Description
Book SynopsisBree Rosenblum''s Global Change Biology provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of Global Change Biology and a roadmap for structuring Global Change Biology courses, a burgeoning field of biological study. The first of its kind, Rosenblum goes beyond the narrow focus of existing texts, which tend to focus on climate only, by offering a conceptionally integrated approach to understanding how humans have impacted life on Earth. The textbook guides students to think about change across spatial and temporal scales and fills a unique niche of integrating ecological and evolutionary perspectives throughout. Global Change Biology is available in e-book format only. Print-on-demand can be provided for orders where print is specified. The conceptual arc of the textbook is organized around four fundamental learning objectives that traverse the past, present, and future. Students will explore: a) the complex history of planetary change, b) the impact of contemporary stressors across biological levels, biomes, and the tree of life, c) the dynamic interactions and responses of living systems to planetary change, and d) the opportunities for maintaining resilient ecosystems in a changing world. Enrichment features include Core Concepts boxes reviewing foundational material, Meet the Data boxes providing direct experience interpreting global change biology data, and Taking a Closer Look providing an opportunity to evaluate multifaceted biological responses in complex systems. Pre- and post- assessment tools like The Blank Page and reflection questions throughout, encourage students to reflect, self-assess, and deepen their learning.The primary intended audience for Global Change Biology is upper division undergraduate students who are ready to apply key concepts in ecology and evolution to the Global Change Biology theme area and develop a more analytical and integrative skill set as scientists. However, the textbook has crossover power to engage other audiences and provide a roadmap for developing courses to inform and inspire students about the study of life on a rapidly changing planet.
Trade ReviewOverall the work is scholarly, accessible, and timely, synthesizing the current state of the field of global change biology. There are several novel contributions of this work that are not available in comparable works on global change biology... There are simply no other textbooks available that provide the spatio-temporal scale and comprehensiveness of multiple facets of global change biology that this proposed text contains. The emerging trend for global change scientists is one of integrative science, and I think this book emulates the way many of us studying global change practice our science. - Sarah Diamond, Case Western Reserve
This text is different from other Environmental Science texts by offering a more detailed treatment of ecology and evolutionary biology that is key to understanding the impacts of global change on natural populations. I also like the greater emphasis in examining contemporary studies on measuring impacts on global change. The organization of the textbook seems quite intuitive. The Enrichment Features, and some of the Assessment Features, particularly "The Blank Page", will prove to be useful to many. * Madhu Srinivasan, University of Kentucky *
Finally a textbook is available which provides a complete and comprehensive coverage of the field of global change biology. The textbook offers clear explanations of fundamental scientific concepts in global change biology in the context of current scientific findings and case studies. This textbook offers students an opportunity to engage with the material through active learning, inquiry and critical thinking making it a robust pedagogical tool for teaching. * Teresa Lynn Newberry, Tohono O'odham Community College *
Table of ContentsUNIT I: SETTING THE STAGE Chapter 1. Approaches in Global Change Biology How Did the Field of Global Change Biology Develop? How Are Global Change Biology Studies Designed? What Key Research Approaches Are Used in Global Change Biology? What Key Tools Are Used in Global Change Biology? Core Concepts: How are Data Displayed? Meet the Data: The Economic Value of Nature Taking a Closer Look: The Value of Biological Diversity Chapter 2. Brief History of Life on Earth What Key Transitions Led to the Emergence of Life on Earth? How Did Cellular Life Evolve and Diversify? What Evolutionary Processes Shape Biological Diversity? When Have Speciation and Extinction Rates Been Particularly High? Core Concepts: What is a Phylogenetic Tree? Meet the Data: The Ring of Life Taking a Closer Look: Biological Levels of Change Chapter 3. Rise of the Humans When and How Did Early Hominids Evolve? When and How Did Modern Humans Spread Around the World? How Did Early Human Civilizations Impact the Environment? Core Concepts: What Is In a Name? Meet the Data: Ice Age Genetics Taking a Closer Look: The Evolutionary Success of Humans Chapter 4. The Anthropocene What Is the Anthropocene and When Did It Begin? What Are Patterns of Contemporary Population Growth? How Are Contemporary Human Civilizations Impacting the Environment? How Do Anthropogenic Stressors Interact with Each Other? What Influences Overall Vulnerability to Global Change Pressures? Core Concepts: What is Climate and How Is It Measured? Meet the Data: Pollinators and Pesticides Taking a Closer Look: Historical and Contemporary Climate Change UNIT II: CORE RESPONSES TO GLOBAL CHANGE STRESSORS Chapter 5. Core Responses: Move How and Why Do Organisms Move? What Is a Geographic Range? What Factors Determine a Species' Geographic Range? Do Range Changes Occur Even Without Anthropogenic Influence? What Types of Range Changes Occur in Response to Anthropogenic Pressures? How Do Scientists Predict Range Changes? Core Concepts: What Is a Niche? Meet the Data: A Century of Change in Yosemite Taking a Closer Look: Globalization and Invasive Species Chapter 6. Core Responses: Adjust What Is Phenotypic Plasticity? Is the Capacity for Plasticity Consistent Across Traits and Species? What Types of Plasticity Occur in Response to Global Change What Mechanisms Underlie Phenotypic Plasticity? How Do Scientists Assess and Predict Phenotypic Plasticity? Can Plasticity Facilitate Long-Term Persistence? Core Concepts: What Are the Mechanisms of Heredity? Meet the Data: Phenology and Global Warming Taking a Closer Look: Urbanization Chapter 7. Core Responses: Adapt What Conditions Are Required for Adaptation? What Is an Example of Evolution by Natural Selection? What Types of Adaptation Occur in Response to Global Change Pressures? How Do Scientists Identify Adaptations and Predict Adaptive Potential? Can Adaptation Prevent Extinction? Core Concepts: Where Does Genetic Variation Come From? Meet the Data: The Daphnia Time Machine Taking a Closer Look: Coral Reefs Chapter 8. Core Responses: Die How Is the Survival of Individuals, Populations, and Species Connected? What Are Examples of Extinction in Response to Global Change Pressures? How Do Scientists Estimate Extinction Risk? How Do Scientists Summarize Global Patterns of Extinction Risk? What Is the Sixth Mass Extinction? Core Concepts: What is Extinction Debt? Meet the Data: The Sixth Mass Extinction Taking a Closer Look: Amphibian Declines UNIT III: COMPLEX RESPONSES TO GLOBAL CHANGE PRESSURES Chapter 9. Community-Level Responses What Are Key Types of Biological Interactions? How Do Global Change Pressures Affect Biological Interactions? How Does Extinction Affect Communities? What Are Cascading Effects? Core Concepts: What Are Above- and Below-Ground Food Webs? Meet the Data: The Collapse of Mutualisms Taking a Closer Look: Kelp Forests and Trophic Cascades Chapter 10. Ecosystem-Level Responses What Are Biogeochemical Cycles? How Do Global Change Pressures Impact Ecosystems? How Do Global Change Pressures Impact Large-Scale Earth Systems? What Is a Feedback? What Is Ecosystem Collapse? What Is Ecosystem Resilience? Core Concepts: What is a Biodiversity Hotspot? Meet the Data: Greenhouse Gases in the Soil Taking a Closer Look: Factors Influencing Response to Global Change UNIT IV: NEW HORIZONS Chapter 11. Conservation in an Era of Global Change Why Is It Important to Explicitly Define Conservation Priorities? Why Is It Important to Match Conservation Actions to Particular Biological Levels? What Are Examples of Fine-Filter Conservation Strategies? What Are Examples of Coarse-Filter Conservation Strategies? What Is Adaptive Management? Core Concepts: What is Climate Mitigation? Meet the Data: Maximizing Evolutionary Diversity Taking a Closer Look: Emerging Technologies and Conservation Ethics Chapter 12. Aligning the Interests of Biodiversity and Human Society What Are Coupled Human-Natural Systems? What Societal Levers Can Be Used to Support Biodiversity Conservation? How Can Individuals Support Biodiversity Conservation? How Can Collectives Support Biodiversity Conservation? How Can Policy Action Support Biodiversity Conservation? What Is the Forecast for the Future? Core Concepts: What is I=PAT? Meet the Data: Financial Incentives for Dynamic Conservation Taking a Closer Look: Environmental Worldviews
