This two volume reference set covering the Northern and Southern Hemispheres provides a comprehensive description of the evolution and diversity of the arborescent gymnosperms illustrated with distribution maps form silhouettes and a wealth of colour plates Invaluable to researchers in palaeobotany geobiology and evolutionary biology

Olvídense de todo lo que saben sobre el calentamiento global Nos han dicho que el mercado nos salvará, cuando en realidad la adicción al lucro y al crecimiento nos está hundiendo cada día más en nues

The idea that nature provides services to people is one of the most powerful concepts to have emerged over the last two decades. It is shaping our understanding of the role that biodiverse ecosystems play in the environment and their benefits for humankind. As a result, there is a growing interest in operational and methodological issues surrounding ecosystem services amongst environmental managers, and many institutions are now developing teaching programmes to equip the next generation with the skills needed to apply the concepts more effectively. This handbook provides a comprehensive reference text on ecosystem services, integrating natural and social science (including economics). Collectively the chapters, written by the world''s leading authorities, demonstrate the importance of biodiversity for people, policy and practice. They also show how the value of ecosystems to society can be expressed in monetary and non-monetary terms, so that the environment can be better taken into account in decision making. The significance of the ecosystem service paradigm is that it helps us redefine and better communicate the relationships between people and nature. It is shown how these are essential to resolving challenges such as sustainable development and poverty reduction, and the creation of a green economy in developing and developed world contexts.

With a population of more than eighteen million people, Mexico City is a major metropolitan area where the effects of urban development on air quality are of immediate concern. Air pollution exposures and effects on forests in the Mexico City Air Basin are in many respects similar to those reported in the Los Angeles, California Air Basin. Studies of air pollution impacts on forests in these two regions may serve as models for urban areas all over the world. Although scientists have studied air pollution and its effects on forests and vegetation in the Mexico City Air Basin for years, this book reviews and synthesizes this body of work for the first time. This synthesis is particularly valuable as air pollution increases at an alarming rate along with global urbanization. A thorough discussion of regional geology, climate and hydrology, historical natural resource utilization, and sociological factors provide the context for evaluating air pollution impacts on the highly valued forests surrounding this megacity. The environmental and ecological consequences of chronic exposure to biologically important pollutants are considered in various case studies. Finally, the editors discuss the state of air pollution research in the Mexico City Air Basin and the outlook for the health and sustainability of forests within the Basin.

This two volume reference set covering the Northern and Southern Hemispheres provides a comprehensive description of the evolution and diversity of the arborescent gymnosperms illustrated with distribution maps form silhouettes and a wealth of colour plates Invaluable to researchers in palaeobotany geobiology and evolutionary biology

This two volume reference set covering the Northern and Southern Hemispheres provides a comprehensive description of the evolution and diversity of the arborescent gymnosperms illustrated with distribution maps form silhouettes and a wealth of colour plates Invaluable to researchers in palaeobotany geobiology and evolutionary biology

Harmful Algal Blooms: A Compendium Desk Reference provides basic information on harmful algal blooms (HAB) and references for individuals in need of technical information when faced with unexpected or unknown harmful algal events. Chapters in this volume will provide readers with information on causes of HAB, successful management and monitoring programs, control, prevention, and mitigation strategies, economic consequences of HAB, associated risks to human health, impacts of HAB on food webs and ecosystems, and detailed information on the most common HAB species. Harmful Algal Blooms: A Compendium Desk Reference will be an invaluable resource to managers, newcomers to the field, those who do not have easy or affordable access to scientific literature, and individuals who simply do not know where to begin searching for the information needed, especially when faced with novel and unexpected HAB events. Edited by three of the world's leading harmful algal bloom researchers and with contributions from leading experts, Harmful Algal Blooms: A Compendium Desk Reference will be a key source of information for this increasingly important topic.

Air pollution affects us all in a number of crucial ways, causing lasting damage to our health and our environment. While primary pollution can result from local activities, the extent of the impact can be felt at spatial scales from the individual up to the whole planet and temporal scales from minutes to decades. Consequently, pollution of our atmosphere remains a critical concern, warranting continued scientific investigation and the development of effective local and global solutions. The World Atlas of Atmospheric Pollution clearly and engagingly summarises current understanding of the state of air pollution on city to global scales.

Harmful algal blooms HABs blooms that cause fish kills contaminate seafood with toxins or cause human or ecological health impacts and harm to local economies are occurring more often in more places and lasting longer than in past decades This expansion is primarily the result of human activities through increased nutrient inputs and various aspects of climate change The Global Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms GEOHAB programme promoted international collaboration to understand HAB population dynamics in various oceanographic regimes and to improve the prediction of HABs This volume introduces readers to the overarching framework of the GEOHAB programme factors contributing to the global expansion of harmful algal blooms the complexities of HABs in different habitats and the forward looking issues to be tackled by the next generation of GEOHAB GlobalHAB The programme brought together an international team of contributingscientists and ecosystem managers and its outcomes will greatly benefit the international research community

This book documents the effects of natural hazards on coastal ecosystems in detail The sea is an indispensable component of the Earth system and human societies obtain many goods and services from the marine environment Global warming threatens marine ecosystems through seawater temperature rise acidification sea level rise and the increased frequency of severe storms The repeated effects of tsunamis also have major impacts on coastal ecosystems Increases in population and industry activities along the coast cause the degradation of coastal ecosystems through direct and indirect uses of the environment such as reclamation overexploitation of bioresources and pollution Given these facts we need to improve our understanding of the physical chemical and biological mechanisms characterizing marine ecosystems in order to better measure the effects of anthropogenic and natural impacts on the sea and its ecosystems Equipped with a comprehensive understanding of the sea including the effects of the main pressures on it we will have a better idea of the future state of the sea based on several scenarios of global warming The 16th France Japan Symposium on Marine Science focused on using advances in oceanography to better understand the current status of the sea

Nowhere on Earth is the challenge for ecological understanding greater, and yet more urgent, than in those parts of the globe where human activity is most intense - cities. People need to understand how cities work as ecological systems so they can take control of the vital links between human actions and environmental quality, and work for an ecologically and economically sustainable future. An ecosystem approach integrates biological, physical and social factors and embraces historical and geographical dimensions, providing our best hope for coping with the complexity of cities.This book is a first of its kind effort to bring together leaders in the biological, physical and social dimensions of urban ecosystem research with leading education researchers, administrators and practitioners, to show how an understanding of urban ecosystems is vital for urban dwellers to grasp the fundamentals of ecological and environmental science, and to understand their own environment.

Exogenous Priming and Engineering of Plant Metabolic and Regulatory Genes Stress Mitigation Strategies in Plants provides insights into metabolic adjustment their regulation and the regulatory networks involved in plants responding to stress situations It contains comprehensive information combining mechanistic priming and engineering approaches from the conventional to those recently developed In addition the book addresses seed priming tolerance mechanisms pre and post treatment as well as sensory response and genetic manipulation From basic concepts to modern technologies and prevailing policies readers will find this book useful in enhancing their understanding of the area as well as helping in identifying approaches for future research

An excellent, concise, and interdisciplinary overview of different classes of emerging pollutants arising, for example, from pharmaceuticals, pesticides, personal care products, and industrial chemicals and their impact on water, soil, and air. Following an introduction to chemical pollutants, with special attention focused on organic compounds and their properties, the book goes on to describe major emerging pollutants grouped according to their applications in different sectors of industrial or economic activity. For each type of compound, the chemical structure, main properties, and source are presented, along with their fate in the environment as pollutants, the latest analytical methods for detection, possible health or ecology consequences, as well as current regulatory laws. New developments, such as nanotechnology as a pollution source, are also included. The book closes with a chapter devoted to conclusions and future perspectives.

Advances in Sustainable Applications of Microalgae discusses different mechanisms used by microalgae to treat various gaseous streams wastewaters and pollution bioremediation In addition the advantages of the application of microalgal biomass in the agricultural and food feed sectors are presented and bioenergy from microalgae with a view to sustainability is explored The present covers the use of microalgal cultures in various applications such as the treatment of gaseous streams by removing various contaminants wastewater treatment through the removal of several pollutants biomass valorization for agriculture purposes bioenergy from microalgae and industrial integration of all these processes in a biorefinery concept Finally the book emphasizes the importance of gathering scientific knowledge to overcome drawbacks related to microalgal production and develops the concept of biorefinery based on microalgal biomass for a more sustainable future

Having been the fourth largest lake on the globe roughly 50 years ago today the Aral Sea no longer exists Human activities caused its desiccation and the formation of a huge new desert the Aralkum which can be regarded as one of the greatest ecological catastrophes and at the same time the largest primary succession experiment of mankind This volume brings together the results of international and interdisciplinary long term studies on the new desert ecosystem and is divided into four main sections The first section provides an overview of the physical characteristics of the area and covers geological pedological geomorphological and climatological aspects and their dynamics especially dust storm dynamics The second focuses on the biotic aspects and highlights the spatial and temporal patterns of the flora and fauna In the third section studies and projects aiming to combat desertification by phytomelioration and to develop strategies for the conservation of biodiversity are presented The book is rounded off with a section providing a synthesis and conclusions

The birds, animals, insects, trees and plants encountered by the majority of the worlds people are those that survive in, adapt to, or are introduced to, urban areas. Some of these organisms give great pleasure; others invade, colonise and occupy neglected and hidden areas such as derelict land and sewers. Urban areas have a high biodiversity and nature within cities provides many ecosystem services including cooling the urban area, reducing urban flood risk, filtering pollutants, supplying food, and providing accessible recreation. Yet, protecting urban nature faces competition from other urban land uses.The Handbook of Urban Ecology analyses this biodiversity and complexity and provides the science to guide policy and management to make cities more attractive, more enjoyable, and better for our own health and that of the planet. This Handbook contains 50 interdisciplinary contributions from leading academics and practitioners from across the world to provide an in-depth coverage of the main elements of practical urban ecology. It is divided into six parts, dealing with the philosophies, concepts and history of urban ecology; followed by consideration of the biophysical character of the urban environment and the diverse habitats found within it. It then examines human relationships with urban nature, the health, economic and environmental benefits of urban ecology before discussing the methods used in urban ecology and ways of putting the science into practice.The Handbook offers a state-of the art guide to the science, practice and value of urban ecology. The engaging contributions provide students and practitioners with the wealth of interdisciplinary information needed to manage the biota and green landscapes in urban areas.

This is a open access book Ranaviruses double stranded DNA viruses family Iridoviridae that cause systemic life threatening disease in a variety of amphibians reptiles and fish have contributed to mass die offs of both wild and captive populations around the globe These viruses are emerging and increasingly responsible for population declines of ectothermic vertebrates Because amphibians reptiles and freshwater turtles are suitable hosts and among the most imperiled vertebrate taxa in the world ranaviruses can have significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem function Additionally many fish that are raised in aquaculture facilities and traded internationally are suitable hosts thus the potential economic impact of ranaviruses is significant Ranaviruses also serve as a model for understanding viral replication and gene function among large double stranded DNA viruses e g poxviruses asfarvirus and ascoviruses Lastly study of the host immune response to ranaviral disease and the identification of viral immune evasion genes that negatively regulate host immune functions provide insight into which specific immune elements are most important in protecting host species against severe disease The effort to produce a 2nd edition of our earlier work