Ecological science, the Biosphere Books

Book SynopsisAs climate disruption intensifies the world over, Californians are finding solutions across a diversity of communities and landscapes. Though climate change is a global existential threat, we cannot wait for nation-states to solve the problem when there are actions we can take now to protect our own communities. In Climate Stewardship: Taking Collective Action to Protect California, readers are invited on a journey to discover that all life is interconnected and shaped by climate and to learn how communities can help tackle climate change. Climate Stewardship shares stories from everyday people and shows how their actions enhance the resilience of communities and ecosystems across ten distinct bioregions. Climate science that justifies these actions is woven throughout, making it easy to learn about Earth's complex systems. The authors interpret and communicate these stories in a way that is enjoyable, inspiring, and even amusing. California is uniquely positioned to develop and implement novel solutions to widespread climate challenges, owing to the state's remarkable biogeographic diversity and robust public science programs. Produced in collaboration with the UC California Naturalist Program, Climate Stewardship focuses on regenerative approaches to energy, agriculture, and land and water use across forested, agricultural, and urban landscapes. The authors' hopeful and encouraging tone aims to help readers develop a sense that they, too, can act now to make meaningful change in their communities.Trade Review"The blend of accessible science with compelling human stories, focused on the most critical issue of our time, is the salient contribution of this timely book." * California History *Table of ContentsForeword by Greg Sarris Preface: United by Nature, Guided by Science Acknowledgments 1 Extreme Events: Life in the New Normal 2 Big Bay to Tech Town 3 A Changing Harvest 4 Keeping Forests Green and Snow White 5 Climate Canaries 6 Los Angeles Plants Itself 7 Riding the California Current In the End References Index

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Sustainability Science Award 2020, Ecological Society of America Winner of the PROSE Award (Biological Sciences category) 2020, Association of American PublishersThere is a growing crisis in our oceans: mysterious outbreaks of infectious disease are on the rise. Marine epidemics can cause mass die-offs of wildlife from the bottom to the top of food chains, impacting the health of ocean ecosystems as well as lives on land. Portending global environmental disaster, ocean outbreaks are fueled by warming seas, sewage dumping, unregulated aquaculture, and drifting plastic. Ocean Outbreak follows renowned scientist Drew Harvell and her colleagues into the field as they investigate how four iconic marine animalscorals, abalone, salmon, and starfishhave been devastated by disease. Based on over twenty years of research, this firsthand account of the sometimes gradual, sometimes exploding impact of disease on our ocean's biodiversity ends with solutions and a call to action. OnlTrade Review"Harvell gives readers an inside look at the diseases that are on the rise beneath the waves. . . . in a detailed, engaging narrative." * Smithsonian *"Despite the daunting challenge that marine diseases present, Harvell's book manages to inspire both pragmatism and optimism, which likely stems from the immense number of people working alongside Harvell to better understand these issues." * Forbes Online *"Coral bleaching has become something of an everyday apocalypse. Researched, documented and foretold, it is a biotic meltdown to which we have become all too accustomed. But the seas hold other more insidious disasters, as much our fault as the heating of the oceans. They tend, though, to be less covered by the media, which is why Ocean Outbreak is such an important book. . . .[Harvell] does a first-rate job of inspiring readers, and of providing the right kind of proselytising to turn marine epidemiology into a go-to career for a new and concerned generation." * New Scientist *"Harvell vividly recounts her work at the front line, studying die-offs such as the past decade’s catastrophic starfish crash. . . . a succinct summation of two decades of research." * Nature *"A sobering account of what is happening to our seas. . . .This book is a must-read for all who care about the future of our oceans." * Times Higher Education *“The book is written in a way that science-interested members of the public, and policymakers, will find useful—but students and researchers in marine science, yearning to understand more about marine disease outbreaks, will gain just as much. Harvell beautifully articulates the urgent need for scientists and non-scientists alike to do more to understand and protect the ocean.” * Oceanography *"Harvell skillfully navigates through various outbreaks, breaking down what’s happening as well as root causes. And she provides ample hope: oftentimes, by addressing human health issues, we can also help marine creatures." * Cool Green Science/The Nature Conservancy *"This well-written narrative can benefit a wide range of audiences. It provides insights not only into marine diseases but also into the constraints and practices of scientists responding to environmental threats." * CHOICE *"This book is written with the intent to encourage development of policies to prevent and limit the spread of future outbreaks by not only educating policymakers, but engaging a broader audience. Harvell makes a plea for action, citing the need for surveillance of farmed species like salmon, shrimp, oysters, and abalone, where disease outbreaks also pose threats for wild populations." * Fisheries *"Harvell is a skilled science writer and covers the topics with sufficient depth to keep disease aficionados on their toes, marveling at the complexity of diseases in the ocean. . . .The narrative is beautifully written and designed to even be consumed by people who know nothing about infectious [marine] diseases or, worse yet, might fear words like “microbe” or “pathogen” the way a 6th grade math phobe would look at his/her first quadratic equation." * SeaDoc Society Blog *"We’ve all heard the oceans are sick, but this book helps explain why through recent histories of four iconic marine animals” * Society of Environmental Journalists Blog *"This personal account makes for a lively read, filled with both humorous and harrowing stories from field research. . . . well written and appropriate for a range of readers interested in how global change affects ocean ecosystems and the interconnectedness of ocean organisms." * Quarterly Review of Biology *

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Book SynopsisThe worlda s ecosystems are increasingly threatened by human development. Ecological impact assessment (EcIA) is used to predict and evaluate the impacts of development on ecosystems and their components,thereby providing the information needed to ensure that ecological issues are given full and proper consideration in development planning.Table of ContentsPreface. Acknowledgements. Introduction. Legislative Contexts for Ecological Impact Assessment. Scoping. Focusing Procedures. Identifying and Predicting Impacts. Evaluation. Ecological Mitigation. Monitoring. Geographic Information Systems for Ecological Impact Assessment. Ecological Impact Assessment Design and Analysis. Glossary. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisEnvironmental pollution is one of the most serious threats to the future health of our planet. This book takes a broad view of ecotoxicology starting with the nature, properties and behavior of environmental toxicants, and extends to dose/response relationships and effects on organisms, populations, communities and ecosystems.Table of ContentsPreface. 1 The Ecotoxicology Concept: Introduction. 2 Sources, Types and Properties of Ecotoxicants. 3 Distribution and Transformation of Chemicals in the Environment. 4 Molecular, Biochemical, Physiological and Behavioural Responses.of Organisms. 5 Effects on Population, Community and Ecosystem. 6 Dose and Concentration: Response Relationships. 7 Biomarkers and Biomonitoring of Hazards in the Environment. 8 Ecological Risk Assessment. 9 Ecotoxicology and Management of Chemicals. Index.

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Book SynopsisFreshwater ecosystems are under increasing pressure as human populations grow and the need for clean water intensifies. This book presents an introduction to scientific methodology and its application to the study of ecology. It also reviews several key concepts in freshwater ecology using a wide range of scientific studies.Trade Review"...Freshwater Ecology is a readable and well though out introductory text suitable for a non-major course in freshwater ecology...It clearly fills a void in the array of freshwater ecology texts and will undoubtedly be well received by students as a primary introduction to the fascinating world of freshwater ecological research." Hydrobiologia "At first blush, this is a refreshingly new book about basic freshwater ecology. It is clearly written, thoughtfully well organized, and covers virtually all the topics I would want introduced to a budding freshwater biologist...I enjoyed reading this book and I think it should be required reading for every college senior and every new graduate student in the aquatic arena." Journal of the North American Benthological Society "This book is an important contribution to the literature and can be strongly recommended to anyone starting out on a study of freshwater biology." African Journal of Aquatic ScienceTable of ContentsPreface. Part I: The Tools Of Freshwater Ecological Science. 1. What Is Ecological Science?. 2. How Does Scale Of Measurement Affect What We See?. 3. Wonderful Water: Linkages From The Atom To The Biosphere. 4. What’s In A Lake?. 5. What’s In Rivers And Streams?. Part II: Fundamental Ecological Questions. 6. How Are Population Numbers And Structure Affected By Dispersal?. 7. Why Do Organisms Occupy Particular Habitats?. 8. How Do Freshwater Communities Recover From Disturbance?. 9. What Is The Impact Of Predators In Freshwater Systems?. Part III: Applied Freshwater Ecology. 10. What Are The Ecological Effects Of Changing A Water Regime?. 11. How Do We Assess The Impact Of Pollution?. 12. Can We Fix Smelly, Green Lakes?. 13. What Is The Impact Of Introduced Species?. Concluding Remarks. Index.

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Book SynopsisThe alarming consequences of global climate change have highlighted the need to take urgent steps to combat the causes of air pollution. Hence, understanding the Earth''s atmosphere is a vital component in Man''s emerging quest for developing sustainable modes of behaviour in the 21st century. Written by a team of expert scientists, the Handbook of Atmospheric Science provides a broad and up-to-date account of our understanding of the natural processes that occur within the atmosphere. It examines how Man's activities have had a detrimental effect on the climate, and how measures may be implemented in order to modify these activities. The book progresses through chapters covering the principles of atmospheric science and the current problems of air pollution at the urban, regional and global scales, to the tools and applications used to understand air pollution. The Handbook of Atmospheric Science offers an excellent oTrade Review"...a highly impressive text....there is a wealth of information that can help understand the way our atmosphere works." BES Teaching Ecology Group Newsletter, September 2003 "Overall, the editors and authors are to be congratulated for producing a comprehensive, well-referenced and current book on atmospheric science suitable for teaching, industrial and research environments. For readers wanting current information on a particular atmospheric science topic, or topics, this book could well be the place to start." Environmental Sciences, 2004 "The book is excellently written, provides just the right mixture of theory and applications, is up to date with is references, and includes the relevant older literature that led to our current understanding. Thus, this handbook receives a full recommendation." Environmental Geology, June 2006Table of ContentsList of Contributors. Preface. Part 1: Principles of Atmospheric Science. 1. Chemical Evolution of the Atmosphere (Richard P. Wayne). 2. Atmospheric Energy and the Structure of the Atmosphere (Hugh Coe and Ann R. Webb). 3. The Earth's Climates (John G. Lockwood). 4. Biogeochemical Cycles and Residence times (Dudley E. Shallcross, Kuo-Ying Wang, and Claudia H. Dimmer). 5. Source of Air Pollution (Andrea V. Jackson). 6. Tropospheric Photochemistry (Paul S. Nonks). 7. Stratospheric Chemistry and Transport (A. Robert Mackenzie). 8. Aqueous Phase Chemistry of The Troposphere (Peter Brimblecombe). 9. Atmospheric Particulate Matter (Urs Baltensperger, Stefan Nyeki, and Markus Kalberer). 10. Atmospheric Dispersion and Air Pollution Meteorology (David Carruthers). 11. Synoptic-Scale Meteorology (Douglas J. Parker). 12. Atmospheric Removal Processes (Brad D. hall). Part 2: Problems, Tools, and Applications. 13. Global Air Pollution Problems (Atul K. Jain and Katharine A.S. Hayhoe). 14. Regional-Scale Pollution Problems (Crispin J. Halsall). 15. Urgan-Scale Air Pollution (Jes Fenger). 16. Atmospheric Monitoring Techniques (Rod Robinson). 17. Emission Inventories (David Hutchinson). 18. Pollutant Dispersion Modeling (Yasmin Vawda). 19. Climate Modeling ( William Lahoz). 20. Critical Levels and Critical Loads as a Tool for Air Quality Mangement (Wim de Vries and Maximilian Posch). 21. The Practice of Air Quality Management (Bernard E.A. Fisher). Index.

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Book SynopsisFishing is a major form of ecological disturbance to marine communities throughout the world. In the past, fisheries biologists have concentrated on the studying of the direct effects of fishing on stocks of target species and understanding the processes of recruitment. There is now a growing appreciation of the ecological implications of the wider effects of fishing activities on marine organisms and their habitats. Contributions include articles that consider the physical effects of fishing gears on the seabed; distribution of, and trends in fishing effort; ecological effects on benthic fauna; long-term community changes; the effects of food subsidies in the marine environment; interactions between fisheries and marine mammals; technical measures to reduce impacts of fisheries; conservation issues and priorities; socio-economic implications of wider fisheries impacts.Trade Review"This book is an important contribution to fishery science and management, as it clearly demonstrates the impacts of fishing on habitats and non-target organisms." Fish and FisheriesTable of ContentsIntroduction. Acknowledgements. Contributors.. PART 1: Distribution of Fishing Effort and Physical Interaction with the Seabed. 1. Spatial and temporal patterns in North Sea fishing effort (S. Jennings, K.J. Warr, S.P.R. Greenstreet and A.J. R. Cotter). 2. Physical impact of beam trawls on seabed sediments (R. Fonteyne). 3. Is bottom traw3ling partly responsible for the regression of Posidonia oceanica meadows in the Mediterranean Sea (G.D. Ardizzone, P. Tucci, A. Somaschini and A. Belluscio). PART 2: Effects of Fishing on Benthic Fauna and Habitats. 4. Fishing mortality of populations of megafauna in sandy sediments (M.J.N. Bergman and J.W. van Santbrink). 5. Effects of otter trawling on the benthos and environment in muddy sediments (B.Ball, B. Munday and I. Tuck). 6. The effects of scallop dredging on gravelly seabed communities (C. Bradsaw, L.O. Veale, A.S. Hill and A.R. Brand). 7. Impact of scallop dredging on maerl grounds (J.M. Hall-Spencer and P.G. Moore). PART 3: Fishing As A Source of Energy Subsidies. 8. The behavioural response of benthic scavengers to otter-trawling disturbance in the Mediterranean (M. Demestre, P. Sanchez and M.J. Kaiser). 9. Food subsidies generated by the beam-trawl fisher in the southern North Sea (M. Fonds and S. Groenewold). 10. Impact of trawling on populations of the invertebrate scavenger Asterias rubens (K. Ramsay, M.J. Kaiser, A.D. Rijnsdorp, J.A. Craeymeersch and J. Ellis). 11. Seabirds and commercial fisheries: population trends of piscivorous seabirds explained (C.J. Camphysen and S. Garthe). PART 4: Long-Term Changes Associated with Fishing. 12. Distribution of macrofauna in relation to the micro-distribution of trawling effort (J.A. Craeymeersch, G.J. Piet, A.D. Rijnsdorp and J. Buijs). 13. Long-term changes in North Sea Benthos: Discerning the role of fisheries (C.L. J. Frid and R.A. Clark). 14. Effects of fishing on non-target fish species (S.P.R. Greenstreet and S.I. Rogers). 15. Impacts of fishing on diversity: from pattern to process (S. Jennings and J.D. Reynolds). PART 5: Conservation Methods, Issues and Implications for Biodiversity. 16. Technical modifications to reduce the by-catches and impacts of bottom-fishing gears (B.van Marlen). 17. Fishing and cetacean by-catches (N.J.C. Tregenza). 18. Effects of fishing on non-targeted species and habitats: identifying key nature conservation issues (M.L. Tasker, P.A. Knapman and D. Laffoley). 19. The need for closed areas as conservation tools (H.J. Lindeboom). 20. No-take zones: a management context (J.W. Horwood). PART 6: Socio-Economic Implications and Mechanisms for Reducing the Impacts of Fisheries. 21. Economic incentives to discard by-catch in unregulated and individual transferable quotas fisheries (S. Pascoe). 22. Options for the reduction of by-catches of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the North Sea (J.M. McGlade and K.I. Metuzals). 23. Economic and sociocultural priorities for marine conservation (P.J. S. Jones). 24. Integrated management: the implications of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (D. Dymes). PART 7: Workshop Conclusions. 25. The implications of the effects of fishing on non-targeted species and habitats (M.J. Kaiser). Glossary. Index.

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Book SynopsisInsect Sampling in Forest Ecosystems highlights the problems faced by entomologists working in forest ecosystems. Insects play a major part in all aspects of ecology Brings together the methodology needed to investigate insects through the various strata of the forest canopy Covers techniques associated with various specialised groups of forest insects Each chapter is backed up by a sound approach to experimental design and data analysis Essential reading for advanced students and researchers as well as teachers Trade Review"This book was a great read. I enjoyed all of the chapters and it should be part of anyone's library who is interested in issues of sampling in theory and practice." Ecology "The chapters are concise but well illustrated and the index of methods is a real bonus. Coverage is excellent and there's enough material to plan sampling or to discuss it in a wider context. With a lot of coverage in a compact form this text would be a good addition to a field work library." Teaching Ecology Group Newsletter, January 2005 "This is a book to delve into, when you need some inspiration on how to sample insects, since a novel method might prove to be significantly superior to the one you have been using - all those rare beetles are really quite numerous. I recommend acquiring a copy for your bookshelf." The British Journal of Entomology and Natural History, March 2006 “Addressing the needs of ecologists…this text brings together ten papers dealing with specific sampling challenges. Each paper includes extensive references.” Northeastern NaturalistTable of ContentsContributors. Methods in Ecology series. Preface. 1 Sampling theory and practice: Simon R. Leather & Allan D. Watt. 2 Sampling insects from roots: Alan C. Gange. 3 Pitfall trapping in ecological studies: B.A. Woodcock. 4 Sampling methods for forest understorey vegetation: Claire M.P. Ozanne. 5 Sampling insects from trees: shoots, stems, and trunks: Martin R. Speight. 6 Insects in flight: Mark Young. 7 Techniques and methods for sampling canopy insects: Claire M.P. Ozanne. 8 Sampling methods for water-filled tree holes and their artificial analogues: S.P. Yanoviak & O.M. Fincke. 9 Sampling devices and sampling design for aquatic insects: Leon Blaustein & Matthew Spencer. 10 Methods for sampling termites: David T. Jones, Robert H.J. Verkerk & Paul Eggleton. 11 Parasitoids and predators: Nick Mills. Index

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Book SynopsisIf the marine fishing industry is to survive into the future, innovative approaches are necessary. Recognising that market incentives have the potential to improve fisheries management, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has been established to harness these incentives. The work of the MSC translates through from sustainable fishery management certification, to labelling of fish and sea food products, allowing consumers to use their choice and buying power to select eco-labelled products from MSC certified fisheries. This exciting new book covers all aspects of the new eco-labelling initiative developed under the sponsorship of the MSC. Contents include details of the MSC and its certification framework and implementation, dispute resolution, chain-of-custody assessment and community fisheries certification. Also included are important case studies of the MSC certified fisheries of Australia's western rock lobster, Alaska salmon, Thames herring and New ZealandTrade Review"This excellent book shows how the Marine Stewardship Council came about, how it operates, and where it is going. A very useful book for anyone interested in seafood marketing and sustainable fishery fishing practices." Professional Fisherman, Feb 2004 " ‘Eco-labelling in Fisheries’ aims to document the experiences to date of those with firsthand knowledge of the eco-labelling programme for fisheries... Early [in] 2005, the FAO’s Committee on Fisheries adopted guidelines for ‘eco-labelling’ of fish caught at sea, indicating how relevant this topic is to fisheries management today. The book will appeal to all those with an interest in the sustainable management of fish resources… It is well presented and covers eloquently the key issues underlying the process of eco-labelling. The authors offer a wide range of expertise in the topics represented... One of the greatest successes of the book is the illustration of how things are working in particular case studies and the lessons learnt from these examples." Journal of Fish Biology, February 2006 "Professionals and students in fisheries science, marine biology, ecology, conservation and environmental biology will find this book to be extremely valuable." fishknowledge.comTable of ContentsContributors. Introduction - Bruce Phillips, Chet Chaffee, Trevor Ward and Mike Sutton. Seafood Evaluation, Certification and Consumer Information - Chet Chaffee, Duncan Leadbitter and Edwin Aalders. Introduction, Certification for seafood, Environmental information for seafood, Other certification programmes, Sustainable seafood programmes - an overview. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) - Brendan May, Duncan Leadbitter, Mike Sutton and Michael Weber. Introduction, The problem, The theory of eco-labelling, Brief history of the MSC, The MSC standard, The expectations, The result - a broad-based standard, Overview of how the process works, Fishery assessment systems, The MSC fishery assessment system, Experience to date, Current directions, Some issues of concern for the MSC board, staff and committees, Promoting the brand, Overcoming the Challenges, Paying for the change, Conclusions. Introduction to the MSC Certification. A: The Process of Certification - Chet Chaffee. Introduction, Fishery certification, Chain-of-custody certification. B: Principle 1 - Stocks - Louis Botsford. The guiding principles and criteria, Approach to assessment, Potential problems, future directions. C: Principle 2 - Effects of Fishing on the Ecosystem - Trevor Ward. The guiding principles and criteria, Approach to assessment, Resolving issues, Fishery impacts, Assessment and evaluation, Monitoring systems, Stakeholder engagement. D: Principle 3- Management Systems - Bruce Phillips. The guiding principles and criteria, Approach to assessment, Specific criteria, The situation at 2002. Implementing the MSC Programme Process - Chet Chaffee, Bruce Phillips and Trevor Ward. Introduction, MSC pre-assessment, MSC full assessment and certification. The MSC Certification Framework. Dispute Resolution and the MSC - Duncan Leadbitter and Trevor Ward. Introduction, Historical background, The dispute procedure, The New Zealand hoki dispute, Conclusions. MSC Chain-of-Custody Certification - Peter Scott. Introduction, Who is the typical MSC chain-of-custody certification client?, Where does the chain-of-custody certification take place?, The MSC chain-of-custody certification process, The MSC chain-of-custody standard requirements, How long does the chain-of-custody certification last?, How much does the chain-of-custody certification cost?. Case Study 1: The Western Rock Lobster. A: The Fishery and Its Assessment - Bruce Phillips, Trevor Ward, Chet Chaffee. Introduction, The Western Australian management system, Stock assessment, The MSC assessment, Environmental issues, Learning outcomes from the assessment process. B: What Certification has Meant to the Department of Fisheries and Industry - Peter Rogers, Ross Gould & Brett McCallum. The initial assessment process, Maintaining certification, Costs of certification, Benefits from certification, Conclusions. C: The WWF Perspective - Katherine Short. Introduction, The role of the WWF and the MSC, Supporter and promoter of the MSC, Facilitator of stakeholder involvement, Commentator and monitor of fishery assessments and implementation of certification requirements, Summary overview. D: An Unsatisfactory Encounter with the MSC - a Conservation Perspective - David Sutton. Case Study 2: The Alaska Salmon. A: The Commercial Fisheries - Chet Chaffee. Historic production of the salmon fishery, Alaska salmon management, The MSC assessment, Environmental issues, Stakeholder concerns, Outcomes from the assessment process. B: Fishery Perspective - Robert Bosworth. Introduction, Alaska and the MSC, The MSC assessment, The salmon eco-label. Case Study 3: The Thames Herring Drift-net Fishery- Paul Medley and Paul Nichols. Introduction, Stock, Fishing activity, Post-harvest handling and distribution, Fishery management, Stock assessment, Stakholder co-operation, Monitoring, control, surveillance and enforcement, Environmental issues, The MSC assessment, Conclusion. Case Study 4: The New Zealand Hoki. A: The Fishery - Edwin Aalders, Jo Akroyd and Trevor Ward. Introduction, The New Zealand fishery-management system, MSC principles and current fishery-management practice, Challenges and experiences, Disupte resolution. B: The WWF Perspective - Katherine Short. Introduction, Environmental NGO and New Zealand fishing politics, WWF's role and the MSC, Dispute resolution, Public perception, Conclusion. Community-based Certification: A Route to Sustainable Fisheries - Julia Novy-Hildesley and Katherine Short. Introduction, WWF's approach to certification of community fisheries, WWF's proposed methodology for community-based certification, Who is involved in community-based certification?, Motivation for certification in community-based fisheries, Benefits associated with certification in community-based fisheries, Obstacles to certification in community-based fisheries, Community-based certification in practice: a profile of the Seri's people Jaiba fishery, Mexico, The next steps for community-based certification, Conclusions. Is Eco-Labelling Working?. A: An Overview - Volker Kuntzsch. Introduction, Implementation, Where are we now?, The next steps. B: Is Eco-labelling Working - for Marine Ecosystems, WWF and the MSC? - Katherine Short. Introduction, Arresting the decline, Improving marine ecosystems, Conclusions. Conclusions - Trevor Ward, Bruce Phillips and Chet Chaffee. Introduction, The incentives, The outcomes, The issues. References. Index

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Book SynopsisThe unique relationship between dogs and humans has had huge evolutionary consequences, changing the physical, behavioral, genetic, and emotional characteristics of both species. Pat Shipman looks to fossil records and new evidence to trace how the process of domestication worked and discovers how much of ourselves we owe to our canine companions.Trade ReviewThis book is a great read for anyone interested in dogs but is overall of a high enough quality for scholars to enjoy. Shipman explores the genetic, behavioral, and archaeological studies revealing the development of the companion relationship between people and dogs, and brings the human and canid settlement of the Australian region into a global context. -- Susan O’Connor, author of Transcending the Culture–Nature Divide in Cultural HeritageWhen, where, and how did the partnership between dogs and humans begin? Was it an accident? Was it inevitable? Where would we human beings be without our canine colleagues? Pat Shipman’s Our Oldest Companions is a must-read, a tour de force drawing together under one proverbial roof what science can tell us to date. A follow-up to her provocative and intriguing The Invaders, Dr. Shipman examines the anthropology and archeology of the dog’s transition from wolf to house pet all over the world, from the Australian Outback to north of the Arctic Circle. You’ll want to read this book three, four, even five times in order to absorb the abundance of research and ideas presented here. -- Wendy Williams, author of The Horse: The Epic History of Our Noble CompanionThe latest in a string of authoritative and readable books by Pat Shipman benefits from her well-known scientific knowledge and her great storytelling ability. One of the first times anyone has told how the evidence from archaeology and DNA of Sahul, with its late-appearing dingoes and singing dogs, adds to the human story rather than seeming anomalous. It is the perfect complement to other accounts written with a bias towards Africa, Asia, or Europe. This book, like the dogs that are at its center, covers all the continents where modern people have lived with them. Read it. You will enjoy it. -- Iain Davidson, author of Making Scenes: Global Perspectives on Scenes in Rock Art[A] lively tale of dog domestication and migration. -- Josie Glausiusz * Nature *The erudite Our Oldest Companions makes a remarkable story out of the long partnership between humans and dogs. * Foreword Reviews *A fascinating and often surprising exploration of human and canine evolution…[Shipman's] captivating prose will enchant all readers seeking to learn more about humans, dogs, and our long history together. -- Adrienne Krone * Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture *

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Book SynopsisCovering the field of ecological stoichiometry, this study brings this field into its own as a unifying force in ecology and evolution. Synthesizing a range of knowledge, it shows how an understanding of the biochemical deployment of elements in organisms from microbes to metazoa gives the key to making sense of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.Trade Review"Few, if any, details of stoichiometry seem to have been overlooked by Sterner and Elser, and their book will be a useful reference to me for many years to come... The hundreds of references in the bibliography are worth the price of the book alone."--David W. Schindler, Nature "Robert Sterner and James Elser take a giant stride in knitting together perspectives across scales, biomes, and disciplines to craft an integrative and predictive vision of the topic... It knits together such a broad range of relevant topics that anyone interested in the connections between biology and elemental cycles should give it a try."--Anthony F. Michaels, Science "I believe that his is one of the most important books written in ecology in the last 10 years... I predict that in a few years it will be inconceivable to ignore the stoichiometric perspective when tackling an ecological problem... Ecological Stoichiometry is well written in colloquial and friendly prose. The authors strived to explain their arguments clearly and in detail. The many mathematical models are explained with laudable lucidity and the figures that illustrate them are consistently good."--Carlos Martinez Del Rio, Ecology "How often do you read a book that has a large number of 'aha!' moments in every chapter? This is a significant piece of synthesis and scholarship that brings together a very large number of disciplines and disparate chunks of data into a very satisfying whole... Never before have I seen a book which spans the scales from molecular biology to ecosystems so effectively... It is sure to become a classic."--Graham Harris, Journal of Plankton Research "Sterner and Elser adopt a simple, incremental logic in the book and follow it with fidelity... The book is an excellent introduction to ecological stoichiometry for graduate students; and for those already in the field, it is a thorough review of the complexities and nuances of stoichiometric ecology by two of its best practitioners."--Robert E. Hecky, Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin "A fresh and stimulating perspective on this area of ecology. The clear, readable style renders this text highly accessible."--Bulletin of the British Ecological Society "[This] book is seminal and presents a clear, well-reasoned overview of ES, thereby providing the biological community with an essential piece to the puzzle of integrating micro- and macro-level biology."--Van Savage, ComplexityTable of ContentsList of Figures ix List of Tables xiii Foreword xv Preface xvii 1. Stoichiometry and Homeostasis 1 Scope 3 Stoichiometry and Homeostasis 8 Yield 25 The Redfield Ratio 27 Conventions and Concerns about Element Ratios 31 Some Conventions about Growth Rate 34 A Logical Framework 35 The Structure of This Book 40 Summary and Synthesis 41 Key Definitions 42 2. Biological Chemistry: Building Cells from Elements 44 The Basis for Selection of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus in Biochemical Evolution 45 The Elemental Composition of Major Biochemicals 51 Cell Components: The Elemental Composition of Cellular Structures 66 Summary and Synthesis 78 3. The Stoichiometry of Autotroph Growth: Variation at the Base of Food Webs 80 Cellular and Physiological Bases 81 C:N:P Stoichiometry of Entire Higher Plants 87 Autotrophs in Captivity 89 Theories of Autotroph Stoichiometry 107 Autotrophs in the Wild: Oceans, Lakes, and Land 120 Causes of Variation in Autotroph C:N:P in Nature 127 Catalysts for Ecological Stoichiometry 132 Summary and Synthesis 133 4. How to Build an Animal: The Stoichiometry of Metazoans 135 Biochemical and Biological Determinants of Body Elemental Composition 136 Invertebrate Stoichiometry: C:N:P in Zooplankton and Insects 138 Determinants of C:N:P in Invertebrates: The Growth Rate Hypothesis 142 Molecular Biology and the C:N:P Stoichiometry of Growth, or Ecosystem Scientists Go Astray 150 A Simple Molecular-Kinetic Model of the Growth Rate-C:N:P Connection 160 Structural Investment and the Stoichiometry of Vertebrates 168 Elemental Composition and Body Size 171 Catalysts for Ecological Stoichiometry 175 Summary and Synthesis 178 5. Imbalanced Resources and Animal Growth 179 Mass Balance in Growth Processes 180 Maximizing Yield in Chemistry and in Ecology 185 Limiting Factors for Heterotroph Growth: Development of Threshold Element Ratio Theory 189 A New Minimal Model of the Stoichiometry of Secondary Production 197 Some Real World Problems in Stoichiometric Balance 205 Growth Efficiency 222 Catalysts for Ecological Stoichiometry 227 Summary and Synthesis 229 6. The Stoichiometry of Consumer-Driven Nutrient Recycling 231 A Brief History of Studies of Consumer-Driven Nutrient Recycling 232 Stoichiometric Theories of Consumer-Driven Nutrient Recycling 235 Evidence That Consumers Differentially Recycle Nitrogen and Phosphorus 245 Microbial Mineralization 249 The Stoichiometry of Consumer-Driven Nutrient Recycling by Vertebrates 252 Catalysts for Ecological Stoichiometry 259 Summary and Synthesis 260 7. Stoichiometry in Communities: Dynamics and Interactions 262 Species Interactions 264 Positive Feedbacks and Multiple Stable States 277 Trophic Cascades 291 Light: Nutrient Effects at the Community Level 298 Feedbacks Owing to the "Constraints of Stuff": C:N Ratios in Tall-Grass Prairie 307 Catalysts for Ecological Stoichiometry 308 Summary and Synthesis 310 8. Big-Scale Stoichiometry: Ecosystems in Space and Time 313 Empirical Patterns in Ecosystem Stoichiometry 315 Linkages in the Stoichiometry of Biomass Yield: Using One Substance to Obtain Another 336 Nutrient Use Efficiency at the Ecosystem Level 341 The Stoichiometry of Food-Chain Production: A New Term, Carbon Use Efficiency 348 The Fate of Primary Production 350 Global Change 354 Catalysts for Ecological Stoichiometry 364 Summary and Synthesis 366 9. Recapitulation and Integration 370 Recapitulation 370 Integration: Toward a Biological Stoichiometry of Living Systems 376 Appendix 382 Literature Cited 385 Index 431

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Book SynopsisRevised edition of: A neotropical companion. 2nd ed., rev. and expanded. c1997.Trade Review"The New Neotropical Companion describes, explains, and provides insight into the unique ecosystems of the Neotropics... Written by an ornithologist who is also a birder and who embraces the world from an ecological viewpoint that sees birds as part of larger systems of evolution, succession, and mutualism, The New Neotropical Companion is the textbook-that-is-not-a-textbook you always wanted to read, though you may not know it yet... [The New Neotropical Companion] will prepare you to walk through the rainforest and observe Neotropical birds. You may even begin to feel a sense of belonging in this very different world."--10,000 Birds blog Praise for A Neotropical Companion: "John Kricher's Neotropical Companion is an incredible accretion of facts, figures and anecdotes. Kricher outlines the region's ecology, pharmacology, evolutionary theory, anthropology, climatology, ornithology and conservation, with lots of personal stories to bring it all to life."--Simon Garrett, Times Literary Supplement Praise for A Neotropical Companion: "The book is exactly what it says it is, a companion to take with you on your travels in the New World tropics."--Journal of Natural History Praise for A Neotropical Companion: "Well-illustrated and beautifully written... [A Neotropical Companion] contains a wealth of information, explanations and curious facts about the region's natural history, and is the kind of overview that Alfred Russel Wallace, Henry Bates and other early scientific explorers of Amazonia would have given fingers from their collecting hand to have possessed."--Adrian Barnett, New Scientist Praise for A Neotropical Companion: "Kricher has created a highly readable, comprehensive overview of Neotropical ecosystems, which can serve on many levels: as a traveler's companion, as an introductory text for students, or as recreational reading material for those interested in tropical ecosystems."--ChoiceTable of ContentsPreface 9 Acknowledgments 11 How to Use This Book 12 1 Welcome to the Torrid Zone 15 2 Why It Is Hot, Humid, and Rainy in the Tropics 29 3 Rain Forest: The Realm of the Plants 39 4 Finding Animals in Rain Forest 58 5 Sun Plus Rain Equals Rain Forest 73 6 Essential Dirt: Soils and Cycling 81 7 If a Tree Falls ... Rain Forest Disturbance Dynamics 95 8 Evolutionary Cornucopia 113 9 Why Are There So Many Species? 134 10 Tropical Intimacy: Mutualism and Coevolution 155 11 Evolutionary Arms Races: More Coevolution, More Complexity 181 12 Cruising the Rivers to the Sea 205 13 Scaling the Andes 235 14 Don't Miss the Savannas and Dry Forests 250 15 Neotropical Birds: The Bustling Crowd 262 16 From Monkeys to Tarantulas: Endless Eccentricities 319 17 Human Ecology in the Tropics 365 18 The Future of the Neotropics 377 Appendix Words of Caution: Be Sure to Read This 389 Further Reading 392 Index 417

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Tyrrell's story is very informative and the reader will learn many fascinating stories of an organism's adaptation to an environment (rather than an environment conforming to an organism's need)."--Jonathan DuHamel, Arizona Daily Independent "A systematic, dispassionate, retrospective examination of Gaia... Tyrrell makes it very clear where he stands on Gaia, but the path of his journey is well reasoned--not a diatribe."--William Schlesinger, Nature Climate Change "It is timely to present a systematic review of how Gaia theory looks in the light of ... new information. Not too well is Toby Tyrrell's conclusion in this clear summary of the evidence to date... Persuasive."--Jon Turney, Times Higher Education "In On Gaia: A Critical Investigation of the Relationship between Life and Earth, Dr. Toby Tyrrell, for the first time, conducts a lengthy analysis of the scientific data for and against the Gaia Hypothesis. He concludes that the Gaia Hypothesis does not have enough scientific data to support it. He write eloquently, clearly, and succinctly describing how the Gaia Hypothesis lacks sufficient scientific evidence... A fair and reflective analysis."--Gabriel Thoumi, MongaBay.com "Tyrrell examines alternative arguments about the long-term characteristics of the Earth, considering geological and coevolutionary effects. He provides a detailed examination of how and why the environment cannot be affected by natural selection and how diverse physical factors affect living things... Overall, a useful examination of the changing nature of Earth and the biologic/physical factors that affect the planet's organisms."--Choice "His theory is not as grandiose as Gaia, but it is far more compelling. The conclusion is worth reading by itself if you are pushed for time, but for those who really want a good insight into Gaia in the context of natural systems, I would recommend reading the whole book."--Gillian Gibson, Environmentalist "If you've had your curiosity piqued by the Gaia Hypothesis before, you'll appreciate this well-organized and comprehensive assessment of it. Tyrrell doesn't have an axe to grind, and his discussion is fair and focused on the evidence. If you want to grapple with Gaia, this book is a good way to do it."--Scott K. Johnson, ArsTechnica "One third of this well argued book consists of end notes, many of which are as readable as the main text. By questioning the arguments for and against the Gaia hypothesis, Tyrrell has done a great service to enriching the ongoing discourse on making our planet hospitable for all life forms, now and in the future."--Sudhirendar Sharma, Cover Drive "On Gaia is a rewarding read for the knowledgeable reader. The book is an easy read and accessible to a broad audience. Unlike some science books intended for popular audiences, the book is sophisticated enough to keep the interest of graduate students."--GeoQ "It is ... Valuable for a variety of reasons: as a good natural history brief; as a good introduction to modern ecology (the one that considers the biota as a whole); and as a cautious reflection on what makes a theory gain or lose respectability. Therefore, it will be useful at different academic levels, from teaching at secondary school (it is an excellent starting point for serious debate) to highly specialized climate scientists."-- Chemical EngineerTable of ContentsPreface ix 1. Gaia, the Grand Idea 1 2. Good Citizens or Selfish Genes? 14 3. Life at the Edge: Lessons from Extremophiles 47 4. Temperature Paces Life 67 5. Icehouse Earth 88 6. Given Enough Time ... 113 7. Evolutionary Innovations and Environmental Change 130 8. A Stable or an Unstable World? 145 9. The Puzzle of Life's Long Persistence 171 10. Conclusions 199 Notes 219 Further Reading 273 References 277 Acknowledgments 299 Index 301

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Book SynopsisInvestigates adaptive diversification using the mathematical framework of adaptive dynamics. Showing that frequency-dependent interactions are an important driver of biological diversity, this book provides a comprehensive theoretical treatment of adaptive diversification.Trade Review"[T]his is a timely, useful study that should inspire and equip young theoreticians to indentify and explore the important unanswered questions in adaptive diversification."--Graeme Ruxton, Quarterly Review of BiologyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments xi Chapter 1. Introduction 1 Chapter 2. Evolutionary Branching in a Classical Model for Sympatric Speciation 9 Chapter 3. Adaptive Diversification Due to Resource Competition in Asexual Models 38 3.1 Adaptive dynamics with symmetric competition kernels 50 3.2 Adaptive dynamics with asymmetric competition kernels 64 Chapter 4. Adaptive Diversification Due to Resource Competition in Sexual Models 74 4.1 Evolutionary branching in sexual populations when assortative mating is based on the ecological trait (one-allele models) 82 4.2 Evolution of assortative mating 90 4.3 Evolutionary branching in sexual populations when assortative mating is not based on the ecological trait (two-allele models) 100 4.4 A footnote on adaptive speciation due to sexual selection 110 Chapter 5. Adaptive Diversification Due to Predator-Prey Interactions 113 5.1 Adaptive diversification in classical predator-prey models 114 5.2 An example of evolutionary branching in host-pathogen models 132 Chapter 6. Adaptive Diversification Due to Cooperative Interactions 139 6.1 Diversification in models for intraspecific cooperation 139 6.2 Diversification in coevolutionary models of cooperation 148 Chapter 7. More Examples: Adaptive Diversification in Dispersal Rates, the Evolution of Anisogamy, and the Evolution of Trophic Preference 163 7.1 Diversification in dispersal rates 163 7.2 Diversification in gamete size: evolution of anisogamy 180 7.3 Diversification in trophic preference: evolution of complexity in ecosystems 189 Chapter 8. Cultural Evolution: Adaptive Diversification in Language and Religion 195 8.1 Diversification of languages 197 8.2 Diversification of religions 200 Chapter 9. Adaptive Diversification and Speciation as Pattern Formation in Partial Differential Equation Models 217 9.1 Partial differential equation models for adaptive diversification due to resource competition 218 9.2 Partial differential equation models for predator-prey interactions 236 9.3 Partial differential equation models for adaptive diversification in spatially structured populations 242 9.4 A general theory of diversification in partial differential equation models 258 Chapter 10. Experimental Evolution of Adaptive Diversification in Microbes 262 Appendix: Basic Concepts in Adaptive Dynamics 279 Bibliography 306 Index 323

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Book SynopsisMutualistic interactions among plants and animals have played a paramount role in shaping biodiversity. Making a case for why we should care about mutualisms and their complex networks, this book offers a perspective on the study and synthesis of this growing area for ecologists and evolutionary biologists.Trade ReviewWinner of the 2016 BES Marsh Christian Trust Book Award, British Ecological Association "[A]ll ecologists will benefit from reading [Mutualistic Networks], giving this audience a better understanding of the network perspective on mutualism."--Choice "Making a case for why we should care about mutualisms and their complex networks, this book offers a new perspective on the study and synthesis of this growing area for ecologists and evolutionary biologists. It will serve as the standard reference for any future work on mutualistic interactions in biological communities."--Biotechnology, Agronomy, Society and Environment "Mutualistic Networks is a book that presents a highly dynamic field in its entire breadth and historic development. [A]nyone interested in a passionate layout of a multifaceted and ecologically exciting research area will want to read it."--Carsten F. Dormann, Basic and Applied Ecology "[T]his excellent and unique book provides novel insights into ecological and coevolutionary dynamics of interacting species."--Wesley Dattilo, Journal of Complex Networks "Bascompte and Jordano ... logically and thoroughly guide the reader through the theories and tools used to understand, and the importance of understanding, the complexity of mutualistic networks."--Luke S. O'Loughlin, Austral EcologyTable of ContentsPreface xi Chapter 1. Biodiversity and Plant-Animal Coevolution 1 Historical Overview 1 A Bit of Natural History 6 Coevolution in Multispecific Mutualisms 12 Summary 14 Chapter 2. An Introduction to Complex Networks 15 A Network Approach to Complex Systems 17 Measures of Network Structure 21 Models of Network Buildup 31 Ecological Networks 32 Summary 41 Chapter 3. The Structure of Plant-Animal Mutualistic Networks 42 Degree Distribution 42 Nestedness 44 Small World 48 Modularity 50 Weighted Networks 54 Comparisons with other Ecological Networks 60 Summary 62 Chapter 4. Ecological and Evolutionary Mechanisms 64 Single Ecological Traits 67 Phylogenetic Effects 77 Summary 85 Chapter 5. Mutualistic Networks in Time and Space 87 Network Dynamics 88 Spatial Mosaics 98 Sampling and Robustness 102 Summary 106 Chapter 6. Consequences of Network Structure 107 Coextinction Cascades 108 Dynamic Stability 113 Global Change and Mutualistic Networks 120 Coevolutionary Implications 126 Implications for Nonbiological Systems 132 Summary 134 Chapter 7. Epilogue 136 Appendix A. Indices Used in Mutualistic Network Analyses 139 Appendix B. Fitting Degree Distributions 143 Appendix C. Measures of Nestedness 147 Appendix D. Measures of Modularity 150 Appendix E. Phylogenetic Methods and Network Analysis 154 Appendix F. Null Models for Assessing Network Structure 160 Appendix G. An Analytical Theory of Mutualistic Networks 167 Fixed Points and Local Stability 167 Effects of Network Structure on Competition and Biodiversity 169 Appendix H. Software for the Analysis of Complex Networks 175 Bibliography 179 Index 201

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Book SynopsisThe idea of a balance of nature has been a dominant part of Western philosophy since before Aristotle, and it persists in the public imagination and even among some ecologists today. This book demonstrates that nature in fact is not in balance, nor has it ever been at any stage in Earth's history.Trade Review"The author conveys his message in a clear writing style without using highly technical concepts or terminology."--B.R. Shmaefsky, Choice "Kricher's book is of interest to environmental historians and historians of science not only on account of the information it contains, but also because within it there is so little of the scholarship of the history of the environmental sciences with which we, in the humanities and social sciences, are familiar."--Jane Carruthers, Environment and History "With The Balance of Nature, John Kricher has done us the favor of producing the book our non-ecological parents should read. In a scant 200 pages of accessible prose, Kricher weaves together three themes about which any literate citizen should be aware... The Balance of Nature hits its mark. Buy a copy for your parents, your students, and your children today."--Aaron M. Ellison, Ecology "The relationship between science and non-science belief systems especially religious belief system has always been an uneasy one. Even though this book clearly sides with science in disclaiming the notion of the 'balance of nature', it is still relevant to people who hold to the Judeo-Christian creation belief and of other religious backgrounds who are interested in the workings of the natural world."--Richard S. Mbatu, International Journal of Environmental StudiesTable of ContentsPreface ix CHAPTER 1: Why It Matters 1 CHAPTER 2: Of What Purpose Are Mosquitoes? 8 CHAPTER 3: Creating Paradigms 20 CHAPTER 4: Ecology B.C. ("Before Charles") 40 CHAPTER 5: Ecology A.D. ("After Darwin") 53 CHAPTER 6: The Twentieth Century: Ecology Comes of Age 67 CHAPTER 7: A Visit to Bodie: Ecological Space and Time 84 CHAPTER 8: Ecology and Evolution: Process and Paradigm 97 CHAPTER 9: Be Glad to Be an Earthling 113 CHAPTER 10: Life Plays the Lottery 128 CHAPTER 11: Why Global Climate Is Like New England Weather 140 CHAPTER 12: Taking It from the Top--or the Bottom 155 CHAPTER 13: F or the Love of Biodiversity (and Stable Ecosystems?) 170 CHAPTER 14: Facing Marley's Ghost 186 Epilogue 203 Acknowledgments 207 Notes 209 Index 229

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Book SynopsisThe air we breathe is twenty-one percent oxygen, an amount higher than on any other known world. While we may take our air for granted, Earth was not always an oxygenated planet. How did it become this way? This title tells an account of the history of atmospheric oxygen on Earth.Trade ReviewWinner of the 2014 ASLI Choice Award, Atmospheric Science Librarians International One of Nature.com's Top 20 Reads for 2014 One of Science Friday's Best Science Books of 2014 "His excellent descriptions of the scientific process show how competing hypotheses, and the scientists who present them, vie for supremacy. Canfield also offers a philosophical perspective: scientific understanding provides true insight into the structure of the natural world."--Publishers Weekly "Engaging and authoritative."--Nature "An ecologist's ambitious, engrossing primer on the key atmospheric element, ranging from the 'great oxidation event' to photosynthesis."--Barbara Kiser, Nature "Concise and easily read, Oxygen provides an ideal starting block for those interested in learning about Earth's O2 history and, more broadly, the function and history of biogeochemical cycles... The endnotes provide valuable entries for readers who wish to explore particular points in greater depth and, in other cases, enable brief digressions for interesting personal notes without disrupting the logical thread of a given concept. And the detailed bibliography captures a vast swath of the relevant primary literature. I highly recommend Canfield's book for anyone with even a remote interest in Earth history, as O2 singularly encompasses much of what makes our planet special."--Woodward W. Fischer, Science "Oxygen takes readers on a remarkable journey through the history of the oxygenation of our planet."--Devorah Bennu, GrrlScientist at The Guardian "This is the sort of science writing we would all do well to read more of... Engage[s] with the ambiguity of a world where evidence is imperfect, knowledge evolves, and mistakes can be made in interpreting the data."--Ian Scheffler, Los Angeles Review of Books "Oxygen: A Four Billion Year History will be an entertaining and informative read, however, for anyone with a serious interest in the long-term history of the Earth: students contemplating working in the area and specialists in related disciplines as well as engaged general readers."--Danny Yee, Danny Reviews "Written as an accessible introduction, with anecdotes sprinkled throughout, bringing the scientists' personalities to life... It would make a solid overview for any university biology or geology student."--Wade M. Lee, Library Journal "Scientific understanding of the role of oxygen in the ancient oceans and atmosphere has taken major steps forward only recently; this book ... is written by a man who made significant contributions to this new understanding. Canfield wrote a seminal paper on ancient ocean chemistry and has spent his career studying the geochemistry of lakes and oceans... To make the discussion more accessible to nonscientists, the technical portions of the discussion are provided as notes at the end of the book."--Choice "Given the complexity and breath of the material, the narrative has a light touch and is scattered with anecdotes about the scientists and adventures involved in the story, giving a real sense of the human endeavor. As well as the fascinating subject matter itself, the overriding impression is one of exhilaration and sheer enjoyment in pursuing this most fundamental, yet challenging, of scientific quests. Highly recommended."--Chemistry World "Canfield shows us how his science is done, and weaves together molecular biology, geology, geochemistry to tell this history of the air we breathe."--David L. Kirchman, Key ReporterTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Preface xi Chapter 1. What Is It about Planet Earth? 1 Chapter 2. Life before Oxygen 13 Chapter 3. Evolution of Oxygenic Photosynthesis 26 Chapter 4. Cyanobacteria: The Great Liberators 41 Chapter 5. What Controls Atmospheric Oxygen Concentrations? 56 Chapter 6. The Early History of Atmospheric Oxygen: Biological Evidence 72 Chapter 7. The Early History of Atmospheric Oxygen: Geological Evidence 85 Chapter 8. The Great Oxidation 98 Chapter 9. Earth's Middle Ages: What Came after the GOE 110 Chapter 10. Neoproterozoic Oxygen and the Rise of Animals 123 Chapter 11. Phanerozoic Oxygen 138 Chapter 12. Epilogue 153 Notes 159 References 175 Index 189

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Book SynopsisAddresses nutrition's complex role in biology, both at the level of individual organisms and in their broader ecological interactions. This title provide a comprehensive theoretical approach to the analysis of nutrition - the Geometric Framework.Trade Review"The geometric framework (GF), introduced into scientific literature a decade ago, brings a new degree of clarity to the discipline of nutrition. Simpson and Raubenheimer highlight species-, habitat-, and tropic-level examples to truly demonstrate the universality of the concepts GF encompasses, providing coherent explanations of numerous interactions and variables--physical, biochemical, chemical, physiological, anatomical--that must be considered when discussing nutrition... The authors successfully demonstrate that nutrition serves as a foundation that integrates the biological sciences."--Choice "[T]his strikingly well-written book, covering a wide range of issues in nutritional biology, is bound to inspire nutritional scientists, biologists, ecologists as well as medical doctors and nurse practitioners involved in the treatment of nutrition related disease. In addition, I believe that the clear language and enlightening examples allow for the educated layman interested in biology to be astonished by the enormous implications of the nature of nutrition."--Hanno Pijl, American Journal of Human Biology "A really good read."--Bulletin of the British Ecological Society "This nicely written synthesis of a vast complex literature is definitive in most aspects... [A] valuable monograph that summarizes important advances in the biology of nutrition."--Caleb E. Finch, Quarterly Review Of BiologyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix CHAPTER ONE Nutrition and Darwin's Entangled Bank 1 1.1 Nutrition Touches and Links All Living Things 3 1.2 Nutrition Is Complex 5 1.3 Dealing with Nutritional Complexity: Enough but Not Too Much 7 1.4 Charting the Void between Nutritional Detail and Generality: The Geometric Framework 10 CHAPTER TWO The Geometry of Nutrition 11 2.1 The Geometric Framework: Basic Theory 11 2.2 The Geometric Framework in Practice 22 2.3 Conclusions 34 CHAPTER THREE Mechanisms of Nutritional Regulation 35 3.1 How to Defend an Intake Target 35 3.2 Postingestive Regulation 48 3.3 Conclusions 56 CHAPTER FOUR L ess Food, Less Sex, Live Longer? 57 4.1 How Does Macronutrient Balance Affect Life Span? 62 4.2 Less Sex, Live Longer? 66 4.3 Conclusions 70 CHAPTER FIVE Beyond Nutrients 71 5.1 The Distinction between Nutrients and Toxins 72 5.2 Self-medication and Ecological Immunology: The Distinction between Nutrients and Medicines 79 5.3 Toxins and Nutrients Interact 84 5.4 Conclusions 87 CHAPTER SIX Moving Targets 88 6.1 Moving Targets in the Short Term 88 6.2 Moving Targets in Developmental Time 91 6.3 From Parents to Offspring--Epigenetics 95 6.4 Evolving Targets 97 6.5 Evolving Rules of Compromise: Nutrient Specialists and Generalists 99 6.6 Evolving Postingestive Responses 105 6.7 Conclusions 106 CHAPTER SEVEN From Individuals to Populations and Societies 108 7.1 Cannibal Mormon Crickets 109 7.2 Locusts Are Cannibals Too 113 7.3 Communal Nutrition in Ants 114 7.4 The Blob 117 7.5 Conclusions 119 CHAPTER EIGHT How Does Nutrition Structure Ecosystems? 120 8.1 From Individual Fitness to Population Growth Rates 121 8.2 Interactions among Organisms and the Environment 122 8.3 Do Predators Regulate Nutrient Intake? 124 8.4 The Nutritional Geometry of Food Webs 130 8.5 The Nutritional Niche 138 8.6 Agent-Based Modeling of Nutritional Interactions: From Individuals to Ecosystems 144 8.7 Conclusions 145 CHAPTER NINE Applied Nutrition 147 9.1 Domestication 147 9.2 Wildlife Conservation 157 9.3 Conclusions 165 CHAPTER TEN The Geometry of Human Nutrition 167 10.1 The Modern Human Nutritional Dilemma 167 10.2 Do Humans Regulate to an Intake Target? 170 10.3 What Is the Human Rule of Compromise? 175 10.4 What Are the Implications of Protein Leverage? 182 10.5 How Do Humans Deal with Nutrient Excesses? 191 10.6 Conclusions 191 CHAPTER ELEVEN Perspectives 194 11.1 Expanding GF into Further Dimensions of Nutrition 194 11.2 GF and "Omics" 195 11.3 Nutritional Epigenetics and Early-Life Prevention of Metabolic Disease 196 11.4 Human Obesity 196 11.5 Nutritional Immunology 197 11.6 Modeling Nutritional Interactions: From Individuals to Ecosystems 198 11.7 Conclusions 199 References 201 Index 229

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Book SynopsisPhylogenies in Ecology is the first book to critically review the application of phylogenetic methods in ecology, and it serves as a primer to working ecologists and students of ecology wishing to understand these methods. This book demonstrates how phylogenetic information is transforming ecology by offering fresh ways to estimate the similaritiesTrade Review"Ecophylogenetics overlays knowledge of the origin of species with contemporary patterns found in the study of biological communities. To enhance understanding of this new synthesis, the authors provide not only data, but also the programming code (in the R language) so readers can test their comprehension... With 101 figures, 285 snippets of R language programming code, and a 43-entry glossary, this book is as much a how to guide as it is an introduction to this new approach."--ChoiceTable of ContentsPreface ix CHAPTER 1 An Entangled Bank: Evolutionary Relationships and Ecological Patterns 1 1.1. Systematics and the Diversity of Life 2 1.2. The Origins 3 1.3. "Correcting" Ecological Comparisons 6 1.4. The Emergence of Ecophylogenetics 7 1.5. The Goal of This Book 8 CHAPTER 2 Building and Using Phylogenies 10 2.1. Handling Phylogenies in R 11 2.2. Building Trees 19 2.3. Finding and Adapting Available Trees 31 2.4. Tree Scaling and Rate Smoothing 33 2.5. Conclusion 40 CHAPTER 3 Phylogenetic Patterns within Communities: Inferring Mechanisms of Ecological Assembly Using Phylogenetic Distances 41 3.1. Phylogenetic Distances and Community Assembly 44 3.2. Calculating Community Diversity Metrics 55 3.3. A Note about Phylodiversity Measures-Moving from the Causes to the Consequences of Diversity 65 3.4. Conclusion 66 CHAPTER 4 Randomizations, Null Distributions, and Hypothesis Testing 67 4.1. A Brief History of Randomization Tests in Ecology (or the Simberloffian Shift in Ecology) 72 4.2. How to Build Null Communities 76 4.3. Randomizing Phylogenetic Data 83 4.4. Taking the Pool Seriously 96 4.5. Conclusion 99 CHAPTER 5 Detecting Patterns of Trait Evolution 100 5.1. Phylogenetic Signal 101 5.2. Alternative Models of Trait Evolution 108 5.3. Reconstructing Ancestral States 115 5.4. Conclusion 120 CHAPTER 6 The Geography of Speciation and Character Displacement 121 6.1. Character Divergence and Geographic Overlap 122 6.2. Community-Wide Trait Dispersion 133 6.3. Conclusion 141 CHAPTER 7 Phylogenetic Diversity across Space and Time 143 7.1. Phylobetadiversity: Measuring Phylogenetic Turnover 145 7.2. The Influence of Spatial Scale on Phylogenetic Patterns 161 7.3. Conclusion 170 CHAPTER 8 Speciation, Extinction, and the Distribution of Phylogenetic Diversity 172 8.1. Conservation of the Tree of Life 172 8.2. Macroevolution: Diversification 181 8.3. Conclusion 194 CHAPTER 9 Using Phylogenetic Information to Make Better Conservation Decisions 196 9.1. Why Preserve Evolutionary History? 197 9.2. Quantifying Evolutionary History 201 9.3. Prioritizing Species Based on Evolutionary Distinctiveness 204 9.4. Prioritizing Hotspots of Evolutionary Distinctiveness 207 9.5. Applying Conservation Metrics 208 CHAPTER 10 Conclusion: Where To From Here? 209 10.1. Predicting Ecology from Evolutionary Patterns 210 10.2. Combining Trait and Phylogenetic Information 212 10.3. Phylogenetic Insights into a Changing World 213 10.4. Where To Go from Here? 216 10.5. Heralding the Ecology-Evolution Synthesis? 221 Glossary 223 References 225 Index 249

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Book SynopsisWhen we think about viruses we tend to consider ones that afflict humans--such as those that cause influenza, HIV, and Ebola. Yet, vastly more viruses infect single-celled microbes. Diverse and abundant, microbes and the viruses that infect them are found in oceans, lakes, plants, soil, and animal-associated microbiomes. Taking a vital look at theTrade ReviewWinner of the 2016 Postgraduate Textbook Prize, Royal Society of BiologyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments xi Preface xiii I VIROLOGY: AN ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE 1 1. What Is a Virus? 3 1.1. What Is a Virus? 3 1.2. Dimensions of Viral Biodiversity 7 1.3. Summary 22 2. Viral Life History Traits 24 2.1. Life History Traits in Ecology 24 2.2. Viral Life Cycle 25 2.3. Traits Associated with Lysis 28 2.4. Traits Associated with Lysogeny 39 2.5. Extracellular Traits 46 2.6. Summary 52 II POPULATION AND EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS OF VIRUSES AND THEIR MICROBIAL HOSTS 55 3. Population Dynamics of Viruses and Microbes 57 3.1. On Measurements and Models 57 3.2. Viruses and the "Control" of Microbial Populations 58 3.3. Viruses and Oscillatory Dynamics 74 3.4. Linking Microscopic Details with Dynamics 84 3.5. Summary 88 4. Evolutionary Dynamics of Viruses or Microbes, but Not Both 89 4.1. Viruses and the Nature of Mutation 89 4.2. The Effects of Viruses on Host Evolution 98 4.3. The Effects of Hosts on Viral Evolution 110 4.4. Summary 123 5. Coevolutionary Dynamics of Viruses and Microbes 125 5.1. From Sensitivity Relations to Coevolution 125 5.2. Toward "Novel" Coevolution: On the Probability of Compensating Mutations 129 5.3. The Effect of Coevolution on Host and Viral Population Dynamics 137 5.4. Ecological Effects on the Coevolutionary Dynamics of Types and Traits 146 5.5. Summary 159 III VIRAL ECOLOGY IN THE OCEANS: A MODEL SYSTEM FOR MEASUREMENT AND INFERENCE 161 6. Ocean Viruses: On Their Abundance, Diversity, and Target Hosts 163 6.1. Ways of Seeing 163 6.2. Counting Viruses in the Environment 165 6.3. Estimating Viral Diversity 175 6.4. Virus-Microbe Infection Networks 186 6.5. Summary 199 7. Virus-Host Dynamics in a Complex Milieu 201 7.1. Rosenblueth and Wiener's Cat 201 7.2. Many Viruses and Many Hosts 203 7.3. Nutrients and the Viral "Shunt" 213 7.4. Viruses and Grazers 219 7.5. Summary 235 8. The Future of Quantitative Viral Ecology 236 8.1. Current Challenges, in Theory 236 8.2. On the Future of Quantitative Viral Ecology 239 TECHNICAL APPENDIXES 245 A. Viral Life History Traits 247 A.1. Measuring Viral Life History Traits: A Quantitative Perspective 247 A.2. A Core Technique: The Plaque Assay 248 A.3. Protocols for Life History Trait Estimation 254 B. Population Dynamics of Viruses and Microbes 258 B.1. Host-Associated Life History Traits 258 B.2. Linear Stability Analysis of a Nonlinear Dynamical System 259 B.3. Implicit Resource Dynamics as a Limit of Explicit Resource Dynamics 269 B.4. On Poisson Processes and Mean Field Models 270 B.5. A Note on Simulating Dynamical Systems 272 B.6. Analysis of a Population Dynamics Model with Reinfection of Infected Hosts 276 C. Evolutionary Dynamics of Viruses or Microbes, but Not Both 278 C.1. Models of Independent Mutations Arising in the Growth of Populations 278 C.2. Invasion Criterion for Mutant Viruses with Distinct Life History Traits 280 C.3. Deriving the Canonical Equation of Adaptive Dynamics 281 C.4. Simulating Evolutionary Dynamics 283 D. Ocean Viruses: On Their Abundance, Diversity, and Target Hosts 286 D.1. Protocol for Automatic Estimation of Virus-Like Particles from Digital Images Derived from Epifluorescence Microscopy 286 E. Virus-Host Dynamics in a Complex Milieu 288 E.1. A Multitrophic Model to Quantify the Effects of Marine Viruses on Microbial Food Webs and Ecosystem Processes 288 Bibliography 293 Index 319

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Book SynopsisFor centuries, the beauty of fireflies has evoked wonder and delight. Yet for most of us, fireflies remain shrouded in mystery: How do fireflies make their light? What are they saying with their flashing? And what do fireflies look for in a mate? In Silent Sparks, noted biologist and firefly expert Sara Lewis dives into the fascinating world of firTrade ReviewHonorable Mention for the 2017 PROSE Award in Popular Science and Popular Mathematics, Association of American Publishers One of Seattle Times' 18 books of 2016 perfect for the bookworm in your life One of Science News' Favorite Books of 2016 "An illuminating peek into a fascinating corner of field biology."--Barb Kiser, Nature "[A] beautiful new book."--Liz Langley, NationalGeographic.com "Over millennia, fireflies have followed widely varied evolutionary paths. In fact, nearly 2,000 species of fireflies have been discovered globally. This level of complexity might present a serious narrative challenge for some, but Tufts University biologist Sara Lewis's fascination with these insects is captivating and infectious."--American Scientist "An exploration of the little-known lives of fireflies. More so than most insects, fireflies capture our attention--and imagination--for their bioluminescence. Whether flitting across a suburban backyard or clustering in groups of thousands in the Great Smoky Mountains, these enigmatic beetles put on serious light shows after dusk, blanketing the landscape with synchronous patterns. It seems downright romantic--and, writes Lewis (Biology/Tufts Univ.) in this wide-ranging yet intimate narrative, it is indeed these flashes that ignite firefly courtship. In prose that is plenty accessible for younger readers, the author doesn't skimp on the details as she divulges 'some of fireflies' most deeply held secrets'... A delightful book sure to charm nature lovers of all ages."--Kirkus "Lewis takes readers into the realm of fireflies... An excellent option for insect fans and anyone curious about the lightning bugs in their yards."--Library Journal (starred review) "[A]n intense, almost obsessive book describing the radiantly appealing aspects of the firefly world."--Washington Post "A must-have book for anyone fascinated by fireflies and, by association, glow worms... This is no dry academic textbook. It's a beautifully, even poetically written and detailed account of the lives of fireflies, their behaviour and their biology... This is a book which I heartily recommend."--Robin Scagell, UK Glow Worm Survey "Most of us probably remember the wonder we experienced the first time we saw a firefly light up a summer night. Sara Lewis Has captured that amazement in a bottle and poured it out onto the page... Silent Sparks is an enlightening book about these fascinating insects. Reading it just might inspire you to go outside and spend a summer night contemplating the wonder of fireflies."--Wild About Ants blog "Silent Sparks is at its best when Lewis describes her own experiences in the field, such as lying on her back on the forest floor while flickering fireflies wafted mere inches above her nose. For readers who would like their own experience, Lewis includes a field guide to the most common species found in the southeastern United States (the hot spot of North American firefly diversity). So grab a copy of the book, along with a net, jar and kid you love, and relive fond childhood memories while inspiring a few new ones."--Science News "Lewis adeptly conveys the wonder of fireflies in this engaging book. Her tone is friendly and conversational, while information conveyed is clear, comprehensive, and accessible for readers... Lewis's inclusion of interesting stories, personal observations, as well as many interviews add to the book's appeal."--Booklist Online "What makes Silent Sparks catch fire is Lewis's breathtaking ability to channel her inner Rachel Carson and bring that 'sense of wonder' to the table as the author delves into all things Lampyridae."--Bruce Fellman, Kent County Daily Times "Hard to put down... A brilliant book!"--Chris Slade's Bee Blog "[A] beautiful coffee-table book."--Sarah Murdoch, Toronto Star "This informative book is written with a passion for fireflies you probably didn't realize existed, and it'll inspire you to reconnect with nature."--Sacramento Bee "The bottom line: if you are enamored by fireflies, this book is for you."--Choice "[Lewis] combines her sense of awe with her extensive knowledge of the nearly 2,000 species of fireflies worldwide."--Mary Ann Gwinn, Seattle Times "Lewis takes us further into their [fireflies'] lives, sharing her knowledge of their growth stages, sex lives, and enemies; she even describes the chemistry that produces their glow. She does so, however, in such clear and accessible prose that she makes these subjects fascinating."--Gerry Rising, Buffalo Spree "The craft with which this book is written reflects an abiding respect. It was as if the deeper Lewis explored nature, the stronger her regard for it became, as well as her understanding of everything else... A thoroughly delightful look into the astonishing firefly 'Umvelt.' It is a delightful montage of natural history, biochemistry, behavior, ecology, and evolution."--Fredric V. Venci, Quarterly Review of BiologyTable of ContentsPreface ix CHAPTER 1 Silent Sparks 1 CHAPTER 2 Lifestyles of the Stars 13 CHAPTER 3 Splendors in the Grass 28 CHAPTER 4 With This Bling, I Thee Wed 45 CHAPTER 5 Dreams of Flying 61 CHAPTER 6 The Making of a Flasher 80 CHAPTER 7 Poisonous Attractions 100 CHAPTER 8 Lights Out for Fireflies? 119 FIELD GUIDE TO COMMON FIREFLIES 145 STEPPING OUT-FURTHER FIREFLY ADVENTURES 166

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Book SynopsisPlants and animals interact with each other and their surroundings, and these interactions--with all their complexity and contingency--control where species can survive and reproduce. In this comprehensive and groundbreaking introduction to the emerging field of ecological mechanics, Mark Denny explains how the principles of physics and engineeringTrade Review"Denny's opus features 24 chapters with 778 numbered equations and many illustrative graphs on more than 500 pages. Despite this wealth of information, it makes for an excellent and enjoyable read."--Gregor Kalinkat, Basic and Applied Ecology

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Book SynopsisWhy are men, like other primate males, usually the aggressors and risk takers? Why do women typically have fewer sexual partners? In Why Sex Matters, Bobbi Low ranges from ancient Rome to modern America, from the Amazon to the Arctic, and from single-celled organisms to international politics, to show that these and many other questions about humanTrade Review"Low marshals a compelling array of Darwinian arguments to bolster the importance of biological sex in everyday human interaction...The breadth of materials which Low musters to support her argument plumbs every nook and cranny of human and animal existence...Her analysis remains readable and provocative to the end."--Kirkus Reviews "A useful survey of what is known about behavioral sex differences in animals and humans, covering biology, anthropology, sociology and history. It is clear and informative."--Colin McGinn, The New York Times Book Review "An excellent ... analysis of the most fundamental aspects of human life--sex, violence, power--through an evolutionary lens."--Cathy Young, Detroit News "A comprehensive survey of behavioral and evolutionary ecology...Why Sex Matters should interest a broad range of readers because it attempts to explain human nature."--Choice "A very thorough review of the current state of the art human behavioral biology."--Craig B. Stanford, American Scientist "An excellent example of how evolutionary theory can be applied to human behavior without hyperbole."--Ian Penton-Voak, Times Higher Education Supplement "Deftly written... A very thorough review of the current state of the art of human behavioral biology."--Craig B. Stanford, American Scientist "A broad-ranging and well-researched look at the way biology continues to affect men and women."--Sally Squires, Washington Post Book World "Low makes clear why sex matters. Indeed, her book makes clear why a human sociobiology matters. Why Sex Matters matters."--Jeffrey A. Kurland, American Journal of Human Biology A compelling and comprehensive synthesis of what is known (and not known) about the evolutionary basis for complex behaviors in humans and other species. Low clearly and convincingly explains ... why sex matters."--Robert Costanza, BioScience "In this nuanced, wide-ranging survey of evolutionary ecology you will find a wealth of data underscoring the claim that in a world of limited resources, men and women use markedly different strategies to survive and to reproduce."--Michael Klenk, Metapsychology Online Reviews "This publication has evolved better than brick-and-mortar bookstores."--Peter B. Gray, Quarterly Review of BiologyTable of ContentsPreface xi 1Introduction 1 Vampire Stories and Beyond 2 Explaining Behavior without Folklore 4 Kinds of "Why" Questions 6 Simple Rules, Complex Outcomes 8 Humans as Critters 8 2Racing the Red Queen: Selfish Genes and Their Strategies 14 Whose Genes Count, and Why? Kin Selection 17 Summing Up the Basics: Assumptions and Objections 21 Novel Evolutionary Environments: Can the Principles Still Hold? 24 More than Ants or Peacocks: Lifetimes, Culture, Ecology, and Variation 26 3The Ecology of Sex Differences 28 Sex and Strategies 30 The Ecology of Being Male and Female 35 Mating Effort 38 Parental Effort 42 Variance in Reproductive Success: Mating versus Parental Strategists 43 4Sex, Status, and Reproduction among the Apes 47 The Ecology of Dominance and Reproductive Success in Primates 48 Ecological Aspects of Mating Systems 50 Sex, Resources, and the Ecology of Human Reproduction 51 The Ecology of Human Mating Systems 59 The Ecology of Monogamy and Polyandry 66 5Sex, Resources, Appearance, and Mate Choice 69 Beauty, Resources, and Mate Choice 70 What Men and Women Want 71 Influences on Mate Choice in Modern Western Societies 75 Signals of Desirability and Their Manipulation 77 Who Can Choose? 80 6Sex, Resources, and Human Lifetimes 82 Starting Out: Resource Striving in the Womb 85 Sex Differences in Development 86 What's a Mother to Do? Optimizing Maternal Effort among Offspring 87 Conflicts of Interest: Abortion, Infanticide, Abandonment, Neglect 88 Sex Differences in Reproductive Lifetimes 92 Sex Differences in Senescence 99 7Sex and Resource Ecology in Traditional Cultures 104 Sexual Divisions of Labor 104 Sex and Control of Resources 106 Men, Women, and Resources in Traditional and Historical Cultures 106 8Sex, Resources, and Fertility in Transition 116 Germany in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries 117 Nineteenth-Century Sweden 118 Sex, Resources, and Fertility in Transition 132 Fertility Transitions: What, If Anything, Do They Mean? 133 9Nice Guys Can Win-In Social Species, Anyway 135 Are We Lemmings? A Cautionary Tale 135 When and Why Do We Cooperate Most Easily? 136 Simple Strategies for Winning Games 138 Reciprocity and Its Relatives 141 Adding a Little Complexity 142 The "Group Selection" Naming Muddle 143 Altruists or Good Neighbors? 150 Cooperation and Free Riders 151 10Conflicts, Culture, and Natural Selection 152 Cooperation, Competition, and Groups 153 Working Out Our Conflicts: Moral Systems and Group Life 153 I'm Committed, Are You? The Deception and Manipulation Problems 157 Intertwining Cultural and Natural Selection 157 Logically Inept, Socially Adept: The Social Contexts of Intelligence 165 11Sex and Complex Coalitions 170 Coalitions, Resources, and Reproduction 172 Coalitions and the Ecology of Trust 180 Sex and Human Coalitions 181 12Politics and Reproductive Competition 185 Men, Women, and Politics Cross-Culturally 187 Women in Politics: When Did It Pay? 195 13Sex, Resources, and Early Warfare 198 Resources and Conflict 199 Why Women Warriors Are Rare 201 War: Runaway Sexual Selection? 202 Other Biological Approaches to Understanding War 203 The Ecology of War: Uncertainty and Payoffs 204 Intergroup Conflict in Other Species 205 Conflict in Preindustrial Societies 208 14Societal Complexity and the Ecology of War 212 Greek Hoplites: Early "Western" Warriors? 215 The Ecology of Renaissance War 215 The Behavioral Ecology of Modern War 217 Women and Disadvantaged Men in War 220 War and Reproductive Success Today 221 Proximate and Ultimate Causes of War: Evolutionary Novelty 222 15Wealth, Fertility, and the Environment in Future Tense 225 Wealth, Fertility, and Consumption Today: Empirical Data 231 How Our Evolved Tendencies Affect Our Future 237 The Behavioral Ecology of Humans and Other Species Interact 240 What's Missing in Current Strategies? 244 Can New Strategies and Tactics Help? 248 An Evolutionary Bottom Line: Can We Use What We Know? 249 Notes 253 Glossary 319 References 329 Index 399

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Book SynopsisIncludes QR codes for recordings of birdsongs available on companion website.Trade ReviewOne of Forbes.com's 12 Best Books About Birds and Birding in 2016 "One of the fascinating aspects of both the book and the recordings is that, while chasing after birdsong, Mr. Kroodsma captures so much other detail as well. Don't miss the pack of mongrels and hounds bellowing the bikers through Dwarf, Ky., or the creaking bicycle saddle accompanying the rich afternoon chorus of a moist deciduous forest on a steep uphill climb in the same state's damp and diverse mountains. Listening to a Continent Sing along with its website, is both an inspiration and a bundle of gifts waiting to be unwrapped."--Julie Zickefoose, Wall Street Journal "Blurring the lines between travelogue and casual scientific observation, Listening to a Continent Sing recounts their journey and transports the reader into the mind of a scientist renewing his awe of nature through an endearing portrayal of avian vocal communication and behavior. In its refreshing mix of history, linguistics, biology, and ethology, Listening to a Continent Sing brings back the joy and enthusiasm for scientific pursuits that can sometimes wane with time."--Helen J. Barr, Science "Kroodsma evokes the profound pleasure of rising before dawn to listen to the morning songs of the birds and ending the day with their evening choruses... An informative exploration of the subtleties of bird songs."--Kirkus "Birdsong maven Donald Kroodsma's travel journal is a welcome addition to the cycling-road-trip genre that began over a century ago... It's the author's knowledge of birdsong ... that makes this book so delightful."--Natural History "The story is charming, funny, poignant, and heartwarming... If you are going to treat yourself to one special gift this summer, make it this one!"--Cathy Taibbi, Examiner.com "Listening to a Continent Sing will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in the outdoors, by cyclists, and above all by birders. I have only just begun reading the book, but I already suspect that it will turn out to be one of the outstanding popular birds books of the year."--The Curious Naturalist blog "While the book may be categorized as a birding adventure, it is also the story of a father and son deepening their bond as they cycled by day and camped by night together for 10 weeks."--Jennifer J. Meyer, Orange County Register "Our sophistication in listening to birdsong and our enjoyment have been greatly facilitated by the writings of Don Kroodsma...[Listening to a Continent Sing] provides a delightful, vicarious ride across our country."--Herb Wilson, Portland Press Herald "Listening to a Continent Sing is a travelogue of Kroodsma's 5,000 mile trip, a celebration of nature, and a multimedia experience--the book is littered with quick-response codes that link to samples of birdsong found throughout the trip, such as the pileated woodpecker and the sandhill crane."--Chicago Tribune "Coupling these [QR] codes with the website to supply reader support makes this book truly one of a kind. Innovative educators will enjoy the challenge of deciding exactly how to use Listening to a Continent Sing in their teaching."--NSTA Recommends "Kroodsma has an insatiable curiosity about bird vocalizations and also a deep passion for his subject... This book provides a delightful, vicarious ride across our country. We stop frequently to appreciate the music of the birds."--Portland Press Herald "An accomplished travelogue written with great style which makes for an enjoyable and highly entertaining read. It is a book to be enjoyed by birders or non-birders alike."--Another Bird Blog "Kroodsma ... is to birdsong what a sommelier is to fine wine. With ears as finely tuned as a musician able to recognize a symphony by the first few notes, he identifies a variety of bird species and their many song variations... Listening to a Continent Sing is a feast for the senses and will no doubt inspire many to listen more deeply and more intently on the next walk or bike ride."--Urban Audubon "One of the quirkiest and most oddly charming travel books you're likely to come across... The whole package is engagingly chipper, a memoir of delight."--Washington Post "Do you wish to pursue your dreams? In this remarkable book, the author, birdsong expert Donald Kroodsma, did just that when he set out on a bicycle journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans, recording the songs of birds along the way... Drawings of birds and the countryside fill this handsomely produced book, and the author's birdsong recordings can be accessed from QR codes in the margins. This gorgeous book combines history, geology, travel, bicycling, family relationships and birdsong into one irresistible adventure. I especially enjoyed how the author draws the reader into the places that he experienced through the use of sound."--Forbes.com, a "12 Best books about Birds and Birding in 2016" selection "It is always a pleasure to listen to masters talk about their passions. And so it is here, as Don Kroodsma, the world's leading expert on birdsong, takes us on a bicycle journey from Virginia to Oregon, listening to birds and explaining the magic and mystery in what he hears along the way... No one but Don Kroodsma could have written this book, as no one hears birdsong the way he does."--Eldon Greij, Bird Watching MagazineTable of ContentsHow to Listen Using the QR Codes vii Acknowledgments xi Prologue xiii 1. Beginnings 1 2. Peace, and War 12 3. Lemonade 20 4. Blue Ridge Dawn 30 5. A Virginia High 44 6. Appalachia 56 7. Boone Country 68 8. A Ride in Heaven 74 9. Laid Up 82 10. On the Road Again 86 11. Dawn Sweeps the Shawnee 96 12. The Ozarks 106 13. A Prairie Gem 115 14. Kansas Oceans 125 15. Shortgrass Prairie 136 16. Western Birds 146 17. Riding the Rockies 153 18. Sage and Song 163 19. Hello, Wyoming 173 20. The Oregon Trail 179 21. Grand Tetons 190 22. Into the Fire 199 23. Caterpillars Marching 207 24. Chief Joseph Pass 217 25. Lewis and Clark 225 26. Pacific Islands Incoming 233 27. Ascending into Oregon 242 28. Geological Chaos 251 29. Over the Cascades 261 30. A Homecoming 270 31. Land's End 280 Epilogue-Where Are They Now? 287 Notes 289 References 295 Index 299

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2016 "[Wignall] presents a sound examination of an 80-million-year span, which began nearly 260 million years ago, that is considered by scientists to have been the most extreme extinction event in Earth's history... [A] great example of scientific sleuthing."--Publishers Weekly "[An] excellent introduction to the latest thinking about this key period in Earth's history... Wignall's book is enthralling."--Matthew Cobb, New Scientist "In this scholarly but accessible analysis, geologist Wignall explores the perfect storm of cataclysms, plate tectonics and other forces that led to 'The Great Dying'--and the rebound of life in its aftermath."--Gemma Tarlach, Discover magazine "Well written and persuasive."--Choice "Over the 170-odd pages [Wignall] discusses in great yet concise detail the point and counterpoint of large igneous provinces, massiv accumulations of millions of cubic kilometers of igneous rock, and mass extinctions that occurred repetitively and in synchrony from the middle of the Permian to the middle of the Jurassic... A well-researched, thorough, and stimulating volume for anyone looking for a scientific account of this time period and the notable geological and biological events that took place over its course."--William Gearty, Quarterly Review of BiologyTable of ContentsILLUSTRATIONS ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi PROLOGUE xv CHAPTER 1 A TIME OF DYING 1 CHAPTER 2 EXTINCTION IN THE SHADOWS 12 CHAPTER 3 THE KILLING SEAS 39 CHAPTER 4 TROUBLED TIMES IN THE TRIASSIC 89 CHAPTER 5 TRIASSIC DOWNFALL 117 CHAPTER 6 PANGEA'S FINAL BLOW 137 CHAPTER 7 PANGEA'S DEATH AND THE RISE OF RESILIENCE 154 NOTES 177 REFERENCES 179 INDEX 191

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Book SynopsisIncludes QR codes for recordings of birdsongs available on companion website.Trade Review"One of Forbes.com’s 12 Best Books About Birds and Birding in 2016""One of the fascinating aspects of both the book and the recordings is that, while chasing after birdsong, Mr. Kroodsma captures so much other detail as well....Listening to a Continent Sing, along with its website, is both an inspiration and a bundle of gifts waiting to be unwrapped."---Julie Zickefoose, Wall Street Journal"In its refreshing mix of history, linguistics, biology, and ethology,Listening to a Continent Singbrings back the joy and enthusiasm for scientific pursuits that can sometimes wane with time."---Helena J. Barr, Science"Kroodsma evokes the profound pleasure of rising before dawn to listen to the morning songs of the birds and ending the day with their evening choruses…. An informative exploration of the subtleties of bird songs." * Kirkus *"Birdsong maven Donald Kroodsma's travel journal is a welcome addition to the cycling-road-trip genre that began over a century ago. . . . It's the author's knowledge of birdsong . . . that makes this book so delightful." * Natural History *"The story is charming, funny, poignant, and heartwarming. . . . If you are going to treat yourself to one special gift this summer, make it this one!"---Cathy Taibbi, Examiner.com"Listening to a Continent Sing will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in the outdoors, by cyclists, and above all by birders. I have only just begun reading the book, but I already suspect that it will turn out to be one of the outstanding popular birds books of the year." * The Curious Naturalist *"While the book may be categorized as a birding adventure, it is also the story of a father and son deepening their bond as they cycled by day and camped by night together for 10 weeks."---Jennifer J. Meyer, Orange County Register"Our sophistication in listening to birdsong and our enjoyment have been greatly facilitated by the writings of Don Kroodsma. . . .[Listening to a Continent Sing] provides a delightful, vicarious ride across our country."---Herb Wilson, Portland Press Herald"Listening to a Continent Sing is a travelogue of Kroodsma's 5,000 mile trip, a celebration of nature, and a multimedia experience--the book is littered with quick-response codes that link to samples of birdsong found throughout the trip, such as the pileated woodpecker and the sandhill crane." * Chicago Tribune *"Coupling these [QR] codes with the website to supply reader support makes this book truly one of a kind. Innovative educators will enjoy the challenge of deciding exactly how to use Listening to a Continent Sing in their teaching." * NSTA Recommends *"Kroodsma has an insatiable curiosity about bird vocalizations and also a deep passion for his subject. . . . This book provides a delightful, vicarious ride across our country. We stop frequently to appreciate the music of the birds." * Portland Press Herald *"An accomplished travelogue written with great style which makes for an enjoyable and highly entertaining read. It is a book to be enjoyed by birders or non-birders alike." * Another Bird Blog *"Kroodsma . . . is to birdsong what a sommelier is to fine wine. With ears as finely tuned as a musician able to recognize a symphony by the first few notes, he identifies a variety of bird species and their many song variations. . . . Listening to a Continent Sing is a feast for the senses and will no doubt inspire many to listen more deeply and more intently on the next walk or bike ride." * Urban Audubon *"One of the quirkiest and most oddly charming travel books you're likely to come across…. The whole package is engagingly chipper, a memoir of delight." * Washington Post *"Do you wish to pursue your dreams? In this remarkable book, the author, birdsong expert Donald Kroodsma, did just that when he set out on a bicycle journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans, recording the songs of birds along the way. . . . Drawings of birds and the countryside fill this handsomely produced book, and the author's birdsong recordings can be accessed from QR codes in the margins. This gorgeous book combines history, geology, travel, bicycling, family relationships and birdsong into one irresistible adventure. I especially enjoyed how the author draws the reader into the places that he experienced through the use of sound."---Forbes.com, a "12 Best books about Birds and Birding in 2016" selection"No one but Don Kroodsma could have written this book, as no one hears birdsong the way he does."---Eldon Greij, Bird Watching Magazine"[Kroodsma's] delight in attending to the history and settings of the places the two pass through will leave readers listening better, too--and not just to birdsong."---Omnivoracious"Will be enjoyed by anyone with a general interest in natural history, or bicycling, not just those interested in ornithology or birdsong. So many themes permeate this fine book you are sure to find much of interest and learn a great deal about birdsong in the process. What a trip!"---Eugene S. Morton, Journal of Ornithology

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewSlim, highly readable, and well-written. . . . [In The New Ecology] Schmitz has done a remarkable job weaving together threads drawn from classical ecology, economics, and environmental studies and science into a wide-ranging yet coherent whole that should serve as a blueprint for 21st century research and praxis in ecology.—Aaron M. Ellison, Ecology Featuring novel ideas communicated clearly, [The New Ecology] is likely to have broad appeal. . . . [N]on-ecologists will comprehend the book easily, and ecologists will be interested in the fresh concepts.—Anna Call, ForewordReviews.com The New Ecology underlines the essential role that humans can play in shaping what the Earth will look like in the coming century. . . This book is an excellent introduction to the new ecology. It helps us understand that we humans—and all of nature—are intertwined and that we have to work with nature for a sustainable world. And it offers hope that change is possible.—Lisa Kaaki, Arab News Engaging, informative, easy to read, and filled with good examples that explained the interdependence between natural systems and human systems.—Lisa Pike, NSTA Recommends

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This book gives comprehensive coverage, including classical (selection, adaptation, divergence), basic (gene flow, plasticity, ecosystem functions), and some recent (genomics) issues that are richly illustrated by simple, clear tables, and figures." * Conservation Biology *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"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"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 père 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"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 *"Incredibly accessible and frankly a joy to read. . . . It is refreshing to see writing that is trying, successfully, to convey challenging biological concepts with fun and humour. . . . It is a great and enjoyable book that will inspire readers and leave them with an incredible sense of appreciation of the natural world."---Dr. Alan Jamieson, Underwater Technology

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Book SynopsisIn his new collection of essays, Jan Bondeson tells ten fascinating stories of myths and hoaxes, beliefs and Ripley-like facts, concerning the animal kingdom. Throughout he recountsand in some instances solvesmysteries of the natural world which have puzzled scientists for centuries.Heavily illustrated with photographs and drawings, the book presents astounding tales from across the rich folklore of animals: a learned pig more admired than Sir Isaac Newton by the English public, an elephant that Lord Byron wanted to employ as his butler, a dancing horse whose skills in mathematics were praised by William Shakespeare, and, of course, the extraordinary creature known as the Feejee Mermaid. This object became the foremost curiosity of London in the 1820s and later in the century toured the United States under the management of P. T. Barnum. Bearing a striking resemblance to a wizened and misshapen monkey with a fishtail, the mermaid was nonetheless proclaimed a genuine specimen Trade ReviewBondeson has a keen eye for the recreational value of much of the material he discusses. The reader will find Bondeson's wit and style almost as engaging as British and American Victorians must have found a good gawk at Jumbo the elephant. * Isis *Bondeson has written ten fascinating histories of various exceptional creatures, some real (a dancing horse and a learned pig), some hoaxes (like the mermaid of the title), some mythical ('vegetable' sheep that grow on a stalk and showers of worms and frogs). * Ottawa Citizen *Jan Bondeson shares the impresario's glee in whipping off the handkerchief or whipcracking up another curtain on another monster, relishing the absurdity and the fun of it all. -- Marina Warner * Times Literary Supplement *This is a wonderful book about a wonderful subject—that is, the marvels of nature, or rather, the marvels of the imagination as it explores the world of nature. * Virginia Quarterly Review *With his historian's nose for authenticity and fascination with the bizarre, Bondeson has produced a book that manages to entertain, inform and occasionally repel. It is an intriguing study not only of animals but also of human curiosity, credulity, ambition, and greed. * Times Higher Education Supplement *Table of ContentsA Prelude1. The Dancing Horse2. Lament of the Learned Pig3. The Feejee Mermaid4. Obituary of an Elephant5. Jumbo, King of Elephants6. Animals on Trial7. The Riddle of the Basilisk8. Spontaneous Generation9. Odd Showers10. Toad in the HoleSources

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Book SynopsisA compelling synthesis of ideas from agronomy, medicine, breeding, physiology, population genetics, molecular biology, and biotechnology, Genetic Glass Ceilings presents transgenics as an inevitable and desperately necessary approach to securing and diversifying the world's food supply.Trade ReviewI urge you to read Jonny Gressel's book, Genetic Glass Ceilings. I have read the first nine chapters, to the point where he begins his discussion of specific case studies (papaya, tef buckwheat, and others). I have learned so much from Jonny's book. Jonny asks challenging questions and then discusses realistic, clear-eyed solutions to the questions -- all about the genetic glass ceilings faced by plant breeders. AgBioChatter 2008 Offers refreshing hope of successfully feeding the world's population... Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. Choice 2008 Everyone who wants to learn and understand more about plant breeding and agricultural biotechnology should read Jonathan Gressel's book. Its wealth of erudition and wisdom makes it worthy of recognition as a modern classic. -- Drew L. Kershen Journal of Commercial Biotechnology 2008 A compelling synthesis of ideas. CAB Abstracts Database 2008 This book would serve as a good basis for a serious course in agronomy departments around the world. -- Lawrence Davis Plant Science Bulletin 2009 The book is indeed an eye-opener... Well worth the effort. -- V. Moses Journal of Agricultural Science 2009 Professor Jonathan Gressel has written a thought-provoking book that contains something for everyone with an interest in the application of modern genetics to crop-based agriculture. I hope it will be read by both enthusiasts and skeptics about the application of genetic engineering to crop genetic improvement. -- Ian Crute Food Security 2009 This book provides an erudite documentation of the limited biodiversity in agricultural systems and the concomitant poor quality of the human diet. -- Elena R. Alvarez-Buylla Quarterly Review of Biology A valuable reference for all interested in the role of TGVs [transgenetic crops] in the future of food and agriculture. -- David A. Cleveland Economic Botany 2009Table of ContentsForeword by Klaus Ammann: The Needs for Plant Biodiversity: The General CasePreface1. Why Crop Biodiversity?2. Domestication: Reaching a Glass Ceiling3. Transgenic Tools for Regaining Biodiversity: Breaching the Ceiling4. Biosafety Considerations with Further Domesticated Crops5. Introduction to Case Studies: Where the Ceiling Needs to be Breached6. Evil Weevils or Us: Who Gets to Eat the Grain?7. Kwashiorkor, Diseases, and Cancer: Needed: Food without Mycotoxins8. Emergency Engineering of Standing Forage Crops to Contain Pandemics—Transient Redomestication9. Meat and Fuel from Straw10. Papaya: Saved by Transgenics11. Palm Olive Oils: Healthier Palm Oil12. Rice: A Major Crop Undergoing Continual Transgenic Further Domestication13. Tef: The Crop for Dry Extremes14. Buckwheat: The Crop for Poor Cold Extremes15. Should Sorghum Be a Crop for the Birds and the Witches?16. Oilseed Rape: Unfinished Domestication17. Reinventing Safflower18. Swollen Necks from Fonio Millet and Pearl Millet19. Grass Pea: Take This Poison20. Limits to Domestication: Dioscorea deltoidea21. Tomato: Bring Back Flavr Savr: Conceptually22. Orchids: Sustaining Beauty23. Olives: and Other Allergenic, Messy Landscaping SpeciesEpilogueReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisFeaturing new information based on more than 76,000 samples, novel long-term data, and an exhaustive analysis of more than 1,800 references, this invaluable resource is a complete compendium on estuarine fishes of the Western North Atlantic.Trade ReviewA comprehensive resource related to the life history of the estuarine ichthyofauna found along the eastern seaboard of the US... The information is presented in a clear, logical manner. Choice 2011Table of ContentsPreface1. Introduction2. Study Area3. Approach4. General Characteristics of the Temperate Ichthyofauna5. Reproduction and Development6. Larval Supply, Settlement, Growth, and Mortality7. Habitat Use8. Prey and Predators9. Migration10. Climate Change11. Future Directions12. Acipenser brevirostrum Lesueur13. Acipenser oxyrinchus Mitchill14. Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo)15. Mustelus canis canis (Mitchill)16. Rhinoptera bonasus (Mitchill)17. Anguilla rostrata (Lesueur)18. Myrophis punctatus Lütken19. Conger oceanicus (Mitchill)20. Alosa aestivalis (Mitchill)21. Alosa mediocris (Mitchill)22. Alosa pseudoharengus (Wilson)23. Alosa sapidissima (Wilson)24. Brevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe)25. Clupea harengus Linnaeus26. Dorosoma cepedianum (Lesueur)27. Opisthonema oglinum (Lesueur)28. Anchoa hepsetus (Linnaeus)29. Anchoa mitchilli (Valenciennes)30. Engraulis eurystole (Swain and Meek)31. Osmerus mordax (Mitchill)32. Synodus foetens (Linnaeus)33. Enchelyopus cimbrius (Linnaeus)34. Urophycis chuss (Walbaum)35. Urophycis regia (Walbaum)36. Urophycis tenuis (Mitchill)37. Microgadus tomcod (Walbaum)38. Pollachius virens (Linnaeus)39. Ophidion marginatum (DeKay)40. Opsanus tau (Linnaeus)41. Strongylura marina (Walbaum)42. Cyprinodon variegatus Lacepède43. Fundulus confl uentus Goode and Bean44. Fundulus diaphanus (Lesueur)45. Fundulus heteroclitus (Linnaeus)46. Fundulus luciae (Baird)47. Fundulus majalis (Walbaum)48. Lucania parva (Baird and Girard)49. Gambusia holbrooki Girard50. Membras martinica (Valenciennes)51. Menidia beryllina (Cope)52. Menidia menidia (Linnaeus)53. Apeltes quadracus (Mitchell)54. Gasterosteus aculeatus Linnaeus55. Hippocampus erectus Perry56. Syngnathus fuscus Storer57. Prionotus carolinus (Linnaeus)58. Prionotus evolans (Linnaeus)59. Myoxocephalus aenaeus (Mitchill)60. Morone americana (Gmelin)61. Morone saxatilis (Walbaum)62. Centropristis striata (Linnaeus)63. Mycteroperca microlepis (Goode and Bean)64. Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus)65. Caranx hippos (Linnaeus)66. Trachinotus carolinus (Linnaeus)67. Trachinotus falcatus (Linnaeus)68. Lutjanus griseus (Linnaeus)69. Lagodon rhomboides (Linnaeus)70. Stenotomus chrysops (Linnaeus)71. Bairdiella chrysoura (Lacepède)72. Cynoscion nebulosus (Cuvier)73. Cynoscion regalis (Bloch and Schneider)74. Leiostomus xanthurus Lacepède75. Menticirrhus saxatilis (Bloch and Schneider)76. Micropogonias undulatus (Linnaeus)77. Pogonias cromis (Linnaeus)78. Sciaenops ocellatus (Linnaeus)79. Chaetodon capistratus Linnaeus80. Chaetodon ocellatus Bloch81. Mugil cephalus Linnaeus82. Mugil curema Valenciennes83. Tautoga onitis (Linnaeus)84. Tautogolabrus adspersus (Walbaum)85. Pholis gunnellus (Linnaeus)86. Ammodytes americanus DeKay87. Astroscopus guttatus Abbott88. Chasmodes bosquianus (Lacepède)89. Hypsoblennius hentz (Lesueur)90. Gobiesox strumosus Cope91. Ctenogobius boleosoma ( Jordan and Gilbert)92. Gobiosoma bosc (Lacepède)93. Gobiosoma ginsburgi Hildebrand and Schroeder94. Microgobius thalassinus ( Jordan and Gilbert)95. Sphyraena borealis DeKay96. Peprilus triacanthus (Peck)97. Scophthalmus aquosus (Mitchill)98. Etropus microstomus (Gill)99. Paralichthys dentatus (Linnaeus)100. Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Walbaum)101. Trinectes maculatus (Bloch and Schneider)102. Symphurus plagiusa (Linnaeus)103. Chilomycterus schoepfii (Walbaum)104. Sphoeroides maculatus (Bloch and Schneider)Appendix: Collection Data for IllustrationsBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisA road map that reveals the Keystone State's most sensitive species and what can be done to manage and conserve these important natural resources, Terrestrial Vertebrates of Pennsylvania is a valuable tool for wildlife managers, conservationists, and naturalists.Trade ReviewLots of questions, but plenty of answers... If you want to become more informed about the rare animals of the Commonwealth... this book is for you. -- Rick Koval Pocono Record 2011 Terrestrial Vertebrates of Pennsylvania is a valuable tool for wildlife manangers, conservationists, and naturalists. Southeastern Naturalist 2011Table of ContentsForewordPreface AcknowledgmentsChapter 1. Conservation of Terrestrial Vertebrates: An Overview and SynthesisChapter 2. Wildlife Habitat: The Key to Abundance, Distribution, and DiversityChapter 3. Pennsylvania's Wildlife Action PlanChapter 4. The Amphibians and ReptilesChapter 5. The BirdsChapter 6. The MammalsChapter 7. Critical and Emerging Issues in the Conservation of Terrestrial VertebratesAppendix Literature CitedIndex

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Book SynopsisExploring the fascinating biodiversity of salt marshes, this work offers information about the variety of plants, fish, and animals, the importance of these habitats, consequences of human neglect and thoughtless development, and insight into how these wetlands recover.Trade ReviewJudith S. Weis and Carol A. Butler put salt marshes into a broad environmental context. With chapters on marshland species, pollution, and restoration, this book is both valuable and encompassing for anyone interested in the future of salt marshes. -- John M. Teal * Scientist Emeritus, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution *Judith Weis and Carol Butler have created a clear, wide-ranging, nontechnical explanation of salt marshes that will engage readers at every level of knowledge. Coastal residents, biology students, environmental planners, consultants, and naturalists should read this book. -- Erik Kiviat * executive director, Hudsonia Ltd *In an accessible and sophisticated manner, SALT MARSHES draws on extensive ôlocal knowledgeö and a thorough grasp of much broader scientific literature to show the impact of humans on marshes and estuaries. This book is an important contribution to popular writing on coastal systems. -- R. Scott Warren * Temple Professor of Botany Emeritus, Connecticut College *Weis and Butler discuss in detail the plants and animals that populate marshes, arranged by general complexity, beginning with small invertebrates and insects. Next is a historical overview, introducing the calamitous, long-held belief that marshes are little more than wastelands and a painful exploration of invasive species and their effects. Ongoing restoration projects are also profiled, and the volume concludes with thorough notes. This account should make an informative treat for any armchair conservationist. * Publishers Weekly *The authors provide a detailed account of the biodiversity of salt marshes and the tremendous benefits that they provide to the natural world. By enhancing understanding of the benefits of these areas, the damage caused to coastal marshes may be avoided in the future if we remain vigilant. * Wildlife Activist *As Weis and Butler indicate in this work, salt marshes have a natural history, but a long unnatural history due to their use and misuse by humans. This resource adds to the small collection of books that focus on salt marshes and their biology and economic value to humans. Recommended. * Choice *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments IntroductionPart I: Natural History Salt Marsh Basics Primary Producers-The Plants Animals of the Salt Marsh-ConsumersPart II: Human Alterations to Salt Marshes Physical Alterations Pollution Biological Alterations: Non-indigenous Species Marsh Restoration and Management for Environmental Improvement Death and Rebirth of an Urban Wetland-The Hackensack Meadowlands Appendix: Species Index References Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"In North Shore, lovers of that sacred strip of scree and cold water finally have a definitive natural history. But they also have a meticulous and wondrous book that will entertain as much as educate, that demystifies even as it allows for the magical moments the North Shore is famous for inspiring. I’ve never felt so in tune with my favorite place as I did turning the last page of this book, and seldom have I felt so thankful." —Peter Geye "North Shore: A Natural History of Minnesota's Superior Coast reads like a friendly and detailed journal that Great-great-great-great Grandmother Earth has been keeping from the very beginning. It tells the natural and cultural story of the North Shore: past, present, and future." —Betsy Bowen, writer, illustrator, and long-time North Shore resident"North Shore satisfies in its breadth but never complicates."—Great Lakes Echo"[Y]ou will be amazed, as I have been, at how compelling worms, frogs, and scientific exploration can be. "—Lake Superior Magazine"North Shore reminds us that the natural history of the region is still being written, and that all of us who live near its shores are the creators of the next chapter."—The Ely Winter Times"Chel Anderson and Adelheid Fischer have written an accessible book that comprehensively describes the history and geology of the coast, surrounding highlands, and Lake Superior itself. In addition, the authors have provided fascinating subchapters on some of the most interesting species that are key elements of the region."—The Prairie Naturalist"[North Shore] is a celebration of the big and little lives that make Lake Superior and its surrounding region so richly complex, an eye-opening recounting of human errors that have brought the natural systems close to collapse."—SEJournal"Compelling and accessible, the book provides readers with a science-based knowledge of the Minnesota North Shore watershed."—Ely Timberjay"The book’s merits merits include breathtaking photos, maps and charts, handsome page design, and impassioned writing. "—CHOICE"North Shore. . . is vast in scope, thought-provoking, and poetic in places. It is full of passages that invite repeated visits, and reveal deeper meanings with each visit. "—Wilderness News"Has the substance of a textbook, but reads in a friendly and fascinating narrative."—Star TribuneTable of ContentsContentsAbbreviationsIntroduction: A Gathering of WatersI. Headwaters As Good As It Gets: Bird Diversity on the North ShoreHarvesting the Forest’s Bounty: WildcraftingBe It Ever So Humble: No Home Like That of a Pitcher PlantHealing a Watershed for Coaster Brook TroutII. HighlandsThe Case of the Missing Duff: Earthworm InvasionsThe Secret Life of SalamandersStranger Than Fiction: Plant Galls and Their MakersBlack Bears and the Tettegouche OaksThe Nose Knows: Star-Nosed Moles and a Life Down UnderIII. NearshoreNorth Shore Places: What’s in a Name?Where Has All the Sewage Gone? Development and Water QualityHay Pickers and Grass Gatherers: Botanical Exploration along the LakeshoreBetween a Rock and a Lake: Life on the Cliff EdgeThe Leading Edge: North Shore Bird MigrationIV. Lake SuperiorMapping Lake Superior: The Early YearsSearching High and Low: The Science of Lake Superior ExplorationAmphipods and Diatoms: The Big Lake’s Bread and ButterHow Much Water Is Enough? The Plumbing of Lake SuperiorThe Missing Link: The Lake Superior and Mississippi River CanalThe Rise and Fall of SeichesV. IslandsThe Chorus Frogs of Isle RoyaleThe Long View: Moose and Wolves on Isle RoyaleNature or Nuisance? Gulls in the Great LakesA Mansion of Many Rooms: The Return of Lake Trout to SuperiorEpilogue: The Wild Card of Climate ChangeAcknowledgmentsFrontispiece CreditsIndex

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

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Book SynopsisBiosphere rises from southern Arizona's high desert like a bizarre hybrid spaceship and greenhouse. Packed with more than 3,800 carefully selected plant, animal, and insect species, this mega-terrarium is one of the world's most biodiverse, lush, and artificial wildernesses.

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Book SynopsisThe purpose of this book is to review and assess our current understanding of invertebrates in terrestrial and terrestrially-dominated (i.e. lower-order stream) ecosystems. It emphasises the centrality of the activity of invertebrates, which influence ecosystem function far out of proportion to their physical mass in a wide range of situations, particularly at the interface between land and air (litter/soil), water and land (sediments) and in tree canopies and root/soil systems. Consisting of 16 chapters by authors from the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia, the book is essential reading for ecologists and invertebrate biologists.Table of Contents1: Webmaster Functions in Ecosystems 2: Foodweb Functioning and Ecosystem Processes: Problems and Perceptions of Scaling, JM Anderson, University of Exeter, UK 3: Keystone Arthropods as Webmasters in Desert Ecosystems, WG Whitford, USDA/ARS Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico State University, USA 4: Responses of Grassland Soil Invertebrates to Natural and Anthropogenic Disturbances, JM Blair, TC Todd, and MA Callaham, Jr., Kansas State University, USA 5: Effects of Invertebrates in Lotic Ecosystem Processes, JB Wallace and JJ Hutchens, Jr., University of Georgia, USA 6: Webmasters in Feedback Interactions and Food Webs 7: Insects as Regulators of Ecosystem Development, TD Schowalter, Oregon State University, USA 8: Herbivores, Biochemical Messengers and Plants: Aspects of Intertrophic Transduction, MI Dyer, University of Georgia, USA 9: Soil Invertebrate Controls and Microbial Interactions in Nutrient and Organic Matter Dynamics in Natural and Agroecosystems, CA Edwards, The Ohio State University, USA 10: Invertebrates in Detrital Food Webs along Gradients of Productivity, JC Moore, University of Northern Colorado,USA and PC de Ruiter, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands 11: Webmasters and Ecosystem Diversity 12: Biodiversity of Oribatid Mites (Acari: Oribatida) in Tree Canopies and Litter, V Behan-Pelletier, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada and DE Walter, University of Queensland, Australia 13: Diversity in the Decomposing Landscape, RA Hansen, University of South Carolina, USA 14: The Pervasive Effects of Invasive Species: Exotic and Native Fire Ants, CR Carroll and CA Hoffman, University of Georgia, USA 15: Soil Invertebrate Species Diversity in Natural and Disturbed Environments, J Rusek, Institute of Soil Biology, Czech Republic 16: Webmasters in Regional and Global Contexts 17: Invertebrates and Nutrient Cycling in Coniferous Forest Ecosystems: Spatial Heterogeneity and Conditionality, TM Bolger, University College Dublin, Ireland, LJ Heneghan, DePaul University, USA and P Neville, University College Dublin, Ireland 18: Impacts of Insects on Human-dominated and Natural Forest Landscapes, RN Coulson and DF Wunneburger, Texas A&M University, USA 19: Soil Fauna and Controls of Carbon Dynamics: Comparisons of Rangelands and Forests Across Latitudinal Gradients,TR Seastedt, University of Colorado, USA 20: Soil Processes and Global Change: Will Invertebrates Make a Difference?, PM Groffman and CG Jones, Institute of Ecosystem Studies, New York, USA

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Book SynopsisThis book is an essential reference source covering the chemical elements that are nutrients for plants or grazing animals. It deals with the concentrations and transformations of these elements in soils, grassland plants, and ruminant animals, particularly cattle and sheep. For each element, the following data are given: forms occurring in soil, factors that affect availability and concentration, uptake and distribution in grassland plants, role in animal nutrition, amounts and forms excreted by grazing animals, and concentrations needed by ruminant animals.Table of Contents1: Introduction 2: Amounts, Sources and Availability of Nutrient Elements in Soils 3: Uptake and Concentrations of Nutrient Elements in Grassland Herbage 4: Nutrient Elements in Ruminant Animals 5: Nitrogen 6: Phosphorus 7: Sulphur 8: Macronutrient Cations: Potassium, Sodium, Calcium and Magnesium 9: Micronutrient Cations: Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Copper and Cobalt 10: The Nutrient Halogens: Chlorine and Iodine 11: Boron, Molybdenum and Selenium

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Book SynopsisIt is a widely held belief that a climax vegetation of closed forest systems covered the lowlands of Central and Western Europe before humans intervened in prehistoric times to develop agriculture. If this intervention had not taken place, it would still be there and so if left, the grassland vegetation and fields we see today would revert to its natural closed forest state, although with a reduced number of wild species. This book challenges this view, using examples from history, pollen analyses and studies on the ecology of tree and shrub species such as oak and hazel. It tests the hypotheses that the climax vegetation is a closed canopy forest against the alternative one in which species composition and succession of vegetation were governed by herbivores and that the Central and Western European lowlands were covered by a park-like landscape consisting of grasslands, scrub, solitary trees and groves bordered by a mantle and fringe vegetation. Comparative information from North AmeTable of Contents1: General introduction and formulation of the problem 2: Succession, the climax forest and the role of large herbivores 3: Palynology, the forest as climax in prehistoric times and the effects of humans 4: The use of the wilderness from the Middle Ages to 1900 5: Spontaneous succession in forest reserves in the lowlands of Western and Central Europe 6: Establishment of trees and shrubs in relation to light and grazing 7: Final synthesis and conclusions

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Book SynopsisThis book discusses the ecophysiology of grasslands and the ecological aspects of grazingTable of Contents1: Sustainability of grazing systems: goals, concepts and methods, Part I: Environmental constraints and plant responses to defoliation 2: Effects of nitrogen and water supply on N and C fluxes and partitioning in defoliated swards, 3: An integrated view of C and N uses in leaf growth zones of defoliated grasses, 4: Effects of grazing on the roots and rhizosphere of grasses, 5: Reserve formation and recycling of carbon and nitrogen during regrowth of defoliated plants, Part II: Morphogenesis of pasture species and adaptation to defoliation 6: Shoot morphological plasticity of grasses: leaf growth vs. tillering, 7: Tiller dynamics of grazed swards, 8: Effect of nitrogen on some morphogenetical traits of temperate and tropical perennial forage grasses, 9: Modelling the dynamics of temperate grasses and legumes in cut mixtures, Part III: Plant-Animal interactions 10: Plant-animal interactions in complex plant communities: from mechanism to modelling, 11: Modeling spatial aspects of plant-animal interactions, 12: Defoliation patterns and herbage intake on pastures, 13: Selective grazing on grass-legume mixtures in tropical pastures, Part IV: Sustainable grazing management of natural pastures 14: Leaf tissue turnover and efficiency of herbage utilization, 15: Dynamics of heterogeneity in a grazed sward, 16: Soil-plant-animal interactions and impact on nitrogen and phosphorus cycling and re-cycling in grazed pasture, 17: Sustainable management of pasture and rangelands, Part V: Problems of Animal Production Related to Pastures in Subtropical and Temperate Regions of South America 18: Campos in Southern Brazil, 19: Campos in Uruguay, 20: Argentina’s Humid Pampa,

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Book SynopsisA major concern for biological control has always been the risk of indirect unwanted effects on the ecology of other organisms. Our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary processes underlying these effects has until now been limited and experimental methods sometimes lacking. This book presents the key papers from of the first International Organisation for Biological Control global symposium, held in Montpellier, France, in October 1999. It addresses the issues and concerns involved in biological control, and assesses the current status of evaluation of the ecological effects.Table of Contents1: Indirect ecological effects in biological control: the challenge and the opportunity, J K Waage, CABI Bioscience, Ascot, UK 2: Indirect interactions, community modules, and biological control: A theoretical perspective, R D Holt, University of Kansas, USA and M E Hochberg, Université de Montpellier, France 3: Research needs concerning non-target impacts of biological control introductions, K R Hopper, USDA, USA 4: Food webs, risks of alien enemies and reform of biological control, D R Strong, University of California, USA and R W Pemberton, USDA, USA 5: Evaluation of non-target effects of pathogens used for management of arthropods, M S Goettel, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada and A E Hajek, Cornell University, USA 6: Insect biological control and non-target effects: A European perspective, L D Lynch, CABI Bioscience, Ascot, UK et al. 7: Biological control in Africa and its possible effects on biodiversity, P Neuenschwander and R Markham, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Nigeria 8: Rhinocyllus conicus: Initial evaluation and subsequent ecological impacts in North America, A Gassmann, CABI Bioscience Centre Switzerland and S M Louda, University of Nebraska, USA 9: Risk analysis and weed biological control, W M Lonsdale, D T Briese and J M Cullen, CSIRO Entomology, Australia 10: Incorporating biological control into ecologically based weed management, R L Sheley and M J Rinella, Montana State University, USA 11: The scope and value of extensive ecological studies in the broom biological control programme, S V Fowler, Landcare Research, Auckland, New Zealand et al.

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