169 7.4 Global Climate Change and Arctic Lakes 171 References 174 8 Ecology of Arctic Streams and Rivers 181Alexander D. Huryn 8.1 Introduction 181 8.1.1 What Is an Arctic River? 181 8.2 A Primer on Stream Ecology: General and Arctic Perspectives 183 8.2.1 The Longitudinal Dimension 184 8.2.2 The Vertical Dimension 202 8.2.3 The Lateral Dimension 207 8.3 Concluding Remarks 209 References 211 9 Ecology of Arctic Pelagic Communities 219Malin Daase, Jørgen Berge, Janne E. Søreide, and Stig Falk-Petersen 9.1 Introduction 219 9.2 The Arctic Marine Highways: The Transpolar Drift and the Interconnected Current Systems 220 9.3 Members and Key Players of Arctic Pelagic Communities 224 9.3.1 At the Base – Primary Producers and Microbial Communities 224 9.3.2 In the Middle – Resident Consumers and Life Strategies of Arctic Zooplankton 229 9.3.3 At the Top – Pelagic Predators 239 9.4 A Lipid-Driven Food Chain 241 9.5 Effects of Climate Change 242 9.5.1 Timing 243 9.5.2 Changes in Species Distribution 243 References 246 10 Ecology of Arctic Sea Ice 261C. J. Mundy and Klaus M. Meiners 10.1 Introduction to Sea Ice 261 10.2 Types of Habitats 262 10.3 Food Webs and Carbon Flow 264 10.4 Physical Environment 268 10.5 Colonization of Sea Ice and Winter Survival 270 10.6 Adaptations to and Relationships with Environmental Conditions 272 10.6.1 Temperature and Salinity 272 10.6.2 Space and Permeability 275 10.6.3 Light 276 10.7 Climate Change and the Ice-Associated Ecosystem 278 References 279 11 Ecology of Arctic Shallow Subtidal and Intertidal Benthos 289Paul E. Renaud, Jan Marcin Węsławski, and Kathleen Conlan 11.1 Introduction 289 11.2 The Physical Environment 290 11.2.1 Temperature 290 11.2.2 Light 290 11.2.3 Waves 291 11.2.4 Ice Cover 291 11.2.5 Freshwater Discharge and Salinity 293 11.3 Biomes 294 11.3.1 Origins and Distribution of Sediments 294 11.3.2 Soft-Sediment Communities 295 11.3.3 Hard Substrate 297 11.3.4 Vegetated Substrate 300 11.4 Disturbance Regimes and Succession 302 11.4.1 Ice Scour 302 11.4.2 Strudel Scour 304 11.4.3 Natural Gas Seepage and Petroleum Extraction 305 11.4.4 Large-Mammal Feeding Pits 305 11.4.5 Recolonization of Arctic Benthos 306 11.4.6 Human Impacts 307 11.5 Trophic Interactions 308 11.5.1 Feeding Strategies in Arctic Shallow Benthos 308 11.5.2 Food Sources for Benthic Fauna 309 11.5.3 Benthos as a Food for Top Predators in the Arctic 310 11.5.4 Carbon and Nutrient Cycling 314 11.6 Reproduction in Coastal Benthos 315 11.7 Effects of Global Climate Change on Shallow Arctic Benthos 316 11.7.1 Reduced Ice Cover 319 11.7.2 Documented Effects on Natural Systems in the Intertidal Zone 319 11.7.3 Coastal Erosion 319 References 320 12 Ecology of Arctic Shelf and Deep Ocean Benthos 325Monika Kędra and Jacqueline M. Grebmeier 12.1 Introduction 325 12.2 The Physical Environment 326 12.2.1 Light 327 12.2.2 Temperature 327 12.2.3 Sea Ice 328 12.2.4 Sediment Characteristics 328 12.3 Biodiversity, Community Structure, and Functioning of Shelf and Deep Sea Benthos 330 12.3.1 Benthic Definitions 330 12.3.2 Brief Overview of Major Taxa in Benthic Communities 331 12.3.3 Biodiversity 335 12.3.4 Functional Diversity 337 12.3.5 Arctic Commercial Benthic Species 338 12.4 Productivity and Food Webs of Shelf and Deep Sea Benthos 339 12.4.1 Primary Production and Food Sources 339 12.4.2 Pelagic–Benthic Coupling 341 12.4.3 Benthic Community Structure and Food Webs 343 12.4.4 Benthic Communities as a Food Source for Benthic-Feeding Upper Trophic Levels 346 12.5 Impact of Global Climate Change on Shelf and Deep Sea Benthic Communities 348 References 349 13 Fat, Furry, Flexible, and Functionally Important: Characteristics of Mammals Living in the Arctic 357Niels M. Schmidt, Olivier Gilg, Jon Aars, and Rolf A. Ims 13.1 Introduction 357 13.2 The Mammal Assemblage in the Arctic Today 358 13.2.1 Terrestrial Mammals 358 13.2.2 Herbivores 358 13.2.3 Predators 359 13.2.4 Marine Mammals 360 13.3 Arctic Mammals and Adaptations to Life in the Arctic 366 13.3.1 Fur, Fat and Extremities 367 13.3.2 Behavioral Adaptations to Life in the Arctic 368 13.4 The Role of Mammals in Arctic Ecosystems 369 13.4.1 Removal of Plant Material by Terrestrial Herbivores 371 13.4.2 Transport of Nutrients and Seeds by Arctic Mammals 372 13.4.3 Mammal Predator–Prey Dynamics 374 13.5 The Future for Arctic Mammals in a Changing Climate 374 13.6 Concluding Remarks 377 References 377 14 Ecology of Arctic Birds 385Anthony D. Fox 14.1 Introduction: The Bird Species and Their Feeding Ecology 385 14.2 Traveling to Breed 386 14.3 Long Distance Migrations 388 14.4 Reproduction 389 14.5 Survival 394 14.6 Population Change 396 14.7 Climate Change 397 14.8 Endangered Species 399 14.9 Concluding Remarks 402 References 403 15 Arctic Ecology, Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Governance 409Mark Nuttall 15.1 Introduction 409 15.2 The Impacts of Social and Environmental Change 410 15.3 Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Wildlife Management 413 15.4 Arctic Ecology and Community-Based Monitoring 415 15.5 Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Policy: The Case of the Inuit Circumpolar Council 418 15.6 Concluding Remarks 419 References 420 Index 423

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Book SynopsisAn in-depth guide to writing high-quality and effective professional ecological reports. Mike Dean distils the knowledge and experience gained over a period of more than 20 years working as an ecological consultant, during which time he has written and reviewed many such reports. There are existing good practice guidelines on ecological report writing, published by CIEEM and co-authored by the author of this book. Writing Effective Ecological Reports goes beyond those guidelines. It provides practical advice on the structure, content and style of ecological reports, using numerous case study examples to help the reader’s understanding. It also tackles topics not covered by the guidelines, such as how to write an effective summary, how to create and use a report template, how to proofread reports, and what those tasked with reviewing reports should be looking for. This book will be invaluable for any professional ecologist, or anyone hoping to become a professional ecologist. It is particularly aimed at those who write ecological reports, such as ecological consultants. However, it also provides practical advice for those tasked with reading and reviewing reports written by others, including those working for local planning authorities or nature conservation consultees. The book has been written to be useful to those with limited experience, such as recent graduates, as well as those with many years of experience as a professional ecologist, and everyone in the middle.Trade ReviewThis is a useful guide particularly for those with limited experience, such as recent graduates, but also for those who write or review ecological reports in their profession, including ecological consultants and individuals working for local planning authorities. * Conservation Land Management *Anyone producing or reviewing reports within the ecology sector, at whatever level, would benefit from reading this book. In short – not ‘preferential’, but ‘essential’ for anyone involved with reports within our sector. -- Neil Middleton, author of The Effective EcologistThe author, undoubtedly a skilled writer with a lucid mind, describes how one can produce quality ecological reports with proper style, structure, and contents…It should be on the bookshelf of every ecologist or anyone who wishes to write effective ecological reports. -- Som B. Ale * The Quarterly Review of Biology *Table of ContentsIntroduction Competence, qualifications and experience Getting the basics right Fact versus opinion Report structure Making a start First impressions and opening lines Getting your facts right So what does all this mean? Keeping it in proportion Tables, figures, photos and appendices Creating and using a template Writing an effective Summary PEA or EcIA – what’s the difference? Writing Environmental Statement chapters Proofreading, technical review and quality assurance Tips for those reviewing reports Dealing with references How long is a report valid for? Useful sources of information

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Book SynopsisThe practice of ecological restoration, firmly grounded in the science of restoration ecology, provides governments, organisations, and landowners a means to halt degradation and restore function and resilience to ecosystems stressed by climate change and other pressures on the natural world. Foundational theory is a critical component of the underlying science, providing valuable insights into restoring ecological systems effectively and understanding why some efforts to restore systems can fail In turn on-the-ground restoration projects can help to guide and refine theory, advancing the field and providing new ideas and innovations for practical application. This new edition of Foundations for Restoration Ecology provides the latest emerging theories and ideas in the science of restoration ecology. Fully one-third longer than the first edition and comprehensive in scope it has been dramatically updated to reflect new research. Included are new sections devoted to Concepts critical to all restoration projects as we'll as restoration of specific ecosystem processes, including hydrology, nutrient dynamics and carbon.Also new to this edition are case studies that describe real-life restoration scenarios in North and South America, Europe, and Australia. They highlight supporting theory for restoration application and other details important for assessing the degree of success of restoration projects in a variety of contexts. Lists at the end of each chapter summarise new theory introduced in that chapter and its practical application. Written by acclaimed researchers in the field, this book provides practitioners as well as graduate and undergraduate students with a solid grounding in the newest advances in ecological science and theory.

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Book SynopsisBeavers are widely recognised as a keystone species which play a pivotal role in riparian ecology. Their tree felling and dam building behaviours coupled with a suite of other activities create a wealth of living opportunities that are exploited by a range of other species. Numerous scientific studies demonstrate that beaver-generated living environments that are much richer in terms of both biodiversity and biomass than wetland environments from which they are absent. Emerging contemporary studies indicate clearly that the landscapes they create can afford sustainable, cost-effective remedies for water retention, flood alleviation, silt and chemical capture. Beaver activities, especially in highly modified environments, may be challenging to certain land use activities and landowners. Many trialled and tested methods to mitigate against these impacts, including a wide range of non-lethal management techniques, are regularly implemented across Europe and North America. Many of these techniques will be new to people, especially in areas where beavers are newly re-establishing. This handbook serves to discuss both the benefits and challenges in living with this species, and collates the wide range of techniques that can be implemented to mitigate any negative impacts. The authors of this handbook are all beaver experts and together they have a broad range of scientific knowledge and practical experience regarding the ecology, captive husbandry, veterinary science, pathology, reintroduction and management of beavers in both continental Europe and Britain.Trade ReviewThe authors of this handbook include many of the most significant names in beaver conservation in Europe, drawing on a wide range of experiences and perspectives, which gives this book great depth and insight.... For me, working on the River Otter Beaver Trial here in Devon, this book is already providing a quick reference guide which I’m finding easy to use and full of valuable information. It is well organised and referenced and will become vital for those managing land which beavers recolonise in the decades ahead. -- Mark Elliott * ECOS *... I recommend Eurasian Beaver Handbook for land managers, policy writers, and landowners interested in managing European landscapes that include, or may potentially include, beavers. ... Although this book focuses on the European beaver, practitioners in North America also could benefit from reading this book to compare management styles, tools, and techniques. -- Jimmy D. Taylor, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, National Wildlife Research Center * Journal of Wildlife Management *Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. The history of beavers in Britain 3. Beaver biology and ecology 4. Legislation 5. Effects of beavers 6. Managing beaver impacts 7. Survey and monitoring 8. Learning to live with beavers Appendices References Index

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Book SynopsisHow does Nature work? When one looks closely at the enormously complex web of life, it is impossible not to be caught by the wonder of how all living things - including rocks and crystals - are interconnected. Just as there is thought behind action, so there is energy behind matter. Schauberger is able to demonstrate how Nature works because he has been able to observe and describe how its energies manifest and produce the material world.

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Book SynopsisKnowledge of bat echolocation and social calls, and identification using ultrasonic ‘bat detectors’ and sound analysis software, has grown significantly in the last decade. In this practical guide Jon Russ and contributors (Kate Barlow, Philip Briggs & Sandie Sowler) present the latest information in a clear and concise manner. The book covers topics including the properties of sound, how bats use sound, bat detectors and recording devices, analysis software, and call analysis. For each species found in the British Isles, information is given on distribution, emergence times, flight and foraging behaviour, habitat, echolocation calls including parameters for common measurements, and social calls. Calls are described in the context of the different technologies employed to record them (heterodyne, frequency division and time expansion). Various sonograms for each species are displayed in BatSound and AnaLookW. A species echolocation guide is included.Trade ReviewIt's safe to say, that I own many books on the subject of Bats. ... I can state here and now, (with certainty) that this book surpasses the others on its overall (up-to-date) content, and execution. In conclusion, the book is very well laid-out. It's very informative, and a fantastic reference, to re-visit again and again! ...Now if only a bat expert from the US (of Jon Russ' caliber) would publish a book similar to it (for North American species)...And soon! I'd be very happy! -- Al Milano * Bat Detector Reviews *Armed with this practical little book, researchers, surveyors and amateurs can go out into the night with the benefit of the knowledge and experience built up over the years by Russ and his colleagues. -- Andrew Branson * British Wildlife *Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Bats and sound: Properties of sound; Signal acquisition; Representing and describing sound; How bats use sound 3. Equipment: Bat detectors; Recording sound 4. Call analysis: Sound analysis software; Automatic recognition software; Using sound analysis software; Measuring call parameters; AnalookW; Common analysis problems 5. Species echolocation guide 6. Species identification Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisCovering diverse species from garter snakes to Komodo dragons, this book delves into the evolutionary origins and fascinating details of the mysterious social lives of reptiles. Reptiles have been too often dismissed as dull animals with tiny brains and simple, asocial lives. In reality, reptiles engage in a remarkable diversity of complex social behavior. They can live in families; communicate with one another while still in the egg; and hunt, feed, migrate, court, mate, nest, and hatch in groups. In The Secret Social Lives of Reptiles, J. Sean Doody, Vladimir Dinets, and Gordon M. Burghardtthree of the world's leading experts on reptilesbring together a wave of new research with a synthesis of classic studies to produce the only authoritative look at the social behaviors of the most provocative animals on the planet. The book covers turtles, lizards, snakes, crocodilians, and the enigmatic tuatara. Enhanced with dozens of images, it takes readers through a myriad of social interactTrade ReviewThe authors show that many ideas about reptile behavior are based more on folklore and bias than science. They review the research and present findings in highly readable accounts, demonstrating that reptiles interact with each other in surprising and intricate ways. The Secret Social Lives of Reptiles reveals, once again, that life on this planet is far more stunning than we can imagine.—Matthew Miller, Nature - Cool Green ScienceScience writing about family lives in turtles, snakes and crocodilians promises a much needed corrective to our assumptions about 'lowly' reptiles.—Times Literary SupplementThis is an excellent book on an underappreciated topic. The coverage is thorough and the insights are sharp, as is to be expected from a group of authors with tremendous expertise in the social behavior of diverse groups of reptiles.—Herpetological ReviewTable of ContentsForeword, by Gordon W. SchuettPrefaceAcknowledgmentsChapter 1. Social Behavior Research: Its History and a Role for ReptilesChapter 2. Reptile Evolution and BiologyChapter 3. Mating Systems, Social Structure, and Social OrganizationChapter 4. CommunicationChapter 5. Courtship and MatingChapter 6. Communal Egg-Laying: Habitat Saturation or Conspecific Attraction?Chapter 7. Parental CareChapter 8. Hatching and Emergence: A Perspective from the Underworld Chapter 9. Behavioral Development in Reptiles: Too Little Known but Not Too LateChapter 10. The Reach of Sociality: Feeding, Thermoregulation, Predator Avoidance, and Habitat ChoiceChapter 11. Looking toward the FutureReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisA taxonomic guide to the colors of the natural world, with 13 palettes and 110 color swatches, cherished by artists and scientists for more than 2 centuries”Before Pantone, there was Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours”—Architectural DigestThis beautiful pocket-size facsimile is a charming artifact from the golden age of natural history and global exploration. In the pre-photographic age, almost all visual details had to be captured via the written word, and scientific observers could not afford ambiguity in their descriptions.In the late 18th century, mineralogist Abraham Gottlob Werner devised a standardized color scheme that allowed him to describe even the subtlest of chromatic differences with consistent terminology. His scheme was then adapted by an Edinburgh flower painter, Patrick Syme, who used the actual minerals described by Werner to create the color charts in the book, enhancing them with examples from flora and fauna.Werner's handbook became an invaluable resource for naturalists and anthropologists, including Charles Darwin, who used it to identify colors in nature during his seminal voyage on the HMS Beagle. Werner's terminology lent both precision and lyricism to Darwin's pioneering writings, enabling his readers to envision a world they would never see.This new facsimile edition complete with ribbon marker brings the classic work back to life.

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Book SynopsisGrowing from the seafloor and extending along the ocean surface in lush canopies, giant kelp provides an extensive vertical habitat in a largely two-dimensional seascape. This book provides a discussion of kelp species and forest ecology worldwide, with considerations of human uses and abuses, management and conservation, and more.Trade Review"A detailed, multifaceted synthesis of knowledge... Recommended." -- R. Schmid CHOICE connect "Remarkable... as comprehensive as could conceivably be attempted... A pleasure to read." -- John J. Bolton PhycologiaTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction PART I. THE BIOLOGY OF GIANT KELP 1. Introduction to Giant Kelp Forests Worldwide 2. The Structure, Function, and Abiotic Requirements of 3. The Abiotic Environment 4. Demography, Dispersal, and Connectivity of Populations PART II. THE GIANT KELP ECOSYSTEM 5. Giant Kelp Communities 6. Detached Giant Kelp Communities, Production, and Food / Control Webs 7. Facilitative and Competitive Interactions in Giant Kelp Forests 8. Grazing in Kelp Communities 9. Predation and Trophic Cascades in Kelp Communities PART III. HUMAN USAGE, MANAGEMENT, AND CONSERVATION 10. Anthropogenic Effects on Kelp Forests 11. Human Usage of Giant Kelp and Kelp Forest Organisms 12. Marine Protected Areas and Fisheries Effects PART IV. GLOBAL CHANGE AND THE FUTURE 13. Global Change 14. Giant Kelp Forests: Conclusions and Final Thought Afterword References Index

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Book SynopsisThis volume compiles more than twenty years of behavioral research on the three living species of elephants in Africa and Asia (African Savannah, African Forest, and Asian elephant), together with their implications for conserving and managing wild elephant populations. The theoretical background, key terminology and findings are explained and presented in engaging language accessible to a wide range of non-specialists, from students to seasoned professionals. By viewing data from numerous studies through a comparative evolutionary perspective, the similarities and distinctions among species and populations come into clear relief, providing insight into the complexities of protecting these charismatic yet highly threatened mega-herbivores. Rather than mere exposition of what is known, readers are invited to reflect on the additional questions and puzzles that are still in need of answers, in the hope of inspiring a new generation of researchers and conservationists.

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Book SynopsisAlthough complexity surrounds us, its inherent uncertainty, ambiguity, and contradiction can at first make complex systems appear inscrutable. Ecosystems, for instance, are nonlinear, self-organizing, seemingly chaotic structures in which individuals interact both with each other and with the myriad biotic and abiotic components of their surroundings across geographies as well as spatial and temporal scales. In the face of such complexity, ecologists have long sought tools to streamline and aggregate information. Among them, in the 1980s, T. F. H. Allen and Thomas B. Starr implemented a burgeoning concept from business administration: hierarchy theory. Cutting-edge when Hierarchy was first published, their approach to unraveling complexity is now integrated into mainstream ecological thought. This thoroughly revised and expanded second edition of Hierarchy reflects the assimilation of hierarchy theory into ecological research, its successful application to the understanding of complex systems, and the many developments in thought since. Because hierarchies and levels are habitual parts of human thinking, hierarchy theory has proven to be the most intuitive and tractable vehicle for addressing complexity. By allowing researchers to look explicitly at only the entities and interconnections that are relevant to a specific research question, hierarchically informed data analysis has enabled a revolution in ecological understanding. With this new edition of Hierarchy, that revolution continues.

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Book SynopsisThe ocean teems with life that thrives under difficult situations in unusual environments. This book takes readers to the absolute limits of the aquatic world - the fastest and deepest, the hottest and oldest creatures of the oceans.Trade ReviewOne of American Association for the Advancement of Science's Books for General Audiences and Young Adults 2014 "This gem of a book by marine biologist Stephen Palumbi and his son, science writer Anthony Palumbi, finds enough weirdness in the ocean to feed creativity for generations to come... The Palumbis' writing is a wonderful mix of meticulous science and creative panache... A joy whether read at one sitting, or dipped in and out of to prolong the pleasure."--Callum Roberts, Nature "Marine biologist Stephen R. Palumbi and writer Anthony R. Palumbi survey an impressive catch of extreme oceanic species, from the oldest to the deepest-dwelling... A brilliant use of the rich store of research into Earth's largest habitat."--Nature "From 'immortal' jellyfish that age in reverse, to zombie bone worms that eat the skeletons of dead whales, the ocean is full of bizarre characters. Biologist Stephen Palumbi and his science writer son, Anthony, profile the most unusual specimens. Chapters cover the smallest, the oldest, the hottest and the coldest species, among others, and the landscape of strange creatures is brought to life by charming writing."--Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American "The Palumbis probe life in the depths of the oceans and in tide waters in successive chapters spotlighting the long-lived Bowhead whale; sea species that adapt to extremely high temperatures and others to cold; clownfish, which change gender, becoming male or female as circumstances dictate; and much more. The authors end with a warning that the oceans contain a complex ecology in which each species 'thrives in its easily disrupted specialized niche.'... A sparkling appreciation of the wonderful variety of marine life that also communicates an important message."--Kirkus Reviews "The book reads like an action-adventure novel... This approach is a pleasant departure from dull textbook prose. It will delight readers who lack scientific credentials but yearn to understand the diversity of life in the oceans. The text demystifies, mystifies, and amazes."--Geraldine Richards, ForeWord Reviews "Highlighting the strangest cases in animate sea life, marine ecologist S.R. Palumbi exudes a palpable and contagious sense of delight as he enlists his writer son's help to fill the 'gap in character development' in the story of the ocean's robust yet fragile ecosystems... By showing how each creature is so tightly tied to its environment, the authors are able to effectively demonstrate how small human-driven changes to the oceans disrupt a complex system developed over millions of years. The Palumbis encourage a childlike curiosity by showing us the amazing diversity of life down below, and perhaps our inner children will pester our grownup selves into doing what needs to be done to keep these habitats intact."--Publishers Weekly "A giddy scientific tour of weird underwater life."--Richard Conniff, TakePart "The Palumbis give us the sense that although some parts of nature are more romantically wondrous than others--those sponges, giant squids doing epic battle with sperm whales--it is the variety that is wonderful."--Owen Richardson, Sydney Morning Herald "The whole safari is conducted with a verve and joy that only comes from a deep love of the subject, a life-long dedication to its exploration and a true communicator's sense of the mot juste. This experience and range means the Palumbis can write comfortably about research and researchers, and about the physical and mental exploration of the ocean's ecology... [A] splendid book ... a dynamic text."--Adrian Barnett, New Scientist "Stephen and Anthony Palumbi--father and son; biologist and science writer--are brilliant guides to this realm about which we as a species have been remarkably incurious... The Palumbis pere et fils give us the new stories in succinct prose beautifully freighted with apt similes and metaphors."--Peter Forbes, Independent "The Extreme Life of the Sea is less narrative and more an enthusiastic sharing of cool things in the sea, which are loosely tied together in thematic sections. It is not, however, just a collection of 'gee whiz' facts. The compelling vignettes help to convey broader concepts of science and nature with excitement and enthusiasm... It reminds us that science and the natural world are really cool."--Josh Witten, Finch and the Pea "Highlighting the strangest cases of marine life, the authors give us a hint of the ocean's robust yet fragile ecosystems... In their delightful, vivid description about the struggle for existence in the sea, the Palumbis do manage to communicate a vital message: even the extreme conditions in the deep sea are not immune from disruptive and destructive human greed."--Wan Lixin, Shanghai Daily "Who doesn't like reading about the fantastical creatures that stalk the inky depths of the world's oceans? In The Extreme Life of the Sea, it's the marine environment's superlatives that are on display."--Scientist Magazine "The uniqueness of this book is due to the combination of a novel's flair utilizing figurative language and analogies with scientific concepts... The authors seek to help us understand the value, complexity, and vastness of the ocean and the importance of consequences of their actions. I think that this would be an excellent book in a seminar for high school students and biology majors in college."--Jean Worsley, NSTA Recommends "[The Palumbis] have written about some of the most alien creatures you will ever encounter, and for many of them it is far more pleasant to encounter them on these pages than in real life. Yet as strange as they are, many of them are vital to keeping the oceans in balance, or as indicators of oceans out of balance, and so we ought to know them better. Brightly written, with footnotes but without ponderousness, the Palumbis' book succeeds in inspiring what they say they in their preface that they set out to produce: 'a sense of guiltless wonder about how wonderful the ocean's life actually is.'"--Rob Hardy, Columbus Dispatch "[A] stimulating and enjoyable read."--Diver Magazine "Steve Palumbi has got a gift for summarizing complicated issues related to his field, making them both relatable and entertaining... The Extreme Life of the Sea plunges readers into the world of 'the fastest and deepest, the hottest and oldest creatures of the oceans.'... At the heart of the book, though, the Palumbis stress how marine creatures have managed to adapt and thrive in some of the most punishing environments imaginable. Obviously, there's plenty we can learn from them."--Crystal Chow, San Jose Mercury News "Extremophiles are fun! Basically, they're the biggest, smallest, hardiest and definitely the oddest bunch of beasties to be found anywhere on this planet. The Palumbi father and son team--one scientist and one writer--bring us this fun little book on the extremophiles of the sea... The best part of the book is that the authors do more than just recite oddball trivia, they really tell the stories of the animals in the book... This is a solid book, very informative and very entertaining but with a strong message."--John Dupuis, Confessions of a Science Librarian "This engaging book eloquently captures the long history and immense variety of life in the world's oceans, and provides a glimpse into what makes the seas so special... Better than science fiction, this book is filled with amazing stories about amazing creatures... Sweetly enthusiastic, enlightening and witty and, at times, inspired... Regardless of your level of knowledge, this quietly joyful and informative book has something of value for everyone."--GrrlScientist "Drawing on decades of scientific research as well as a knack for storytelling, the authors convey what happens at the ocean depths without sugarcoating it... It doesn't just shed light on some of the most mysterious workings of the sea; it does so with vivid prose while managing to convey scientists' current understanding of how and why these phenomena operate. If that doesn't make people more invested in preserving the ocean, it's hard to know what will."--Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post "A rare hybrid: a funny and easy-to-read book full of accurate science."--Susan Scott, Honolulu Star-Advertiser "Marine biologists as well as lay readers with more than a casual interest in marine science will find this an engrossing discussion of what lies beneath the waters, how it's adapted, and threats to this adaptation process."--James A. Cox, California Bookwatch "Extensive notes and an index round out this fascinating account, enthusiastically recommended for public and college library collections alike."--James A. Cox, Midwest Book Review "Simply a tour de force, a splendid must read for any natural history enthusiast."--Gabriel Thoumi, Mongabay.com "This book about sea creatures is perfect for the curious person with limited time for reading... [T]he authors investigate all sorts of oddities, including whale falls, the bizarre sex life of angler fish, and the amazing aerodynamic design of humpback whale fins. They have conducted research in all sorts of odd corners of marine science and are wonderfully up-to-date, and end their text the necessary final chapter on how humans might be affecting all this diversity."--Choice "While packed with scientific information, this book is an easy read. The average chapter is just over ten pages long, and each is divided into clearly labeled subsections. It is fairly generously illustrated and written in a light, conversational style--as seen by the references to Volkswagen Beetles and the population of India. These characteristics make this an easy book to dip into, but once you get started, you'll probably want to immerse yourself."--Tom Baker, Japan News "The chapters are informative and interesting and altogether well written."--Tom Fenchel, Marine Biology Research "Every page of this wonderful book is filled with nuggets of information. It becomes quite clear that we all must strive to protect this vast pool of life that enables our own lives to continue."--Explorers Journal "One of the most informative books I've ever read."--Al Ristori, Newark Star-Ledger "Only the strong survive, it is said, but The Extreme Life of the Sea makes a good case for the strange, the efficient, and the ugly... [A]n engaging blend. Stanford professor Stephen serves up the heavier science of DNA and physiology, seasoned with a sprightly narrative, some scene-setting and humor from novelist Anthony. Extreme Life uses Guinness Record-like chapters to discuss the smallest, the deepest, the shallowest and the coldest marine life-forms."--Melissa Davis, Seattle Times "[B]eautifully descriptive and refreshingly free of technical terms. Here is a book that will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in the biology of the seas, whatever their level of scientific education."--Anthony O'Toole, Sherkin Comment "This is a scientifically rich book that is also a good read and would be appropriate for a wide range of audiences."--AAAS "[W]ell worth purchasing... [The Extreme Life of the Sea] is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the seas and their creatures from the earliest ages to the present."--Al Ristori, Newark Star-LedgerTable of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments: Guiltless Wonder vii Prologue The Epic Ocean 1 1 The Earliest 5 2 The Most Archaic 19 3 The Smallest 36 4 The Deepest 46 5 The Shallowest 65 6 The Oldest 81 7 The Fastest Sprints and Longest Journeys 94 8 The Hottest 112 9 The Coldest 125 10 The Strangest Family Lives 141 11 Future Extremes 158 Epilogue: A Grand Bargain 175 Notes 179 Index 209 Color figures follow page 84.

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