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This textbook provides an opportunity for undergraduate students studying the environment to work on addressing real-world environmental problems and practice the disciplinary and professional skills necessary to tackle complex issues. Each of the 12 units that comprise the heart of this workbook-style text focus on a specific environmental challenge directly or indirectly tied to climate change. Students are guided through activities that require them to review relevant environmental content knowledge, practice an array of learning outcome-based skills, evaluate potential solutions, and advocate for action. An important feature of the book is its problem-based approach, using climate change as a common lens through which to view an array of current environmental challenges. Showing students how they might apply their core knowledge and disciplinary skills to identify possible solutions demonstrates the utility of science to inform decision making and builds student competency in learning outcomes common across environmental academic programs. Designed to provide problem-area options to match student interests (from sea turtle conservation to climate migrants to urban heat islands), instructors can choose among units to best engage students, or work through units sequentially to scaffold instruction while building student capacity. Each unit contains activities that focus on: (1) Discovery, where students are guided through exploration to build their knowledge of the issue and prepare a formal Problem Statement;(2) Analysis, where students dig into relevant data and begin to evaluate potential solutions; and(3) Solutions, where students practice their problem solving, decision making and environmental communication skills. Environmental Problem Solving in an Age of Climate Change underscores the pervasive nature of climate change as a commonfactor in all environmental issues. The book demonstrates how sustainable solutions require the efforts of many people working on smaller, more tangible issues to tackle the grand challenge that climate change presents.

Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science is the most up-to-date reference work for system based coastal and estuarine ecosystem science and management. It addresses the big issues facing the estuaries and coastal zone; in particular how to best use multi- and inter-disciplinary science to ensure the sustainability of the environment. It focusses on the need to protect and maintain the natural functioning of the estuaries and coasts worldwide while delivering the ecosystem services from which society extract goods and benefits.Structured chapters, written by leaders in the field, include reference lists and additional reading, copious diagrams, case-studies, and especially provide synthesis diagrams and conceptual models of complex issues. The Treatise covers both the natural and social sciences, serving a wide audience which ranges from undergraduate students to established researchers and practitioners.The work avoids autecological studies but focusses on inter-linked physical-chemical-biological-ecosystem processes and associated socio-economic issues in the coastal zone. It examines estuaries and coasts, and their interactions and feedbacks with humanity, from the inland catchment/river basin to the ocean shelf.The new edition builds on and expands the previous version with significant updates and a whole new section on Climate Change and Coastal Ecosystems, covering the resistance and resilience of the estuaries, coasts and other transitional habitats to climate change, thereby determining changes and responses needed over the coming decades. - Comprehensive – a unique resource in the field, Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science covers system based coastal and estuarine science and management, linking physical, chemical and biological ecosystem processes with associated socio-economic issues. - Highly regarded: the previous edition was very well received by the market and widely used, with over 50,000 chapter downloads. - Updated and forward-looking: the new edition expands the previous version with significant updates and a whole new section on Climate Change and Coastal Ecosystems, covering the resistance and resilience of the estuaries, coasts and other transitional habitats and responses needed over the coming decades. - Authoritative and accessible – 155 chapters, written by leaders in the field, provide synthesis and conceptual models of complex issues, ensuring that the knowledge within is easily understood by a large audience. - Structured content - all chapters follow a common structure with set headings, making it easier for users to cross-compare and navigate the content.

The second edition of Ecological Forest Management Handbook continues to provide forestry professionals and students with basic principles of ecological forest management and their applications at regional and site-specific levels. Thoroughly updated and revised, the handbook addresses numerous topics and explains that ecological forest management is a complex process that requires broad ecological knowledge. It discusses how to develop adaptive management scenarios to harvest resources in a sustainable way and provide ecosystem services and social functions. It includes new studies on ecological indicators, the carbon cycle, and ecosystem simulation models for various forest types: boreal, temperate, and tropical forests.NEW IN THE SECOND EDITION Provides a comprehensive collection of sustainable forest management principles and their applications Covers new ecological indicators that can be applied to address forest environmental issues Includes all types of models: empirical, gap, and process-based models Explains several basic ecological and management concepts in a clear, easy-to- understand manner This handbook is intended for researchers, academics, professionals, and undergraduate and graduate students studying and/or involved in the management of forest ecosystems.Chapters 16 and 18 of this book are available for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page at www.taylorfrancis.com. They have been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

With the expansion of human settlements and the environmental changes brought about by human activity and pollutants, toxicology and risk assessment of amphibian species has become increasingly of interest to toxicologists involved in environmental research. This book focuses specifically on environmental risk assessment in premetamorphic stages and adults of amphibians. Amphibian ecotoxicology is not totally understood in scientific research and as such environmental risk assessment in these vertebrates is an area of rapidly growing interest. It has the potential to answer some of the questions regarding risks to our environment. An ideal companion, this book will be useful to toxicologists and ecologists investigating risk assessment in the environments of amphibians, while also of interest to those working in conservation biology, biological invasion, biocontrol and habitat management.

Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review remains one of the most cited sources in marine science. The increasing interest in work in oceanography and marine biology and its relevance to global environmental issues, especially global climate change and its impacts, creates a demand for authoritative refereed reviews summarising and synthesising the results of both historical and recent research. For more than 50 years, OMBAR has been an essential reference for researchers, students and workers in all fields of marine science. An international Editorial Board ensures global relevance and expert peer review, with editors from Australia, Hong Kong, Ireland, Singapore, and the UK. The series of volumes can be found in the libraries of institutes and universities worldwide.Five of the seven peer-reviewed contributions in Volume 61 are available to read Open Access via this webpage and on OAPEN. Supplementary material is provided online on the Support Materials tab on the book's www.routledge.com webpage for Reviews 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6.. Volume 61 features a review of 100 years of daily sea surface temperature from the Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove, California; an exploration of the biology and life cycle of enigmatic crustacean y-larvae; a review of the science, policy and management of the Central and South Atlantic Deep Sea benthos; a review of the biodiversity of the Irish-Scottish continental margin; an investigation of how new molecular tools can be used for marine biodiversity and ecosystem assessments, and a look at the resilience of marine organisms to climate change. A final monograph considers enemy shells as refugia from grazing and competition pressure. If you are interested in submitting a review for consideration for publication in OMBAR, please email the new co-Editors in Chief, Dr Peter Todd (dbspat@nus.edu.sg) and Dr Bayden Russell (brussell@hku.hk). Guidelines for contributors to OMBAR, including information on illustration requirements, can be downloaded on the'Support Material'tab on the latest volume's webpage.

This edited book is focused on SDG 14: life below water. This book covers all aspects of fish biotechnology and health management. A detailed description is provided of CRISPR Cas9 technology application in the development of superior variety of fish with better growth, disease resistance, etc., accompanied by numerous helpful photographs and schematic diagrams. In addition, recent developments in nanotechnology and its application in fisheries production enhancement have been discussed. Further, topics includes, probiotics, immunostimulants, fish genetic markers, bioremediation, metagenomics, transgenerational immune priming, application of cell culture in fisheries and nano-biosensor application on fish disease diagnosis, pollution monitoring, etc. are provided in details.. The book is helpful for researchers, teachers, students, farmers, and entrepreneurs in utilizing the knowledge on recent advancements in different aspects of fish genetics and biotechnology for future researchand aquaculture production enhancement.

This book summarizes the physiological effects of bicarbonate in plants and systematically introduces readers to a bidirectional isotope labeling tracer technique used to quantify the contribution of root-derived bicarbonate to total photosynthetic inorganic carbon assimilation in plants. This method helps to shed light on the role of dissolved inorganic carbon from the soil in overall photosynthesis, an aspect that has been underestimated or neglected entirely in the past. The book quantifies the capacity for root-derived bicarbonate assimilation in certain plant species and illustrates the coupling relationship between karstification and photosynthesis. Further, it demonstrates that root-derived bicarbonate utilization is as important as stomatal-derived inorganic carbon assimilation in biological evolution and plant adaptation to the environment. Using numerous models, it also illustrates carbon isotopic mixtures in complex inorganic carbon utilization and supplements the results with numerical calculations presented as tables and figures. In short, the book offers a strikingly new perspective on photosynthesis.

Most imperative environmental concerns are Cultural eutrophication pertaining to industrialization and urbanization which lead to proliferation of weeds in aquatic environs disturbing these ecosystems. Alarming increase in CO2, CH4, CFC's, N2O and water vapour in the atmosphere cause enhanced greenhouse effect, among all these CO2 is accountable for 55-60% of total enhanced effect. Phyto- and Nutrient sequestration via plants helps storage of atmospheric CO2 in the vegetation to get rid of contaminants. Carbon and nutrient sequestration can be braided together for sustainable development goals. The chapters adopt the hierarchy as follows: significance of quality environs, quantification and bio-monitoring of culprit contaminants, the issues relevant to global warming and accelerated eutrophication and their ecological impacts followed by various sequestration technologies.

Agroforestry for Carbon and Ecosystem Management is a comprehensive overview of current research, issues, challenges, and case studies in the area of agroforestry. It focuses specifically on carbon source-sink relationship and management through agroforestry practices with the goal of improving overall environmental sustainability. Through expert insights and case studies, the book promotes carbon management, greenhouse gas emission reduction, forest, and ecosystem services management along with relevant sustainable approaches for natural resources conservation. It provides insight into novel approaches for natural resource management, with specific attention given to technologies related to carbon capture and management. Agroforestry for Carbon and Ecosystem Management also proposes possible polices and plans for future research and implementation, the latest updates in the area of agroforestry research for sustainability, developments in carbon dynamics and management, addresses the knowledge gap in relation to agroforestry, sustainability and agroecosystem management and explores the application of remote sensing and geospatial technology for agroforestry management. - Presents the latest insights in agroforestry and ecosystem management to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) for a green future - Includes both theoretical and practical approaches to agroforestry practices - Presents expert insights on the multidisciplinary challenges and opportunities of agroforestry for carbon and other ecological impacts - Explores the integration of technological interfaces for improving the potential of agroforestry practices

Sustainable development is a process to improve the quality of life of people, while maintaining the ability of social–ecological systems to continue to provide valuable ecological services that social systems require. In the Galapagos Islands, the maintenance of amenity resources to support tourism and the quality of life of residents is explicitly linked to ecosystem goods and services, particularly, the accessibility to high-quality natural environments and the terrestrial and marine visitation sites that showcase iconic species.On June 26-30, 2022, the Galapagos Science Center celebrated its 10-Year Anniversary. As the crowning event of the anniversary celebration, the World Summit on Island Sustainability was held on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos Archipelago of Ecuador. The intent of the World Summit was to bring together leading experts on island ecosystems and, particularly, on island sustainability from across the globe to represent a diversity of perspectives, approaches, and stakeholder groups. The World Summit was an exclusive event that featured an “expert convening” of scholars and practitioners to address the social, terrestrial, and marine sub-systems of the Galapagos Islands and other similarly challenged island ecosystems from around the globe. The World Summit attracted 150 scientists to the Galapagos Islands to discuss projects conducted, for instance, in the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, Guam, French Polynesia, Chile, Australia, and the Caribbean Islands. Island vulnerability, resilience, and sustainability were examined by scholars, for instance, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Catholic University of Chile, University of Guam, James Cook University, University of the Sunshine Coast, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, California Academy of Sciences, University of San Francisco, and the University of South Alabama aswell as affiliated scientists from Exeter University, University of Edinburgh, University of Southampton, and the Galapagos National Park. The World Summit also included scholars from Re:wild, World Wildlife Fund, EarthEcho, and the East-West Center, Hawaii.

There has been a dramatic increase in theoretical and practical studies on insect natural enemies over the last decades. The appeal of insect predators and, in particular, parasitoids, as research animals derives from the relative ease with which many species may be cultured and experimented on in the laboratory, the simple life-cycles of most parasitoid species, and the increasing demand for biological pest control as a key component of the integrated pest management approach.There is now a very substantial literature on insect natural enemies and thus a great need for a general text that enquiring students or research workers can use in deciding on approaches and techniques that are appropriate to the study and evaluation of such insects. This book fulfils that demand. It is a considerably updated and expanded version of a previous best-seller and provides an account of major aspects of the biology of predators and parasitoids, punctuated with information and advice onwhich experiments or observations to conduct and, importantly, how to carry them out. Guidance is provided, where necessary, on the most recent further literature that may need to be consulted on given topics.While researchers can now refer to several books on parasitoids and predators, Jervis's Insects as Natural Enemies is unique in emphasising practicalities. It is aimed at students and professionals working in universities and both government and commercial institutes in the fields of integrated pest management, agriculture, horticulture and forestry, as well as those interested in fundamentals of behavioural, population, community and evolutionary ecology.

This book describes how models are used to monitor crops and soils in precision agriculture, and how they are used to support farmers'decisions. The introductory section starts with an overview of precision agriculture from the early days of yield monitoring in the 1980s to the present, with a focus on the role of models. The section continues with descriptions of the different kinds of models and the opportunities for their application in precision agriculture. The section concludes with a chapter on socio-economic drivers and obstacles to the adoption of precision agriculture technologies. The middle section of the book explores the state-of-the-art in modeling for precision agriculture. Individual chapters focus on the major processes in precision agriculture: water use, nitrogen and other amendments, as well as weeds, pests and diseases. The final section contains a series of short chapters that each describe a commercial, model-based service that is currently available to farmers. The book aims to provide useful information to graduate-level professionals that want to broaden their knowledge of precision agriculture; to scientists who want to learn about using academic knowledge in practical farming; and to farmers, farm consultants and extension workers who want to increase their understanding of the science behind some of the commercial software available to the farming community.

This comprehensive book covers a wide variety of methods for estimating the sizes and related parameters of closed populations. With the effect of climate change, and human territory invasion, we have seen huge species losses and a major biodiversity decline. Populations include plants, trees, various land and sea animals, and some human populations. With such a diversity of populations, an extensive variety of different methods are described with the collection of different types of data. For example, we have count data from plot sampling, which can also allow for incomplete detection. There is a large chapter on occupancy methods where a major interest is determining whether a particular species is present or not. Citizen and opportunistic survey data can also be incorporated. A related topic is species methods, where species richness and species'interactions are of interest. A variety of distance methods are discussed. One can use distances from points and lines, as wellas nearest neighbor distances. The applications are extensive, and include marine, acoustic, and aerial surveys, using multiple observers or detection devices. Line intercept measurements have a role to play such as, for example, estimating parameters relating to plant coverage. An increasingly important class of removal methods considers successive “removals'from a population, with physical removal or'removal'by capture-recapture of marked individuals. With the change-in-ratio method, removals are taken from two or more classes, e.g., males and females. Effort data used for removals can also be used. A very important method for estimating abundance is the use of capture-recapture data collected discretely or continuously and can be analysed using both frequency and Bayesian methods. Computational aspects of fitting Bayesian models are described. A related topic of growing interest is the use of spatial and camera methods. With the plethora of models there has been a corresponding development of various computational methods and packages, which are often mentioned throughout. Covariate data is being used more frequently, which can reduce the number of unknown parameters by using logistic and loglinear models. An important computational aspect is that of model selection methods. The book provides a useful list of over 1400 references.

DNA is the essence of life and the original ‘big data'. New technologies are allowing scientists to access and make sense of this information like never before, and they are using it to solve the world's greatest environmental challenges. Applied Environmental Genomics synthesises the latest and most exciting uses of genomic technologies for environmental science and management. With an emphasis on diversity of applications and real-world demonstrations, leading researchers have contributed detailed chapters on innovative approaches to obtaining critical management-relevant information about the natural world. These chapters are complemented by perspective sections written by environmental managers who describe their experiences using genomics to support evidence-based decisions. Ideal for students, researchers and professionals working in natural resource management and policy, Applied Environmental Genomics is a comprehensive introduction to a fast-moving field that is transforming the practice of environmental management, with profound relevance to industry, government and the public.

This extensively revised and expanded new edition offers concepts, principles and applied information that relates to the wellbeing of reptiles. As a manual on health and welfare in a similar vein to volumes addressing the sciences of anatomy, behaviour or psychology, this book thoroughly examines the biology of reptile welfare and is about meeting biological needs. The editors, acknowledged experts in their own right, have once again drawn together an extremely impressive international group of contributors. Positive and negative implications of general husbandry and research programs are discussed. In addition to greatly revised original content are nine new chapters offering readers novel insight into:• sensory systems• social behaviour• brain and cognition• controlled deprivation and enrichment•effects of captivity-imposed noise and light disturbance on welfare•spatial and thermal factors•evidential thresholds for species suitability in captivity• record keeping as an aid to captive care•arbitrary husbandry practices and misconceptionsThe authors have adopted a user-friendly writing style to accommodate a broad readership. Although primarily aimed at academic professionals, this comprehensive volume is fundamentally a biology book that will also inform all involved in captive reptile husbandry. Among others, zoo personnel, herpetologists, veterinarians, lab animal scientists, and expert readers in animal welfare and behavioural studies will benefit from this updated work.

Groundwater Ecology and Evolution, Second Edition is designed to meet a multitude of audience needs. The state of the art in the discipline is provided by the articulation of six sections. The first three sections successively carry the reader into the basic attributes of groundwater ecosystems (section 1), the drivers and patterns of biodiversity (section 2), and the roles of organisms in groundwater ecosystems (section 3). The next two sections are devoted to evolutionary processes driving the acquisition of subterranean biological traits (section 4) and the way these traits are differently expressed among groundwater organisms (section 5). Finally, section 6 shows how knowledge acquired among multiple research fields (sections 1 to 5) is used to manage groundwater biodiversity and ecosystem services in the face of future groundwater resource use scenarios. Emphasis on the coherence and prospects of the whole book is given in the introduction and conclusion. - Provides a modern synthesis of research dedicated to the study of groundwater biodiversity and ecosystems - Bridges the gap between community ecology, evolution, and functional ecology, three research fields that have long been presented isolated from each other - Explains how this trans-disciplinary integration of research contributes to understanding and managing of groundwater ecosystem functions - Reveals the contribution of groundwater ecology and evolution in solving scientific questions well beyond the frontiers of groundwater systems

The edited book highlights comprehensive studies on plant diversity dynamics, ecosystem processes, and best conservation practices from the interdisciplinary perspectives such as the botanists, ecologists, conservation biologists, geneticists, cell biologists, molecular biotechnologists, and social scientists. The main focus of the book is to address biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse amidst the escalating climate change problems, aggravated by anthropogenic activities in biocultural landscapes. The book describes the biocultural landscape of today, ecology of plant diversity, botany of keystone and other rare species of economic and pharmaceutical significance, ecosystem processes, conservation, and emerging frameworks to sustain biocultural landscapes in the Anthropocene. Biocultural landscapes are tracks of land in many parts of the world, shaped by unique human-nature interactions. Many of these landscapes are populated with indigenous peoples with a unique way of life including their interaction with plants and the environment. The relationship between humans and nature in biocultural landscapes used to be harmonious. However, as the human population surges, much pressure has been experienced by the landscape, hence, the loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystem services that cascade to agricultural systems. The book is of interest to teachers, professors, policymakers, researchers, and advocates in the fields of botany, ecology, taxonomy, biodiversity conservation, environmental science, molecular biology and genomics, molecular ecology, agriculture, and Agri-tourism, forestry, social science, and climate change professionals. Also, the book serves as a good reference and additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students.

This open access book offers a cross-sectoral reference for both managers and scientists interested in climate-smart forestry, focusing on mountain regions. It provides a comprehensive analysis on forest issues, facilitating the implementation of climate objectives. This book includes structured summaries of each chapter.Funded by the EU's Horizon 2020 programme, CLIMO has brought together scientists and experts in continental and regional focus assessments through a cross-sectoral approach, facilitating the implementation of climate objectives. CLIMO has provided scientific analysis on issues including criteria and indicators, growth dynamics, management prescriptions, long-term perspectives, monitoring technologies, economic impacts, and governance tools.

This book presents comprehensive information on various aspects of ecology with special reference to insects, to form a platform to design an ecologically sound insect pest management. Insects are the most dominant and diverse group of living organism on earth. Owing to their smaller size, smaller space and food requirements, more number of generation per unit time, insects serves as one of the best subject matter for studies on various ecological aspects such as chemical ecology, population dynamics, predator/parasitoid-prey interactions etc. The knowledge on various aspects of insect ecology helps in formulating an effective environmentally benign insect pest management. This book is of interest and use to the post graduate students and researchers working on various aspects of insect ecology with special emphasis on population dynamics, chemical ecology, tri tropic interactions, ecological engineering and Ecological Insect pest management.

This book sheds new light on the remote sensing of agriculture in South/Southeast Asian (S/SEA) countries. S/SEA countries are growing rapidly in terms of population, industrialization, and urbanization. One of the critical challenges in the region is food security. In S/SEA, although total food production and productivity have increased in previous decades, in recent years, the growth rate of food production has slowed down, mostly due to land use change, market forces and policy interventions. Further, the weather and climate systems in the region driven primarily by monsoon variability are resulting in droughts or flooding, impacting agricultural production. Therefore, monitoring crops, including agricultural land cover changes at regular intervals, is essential to predict and prepare for disruptions in the food supply in the S/SEA countries. The current book captures the latest research on the remote sensing of agricultural land cover/ land use changes, including mapping and monitoring crops, crop yields, biophysical parameter retrievals, multi-source data fusion for agricultural applications, and chapters on decision making and early warning systems for food security. The authors of this book are international experts in the field, and their contributions highlight the use of remote sensing and geospatial technologies for agricultural research and applications in South/Southeast Asia.

Caterpillars are excellent model organisms for understanding how multiple selective forces shape the ecology and evolution of insects, and organisms in general. Recent research using the tools of modern molecular biology, genetics, metabolomics, microbial ecology, experiments conducted at a global level, network analysis, and statistical analyses of global data sets, combined with basic natural history, are yielding exciting new insights into caterpillar adaptations and ecology. The best way to view these research advances is within a framework of tri-trophic interactions. This is a timely topic for research given the central role of caterpillars and plants in the ecology and trophic structure of terrestrial communities. This book is unique in that it contains chapters from a team of experts on a diversity of key topics within caterpillar-plant interactions. This volume brings together contributions by researchers from around the globe, working in both tropical and temperate habitats,and in human-managed and more natural habitats. It is a significant contribution to our understanding of insect biology, and the role that insects, as represented by caterpillars, play in a world increasingly dominated by humans and one in which threats to insect biodiversity are mounting.Chapter 11 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.The Natural History of Caterpillar-Ant Associations'is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This book has a broad scope and provides a comprehensive overview of the most up-to-date knowledge of the plant genus Baccharis. The book is organized into four major topics encompassing the evolution, ecology, chemistry, as well as environmental and medical applications of the genus. This publication is a major reference for an audience of practising researchers, academics, PhD students, and other scientists in a wide-ranging collection of fields, from Sociology to Medicine to bioeconomy.

This textbook addresses the increasing trend in urbanization of the world's population and its relation with urban soils. Written by active practitioners of university level teaching and research, this book is designed primarily as an educational text, while it also provides readers with an authoritative gateway to the primary literature. It includes explicit coverage of spatial and statistical (multivariate) techniques and case studies to illustrate key concept, and to support practical guidance in issues such as data collection and analysis. The authors reflect current developments in research and urban trends. In China, for example, the proportion of the population living in cities increased from 13% in 1950 to 45% in 2010 (World Bank data). Australia is one of the world's top ten urbanised countries with population greater than ten million, with approximately 90% of its population living in cities, mainly along Australia's coast. The most rapidly urbanising populations are currently in nations of the African continent. Soils in urban areas have multiple functions which are becoming more valued by urban communities: soils supply water, nutrients and physical support for urban plant and animal communities (parks, reserves, gardens), and are becoming increasingly valued for growing food. Soils may be used for building foundations, or as building materials themselves. Urban hydrology relies on the existence of unsealed soils for aquifer protection and flood control. This volume presents the importance of urban ecosystems and the impacts of global change. It examines pedogenesis of urban soils: natural materials affected by urban phenomena, and natural processes acting on urban materials, including an examination of different climatic zones. There is a focus on soils formed on landfill, reclaimed land, dredge spoils as well as soil-related changes in urban geomorphology. There is plenty of discussion on urban soil as a source and sink as well as soil geochemistry and health. The book is intended primarily as a text for upper-level undergraduate, and postgraduate (Masters) students. It will also be invaluable as a resource for professionals such as researchers, environmental regulators, and environmental consultants.

Fundamentals of Tropical Freshwater Wetlands: From Ecology to Conservation Management is a practical guide and important tool for practitioners and educators interested in the ecology, conservation and management of wetlands in tropical/subtropical regions. The book is written in such a way that, in addition to scientists and managers, it is accessible to non-specialist readers. Organized into three themed sections and twenty-three chapters, this volume covers a variety of topics, exposing the reader to a full range of scientific, conservation and management issues. Each chapter has been written by specialists in the topic being presented. The book recognizes that wetland conservation, science and management are interlinked disciplines, and so it attempts to combine several perspectives to highlight the interdependence between the various professions that deal with issues in these environments. Within each chapter extensive cross-referencing is included, so as to help the reader link related aspects of the issues being discussed. - Contributed to by global experts in the field of tropical wetlands - Includes case studies and worked examples, enabling the reader to recreate the work already done - Focuses on tropical systems not available in any other book

This book presents the state-of-the-art of knowledge in assessing, mapping, and modeling mangrove ecosystem services and outlines various scientific tools and techniques, including environmental scenario-building, spatial and econometric modelling to understand the fluctuations and future availability of mangrove ecosystem services. The book also highlights the current gaps and measures in policy planning and outlines the avenues for capacity building. Through case studies and thematic reviews, the book plans to cater to a wide range of audiences, including students, researchers, and decision-makers at various levels involved in mangrove conservation and land use optimization for sustainable and resilient development. This book is particularly useful to researchers and students in the field of landscape and spatial ecology, coastal zone management, ecosystem services, and resilience planning. It is also a must-read for policymakers, conservators, coastal zone managers, foresters, and general administrators in understanding the current and future roles of mangroves in ecosystem-based adaptation through informed decision-making.

This book demonstrates the measurement, monitoring, mapping and modelling of soil pollution and land resources. This book explores state-of-the-art techniques based on open sources software & R statistical programming and modelling in modern geo-computation techniques specifically focusing on the recent trends in data mining/machine learning techniques and robust modelling in soil resources. Soil and agricultural systems are an integral part of the global environment and human well‐being, providing multiple goods and services essential for people worldwide and crucial for sustainable development. Soil contamination is an environmental hazard and has become a big issue related to environmental health. The challenge of the twenty-first century is to reduce the contaminant load and bring it to below permissible level. The contamination is not only a problem affecting local environments at the place of occurrence but also spreading to other regions because of easy transportation ofpollutants. This leads to direct and indirect contamination of land and aquatic systems, surface water and groundwater, inducing significant risks for natural ecosystems. In this context, the spatial modelling, prediction, efficient use, risk assessment, protection and management of soil resources in the agriculture system are the key to achieving sustainable development goals and ensuring the promotion of an economically, socially and environmental sustainability future. The aim of this book on soil contaminants and environmental health: application of geospatial technology is to identify the soil and sediment quality, sources of contaminants and risk assessment and focuses on the decision-making and planning point of view through GIS data management techniques. This book covers major topics such as spatial modelling in soil and sediments pollution and remediation; radioactive wastes, microbiology of soil and sediments, soil salinity and sodicity, pollution from landfill sites, soil erosion and contamination from agricultural activities, heavy metal pollution and health risk; environmental impact and risk assessment, sustainable land use, landscape management and governance, soil degradation and risk assessment, agricultural soil pollution, pollution due to urban activities, soil pollution by industrial effluents and solid wastes, pollution control and mitigation in extreme environments. The content of this book is of interest to researchers, professionals and policy-makers whose work is in soil science and agriculture practices. The book equips with the knowledge and skills to tackle a wide range of issues manifested in geographic data, including those with scientific, societal and environmental implications.

This edited book collates latest findings in the field of agro-biodiversity and agri-ecosystem management across the globe through selected case studies. The primary aim of the book is to cover agro-biodiversity and agri-ecosystem advancements in the field of agricultural resource management. The book explores a range of technologies that support sustainable use of resources and facilities, such as Natural Resource Management (NRM), Resource Conservation Technologies (RCTs), Integrated Farming System (IFS), Integrated Crop Management (ICM), Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), use of solar energy, promotion of agro-ecological zone specific agricultural production, application of climate resilient technologies, secondary agricultural practices and post-harvest technologies. Agro-biodiversity and agri-ecosystem not only contributes to overall growth of the economy but also reduces poverty by providing employment and food security to the majority of the population in the continent andthus it is the most inclusive growth sectors of the economy of Asian and African countries. The book is relevant for researchers and policy makes in the field of agriculture, food system research, ecology, agricultural diversification, resource management etc.

This book introduces the most recent research findings on selected parasitic weeds that occur in Jordan and are also spread in Middle Eastern countries. It is a valuable source of information for researchers, students as well as farmers, giving readers a better understanding of these regional parasites and their unusual growth patterns. The book set consists of two volumes. The first volume includes information about genera which are typically known as root parasites. These genera are Orobanchaceae, Santalaceae, and Cynomoriaceae families. The second volume covers stem parasites of the Cuscutaceae, Loranthaceae and Viscaceae families. The detailed information presented in this set makes this an essential reference on weeds and parasitic plants in Jordan and Middle Eastern regions.Key Features:- Chapters cover the biology, ecology, distribution, economic significance, host ranges, and control methods of a variety of regional weeds in an organized way- It includes information on parasitic families, genera and species that are found in Jordanian flora and their hosts.- It also provides coloured photos of weeds- Presents the latest techniques for plant pest management- Provides references for further reading- Includes a glossary and appendix suitable for beginners.

This open access book synthesizes current information on wildland fire smoke in the United States, providing a scientific foundation for addressing the production of smoke from wildland fires. This will be increasingly critical as smoke exposure and degraded air quality are expected to increase in extent and severity in a warmer climate. Accurate smoke information is a foundation for helping individuals and communities to effectively mitigate potential smoke impacts from wildfires and prescribed fires. The book documents our current understanding of smoke science for (1) primary physical, chemical, and biological issues related to wildfire and prescribed fire, (2) key social issues, including human health and economic impacts, and (3) current and anticipated management and regulatory issues. Each chapter provides a summary of priorities for future research that provide a roadmap for developing scientific information that can improve smoke and fire management over the next decade.

This book highlights the approaches for achieving trans-disciplinary research integration for “semi-arid dryland agriculture systems” under changing climates, while also identifying the elements of a collaborative research agenda that are needed to advance global food security. The book emphasizes climate change being a reality and how drylands are bearing the brunt in diverse ways. The major impact of dryland agriculture is on communities that need to: avoid the short- and long-term impacts of the changing climate; adapt strategies that can minimize these impacts; and be able to mitigate climate change, for which they need climate smart interventions. These interventions are only realized through knowledge and experience sharing among stakeholders from different sectors and backgrounds. It is in this context that the publication was seen as a necessity in order to bring together ideas that will transform lives and build adaptation capacities, thereby providing the much-needed productsin communities leading to development

A groundbreaking approach to scale and scaling in ecological theory and practiceScale is one of the most important concepts in ecology, yet researchers often find it difficult to find ecological systems that lend themselves to its study. Scaling in Ecology with a Model System synthesizes nearly three decades of research on the ecology of Sarracenia purpurea—the northern pitcher plant—showing how this carnivorous plant and its associated food web of microbes and macrobes can inform the challenging question of scaling in ecology.Drawing on a wealth of findings from their pioneering lab and field experiments, Aaron Ellison and Nicholas Gotelli reveal how the Sarracenia microecosystem has emerged as a model system for experimental ecology. Ellison and Gotelli examine Sarracenia at a hierarchy of spatial scales—individual pitchers within plants, plants within bogs, and bogs within landscapes—and demonstrate how pitcher plants can serve as replicate miniature ecosystems that can be studied in wetlands throughout the United States and Canada. They show how research on the Sarracenia microecosystem proceeds much more rapidly than studies of larger, more slowly changing ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, lakes, or streams, which are more difficult to replicate and experimentally manipulate.Scaling in Ecology with a Model System offers new insights into ecophysiology and stoichiometry, demography, extinction risk and species distribution models, food webs and trophic dynamics, and tipping points and regime shifts.

The problems related to the process of industrialisation such as biodiversity depletion, climate change and a worsening of health and living conditions, especially but not only in developing countries, intensify. Therefore, there is an increasing need to search for integrated solutions to make development more sustainable. The United Nations has acknowledged the problem and approved the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. On 1st January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Agenda officially came into force. These goals cover the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. The Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals comprehensively addresses the SDGs in an integrated way. It encompasses 17 volumes, each one devoted to one of the 17 SDGs. This volume addresses SDG 15, namely'Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss'and contains the description of a range of terms, which allow a better understanding and foster knowledge.Concretely, the defined targets are:Ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreementsPromote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral worldEnsure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable developmentTake urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened speciesPromote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreedTake urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife productsIntroduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantlyReduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority speciesIntegrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies andaccountsMobilize and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystemsMobilize significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management and provide adequate incentives to developing countries to advance such management, including for conservation and reforestationEnhance global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, including by increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunitiesEditorial BoardAlexandra Aragão, Desalegn Yayeh Ayal, Ayansina Ayanlade, Anabela Marisa Azul, Adriana Consorte-McCrea, Muhammad Farooq, Ana Catarina Luz, María P. Martín, Sharif A. Mukul, Nandhivarman Muthu, Robert Russell Monteith Paterson, Isabel Ruiz-Mallén

Bengaluru is one of the fastest growing megacities in India. As such, it provides an in-situ laboratory for studying rural-urban transitions. While urbanization is most evident in the changing landscape with increasing built-up areas, it comes along with changes in ecosystem functions, new economic opportunities, changes in social organization and individual attitudes and behavior. All of these processes are interlinked and mutually depend on each other. This book attempts to integrate studies from a wide scope of disciplinary perspectives and at different spatial scales under the framework of complex social-ecological systems.Agriculture is the prime example of a system in which humans interact with their biophysical environment, and the production systems in the rural-urban interface are profoundly affected by urbanisation. Intensification and diversification of agriculture are immediate responses to urban pressures and demands, and are linked as much to resource (over-)use as to commercialisation. Yet, little is known about the spatial patterns of agricultural transformation in areas of urban sprawl.The focus of the contributions here is explicitly on the interface, in-between the rural and urban systems. It thus differs from the urban-centered perspective of city planners as well as from the rural predominance in most of the agricultural research. In the present volume this focus is implemented by analysing samples along a spatial gradient representing different stages of urbanization. Ongoing time series analyses and a panel study will complement the spatial approach by a temporal dimension.

Forest ecosystems include a great variety of communities of organisms interacting with their physical environment: multi-aged natural forests, even-aged monocultures, and secondary forests invaded by foreign species. The challenge is to sustain their ability to function, by adapting to changing climates and satisfying a multitude of human demands. Our first chapter sets the scene with a discussion about the effects of forest management on ecosystem services. Details about forest observational infrastructures are introduced in the second chapter. The third chapter presents methods of analysing forest density and structure. Models for estimating the shape and growth of individual forest trees are introduced in chapter 4, models of forest community production in Chapter 5. Methods and examples of sustainable forest design are covered in chapter 6. New scientific contributions continue to emerge as we are writing, and this work is never finished. We hope to continue with regular updatesreplacing obsolete sections with new ones, but the general aim remains the same, to introduce a range of methods that will assist those interested in sustaining forest ecosystems.

This open access book is an outcome of the collaboration between the Soil and Water Management & Crop Nutrition Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria, and the German Science Foundation research unit DASIM (Denitrification in Agricultural Soils: Integrated control and Modelling at various scales) and other institutes. It presents protocols, methodologies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for measuring GHGs from different agroecosystems and animals using isotopic and related techniques that can also be used to validate climate-smart agricultural practices to mitigate GHGs. The material featured is useful for beginners in the field wanting an overview of the current methodologies, but also for experts who need hands-on descriptions of said methodologies. The book is written in form of a monograph and consists of eight chapters.

Phytoplankton ecology has developed from an understanding of taxonomy, species dynamics and functional roles, and species interactions with the surrounding environment. New and emerging technologies enable a paradigm shift in the ways we monitor and understand phytoplankton in a range of environments. Advances in Phytoplankton Ecology: Applications of Emerging Technologies is a practical guide to these new technologies and explores their application with case studies to show how recent advances have changed our understanding of phytoplankton ecology.Part one of this book explores how traditional taxonomy and species identification has changed, moving from morphological to molecular techniques. Part two explores the new technologies for remote and automatic monitoring and sensor technology and applications for management. Part three explores the explosion of omics techniques and their application in species identification, functional populations, trait characterization, interspecific interactions, and interaction with their environment.This book is an invaluable guide for marine and freshwater ecology researchers to how new technologies can enhance our understanding of ecology. - Combines traditional techniques with new technologies and methods - Explores the influence of new technology on our understanding of phytoplankton ecology - Provides practical applications of each technique through case studies in each chapter

This book is a state-of-the-art compilation of the latest information on ecosystem services of agroforestry. The last two decades have seen a surge in literature on the ecosystem services of sustainable agriculture practices, including that of agroforestry; however, compilation and synthesis of such information from agroforestry have been limited. This book fills that void by bringing in a number of experts from around the world. In addition to presenting the multiple dimensions of ecosystem services provided by major agroforestry practices, the book also offers case studies from both tropical and temperate regions of the world.Information from this book can be used to design land management practices for climate change mitigation, ecosystem benefits, agricultural productivity and sustainability, and for survival and profitability of family farms and to conserve biodiversity. While synthesizing information of the biophysical aspects of ecosystem services, the book also outlines the socioeconomic and policy dimensions, including appropriate incentive models to enhance adoption of agroforestry so that society at large can enjoy these important benefits

Almost 20 years after the first MEDPINE book'Ecology, biogeography and management of Pinus halepensis and P. brutia forest ecosystems in the Mediterranean basin'(Ne'eman and Trabaud, 2000) was published, this new book presents up-to-date and state of the art information, covering a wide range of topics concerning Mediterranean pine trees growing in native and planted forests, their ecosystems and management. This will be an essential source of scientific information for learning, exploring planning and managing mediterranean pine and mixed forests. We focus on: genetics, adaptation, distribution and evolution; ecophysiology and drought resistance; pine and mixed forest ecosystems; forest dynamics biodiversity and biotic interactions; fire ecology; ecosystem services and policy; afforestation and management; all under the effect of global climate change. While forests are studied mainly in temperate and tropical zones, in the light of current climate change, focusing on Mediterranean forests growing in semi-humid to semi-arid zones is more important than ever. This book will include mostly review chapters (and two outstanding case studies) contributed by leading scientists, foresters and managers, and will serve as a scientific textbook for students of biology, agriculture and forestry, researchers of ecology forestry and related fields, forest managers, policy and decision makers.

Mangroves are one of the most productive and biologically important blue-carbon ecosystems across the coastal intertidal zone of earth. In the current scenario of serious environmental changes like global warming, climate change, extreme natural disasters, mangrove forests play a vital role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and maintaining ecosystem balance. Mangroves are unique ecosystems with rich biological diversity of different taxonomic groups exhibiting great ecological and commercial importance. The book consolidates existing and emerging information on ecology of mangroves, with a special reference to their biodiversity and management. It emphasizes on the role of mangroves in providing various ecological services. The book is a comprehensive compilation covering all aspects of mangrove ecology. It is useful for students and researchers in ecology, plants sciences and environmental sciences.

The Atlantic Forest is one of the 36 hotspots for biodiversity conservation worldwide. It is a unique, large biome (more than 3000 km in latitude; 2500 in longitude), marked by high biodiversity, high degree of endemic species and, at the same time, extremely threatened. Approximately 70% of the Brazilian population lives in the area of this biome, which makes the conflict between biodiversity conservation and the sustainability of the human population a relevant issue. This book aims to cover: 1) the historical characterization and geographic variation of the biome; 2) the distribution of the diversity of some relevant taxa; 3) the main threats to biodiversity, and 4) possible opportunities to ensure the biodiversity conservation, and the economic and social sustainability. Also, it is hoped that this book can be useful for those involved in the development of public policies aimed at the conservation of this important global biome.

This book presents a detailed discussion on the direct interactions of plants and microorganisms in the rhizosphere environment. It includes fifteen chapters, each focusing on a specific component of plant-microbe interactions, such as the influence of plants on the root microbiome, and the downstream effects of rhizosphere microbial dynamics on carbon and nutrient fluxes in the surroundings. As such, the book helps readers gain a better understanding of diversity above the ground, and its effect on the microbiome and its functionality.

This textbook provides students and academics with a conceptual understanding of fire behavior and fire effects on people and ecosystems to support effective integrated fire management. Through case studies, interactive spreadsheets programmed with equations and graphics, and clear explanations, the book provides undergraduate, graduate, and professional readers with a straightforward learning path. The authors draw from years of experience in successfully teaching fundamental concepts and applications, synthesizing cutting-edge science, and applying lessons learned from fire practitioners. We discuss fire as part of environmental and human health. Our process-based, comprehensive, and quantitative approach encompasses combustion and heat transfer, and fire effects on people, plants, soils, and animals in forest, grassland, and woodland ecosystems from around the Earth. Case studies and examples link fundamental concepts to local, landscape, and global fire implications, including social-ecological systems. Globally, fire science and integrated fire management have made major strides in the last few decades. Society faces numerous fire-related challenges, including the increasing occurrence of large fires that threaten people and property, smoke that poses a health hazard, and lengthening fire seasons worldwide. Fires are useful to suppress fires, conserve wildlife and habitat, enhance livestock grazing, manage fuels, and in ecological restoration. Understanding fire science is critical to forecasting the implication of global change for fires and their effects. Increasing the positive effects of fire (fuels reduction, enhanced habitat for many plants and animals, ecosystem services increased) while reducing the negative impacts of fires (loss of human lives, smoke and carbon emissions that threaten health, etc.) is part of making fires good servants rather than bad masters.

Practical guidance for wildlife professionals working to improve study design, data analysis, and the application of results to habitat and population management.Winner of the Wildlife Society Publications Book Award by The Wildlife SocietyDespite major advances in sampling techniques and analytical methods, many animal ecologists conduct research that is primarily relevant to a specific time and place. They also tend to focus more on the statistical analyses and nuances of modeling than actual study design. Arguing that studies of animal ecology should always begin with a focus on the behaviors and characteristics of individual organisms, including how they form into distinct biological populations, Applications for Advancing Animal Ecology takes a fresh and critical look at the field. Building from its companion volume, Foundations for Advancing Animal Ecology, this practical book presents readers with the principal methods used to observe animal behavior. Teaching them to assess resource abundance categories of species-environmental relationships models, it also explores• major aspects of measuring animal habitat: what to measure and how to measure it;• common sampling and estimation methods to assess population parameters;• when to measure and how to analyze data;• problems that will confront ecologists in the coming years—and how to gather information to adequately address them; and• how the experimental approach can be used to advance the science of animal ecology.Throughout the book, the authors stress the importance of speaking a common and well-defined language. Avoiding vague and misleading terminology, they assert, will help ecologists translate science into meaningful and lasting actions in the environment. Taking the perspective of the organism of interest in developing concepts and applications, the authors always keep the potentially biased human perspective in focus. They also provide a selection of suggested research projects, cautions, and caveats. A major advancement in understanding the factors underlying wildlife–habitat relationships, Applications for Advancing Animal Ecology will be an invaluable resource to natural resource management professionals and practitioners, including state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and environmental consultants.

Agroforestry – the practice of growing trees and crops in interacting combinations – is recognized the world over as an integrated approach to sustainable land-use. Agroforestry systems, being multifunctional, facilitate not only the production of food and wood products but also provide a variety of ecosystem services such as climate-change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and soil quality improvement. Agroforestry research has made rapid strides since organized efforts started in the late 1970s. Today, a vast body of scientific knowledge and an impressive array of publications on agroforestry are available. Four World Congresses on Agroforestry conducted once every five years since 2004 have brought together the global community of agroforestry professionals and practitioners to share and discuss the emerging trends and paradigm shifts in this field. The fifth Congress is scheduled to be held in Québec, Canada. However, a comprehensive college-level textbook incorporating these research findings did not exist until this book was first published. The first edition of this book in 1993 (Nair, P. K. R., 1993) is out of print and somewhat dated. This revised edition, with emphasis on the scientific developments during the past more than four decades, addresses this long-felt need.

Since the second half of the 20th Century, our agricultural bee pollinators have faced mounting threats from ecological disturbance and pan-global movement of pathogens and parasites. At the same time, the area of pollinator-dependent crops is increasing globally with no end in sight. Never before has so much been asked of our finite pool of bee pollinators. This book not only explores the evolutionary and ecologic bases of these dynamics, it translates this knowledge into practical research-based guidance for using bees to pollinate crops. It emphasizes conserving wild bee populations as well as culturing honey bees, bumble bees, and managed solitary bees. To cover such a range of biology, theory, and practice from the perspectives of both the pollinator and the crop, the book is divided into two volumes. Volume 1 focuses on bees, their biology, coevolution with plants, foraging ecology and management, and gives practical ways to increase bee abundance and pollinating performance on the farm. Volume 2 (also available from CABI) focuses on crops, with chapters addressing crop-specific requirements and bee pollination management recommendations. Both volumes will be essential reading for farmers, horticulturists and gardeners, researchers and professionals working in insect ecology and conservation, and students of entomology and crop protection.

Demography is everywhere in our lives: from birth to death. Indeed, the universal currencies of survival, development, reproduction, and recruitment shape the performance of all species, from microbes to humans. The number of techniques for demographic data acquisition and analyses across the entire tree of life (microbes, fungi, plants, and animals) has drastically increased in recent decades. These developments have been partially facilitated by the advent of technologies such as GIS and drones, as well as analytical methods including Bayesian statistics and high-throughput molecular analyses. However, despite the universality of demography and the significant research potential that could emerge from unifying: (i) questions across taxa, (ii) data collection protocols, and (iii) analytical tools, demographic methods to date have remained taxonomically siloed and methodologically disintegrated. This is the first book to attempt a truly unified approach to demography and population ecology in order to address a wide range of questions in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology across the entire spectrum of life. This novel book provides the reader with the fundamentals of data collection, model construction, analyses, and interpretation across a wide repertoire of demographic techniques and protocols. It introduces the novice demographer to a broad range of demographic methods, including abundance-based models, life tables, matrix population models, integral projection models, integrated population models, individual based models, and more. Through the careful integration of data collection methods, analytical approaches, and applications, clearly guided throughout with fully reproducible R scripts, the book provides an up-to-date and authoritative overview of the most popular and effective demographic tools. Demographic Methods across the Tree of Life is aimed at graduate students and professional researchers in the fields of demography, ecology, animal behaviour, genetics, evolutionary biology, mathematical biology, and wildlife management.

This book collects comprehensive information on taxonomy, morphology, distribution, wood anatomy, wood properties and uses. It also discusses silvicultural aspects, agroforestry, pests and diseases, biotechnology, molecular studies, biosynthesis of oil, conservation, trade and commerce of Sandal wood. Sandalwood (Santalum album L.) is considered as one of the world's most valuable commercial timber and is known globally for its heartwood and oil. The book brings together systematic representation of information with illustrations, thus an all-inclusive reference and field guide for foresters, botanists, researchers, farmers, traders and environmentalists.

Although all living beings modify their environment, human beings have acquired the ability to do so on a superlative space-time scale. As a result of industrialization and the use of new technologies, the anthropogenic impact has been increasing in the last centuries, causing reductions in the sizes or the extinction of numerous wild populations. In this sense, from the field of conservation genetics, various efforts have been made in recent decades to provide new knowledge that contributes to the conservation of populations, species, and habitats. In this book, we summarize the concrete contributions of researchers to the conservation of the Neotropical mammals using Molecular Ecology techniques.The book is divided into three major sections. The first section provides an up-to-date review of the conservation status of Neotropical mammals, the applications of the molecular markers in its conservation, and the use of non-invasive and forensic genetic techniques. The secondand third sections present, respectively, a series of case studies in various species or taxonomic groups of Neotropical mammals.

This Open Access volume aims to methodologically improve our understanding of biodiversity by linking disciplines that incorporate remote sensing, and uniting data and perspectives in the fields of biology, landscape ecology, and geography. The book provides a framework for how biodiversity can be detected and evaluated—focusing particularly on plants—using proximal and remotely sensed hyperspectral data and other tools such as LiDAR. The volume, whose chapters bring together a large cross-section of the biodiversity community engaged in these methods, attempts to establish a common language across disciplines for understanding and implementing remote sensing of biodiversity across scales. The first part of the book offers a potential basis for remote detection of biodiversity. An overview of the nature of biodiversity is described, along with ways for determining traits of plant biodiversity through spectral analyses across spatial scales and linking spectral data to the tree of life. The second part details what can be detected spectrally and remotely. Specific instrumentation and technologies are described, as well as the technical challenges of detection and data synthesis, collection and processing. The third part discusses spatial resolution and integration across scales and ends with a vision for developing a global biodiversity monitoring system. Topics include spectral and functional variation across habitats and biomes, biodiversity variables for global scale assessment, and the prospects and pitfalls in remote sensing of biodiversity at the global scale.

This reference work encompasses the current, accepted state of the art in the science of wildfires and wildfires that spread to communities, known as wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires. 171 author contributions include accepted knowledge on these topics from throughout the world, all written by the leading researchers, experts, practitioners, and academics. This encyclopedia is an invaluable reference for newcomers to the field, as well as researchers, students, developers, and professionals who are interested in exploring this dynamic area.General Sections include:CombustionCoordination System LocationsFire WhirlsFirebrands and EmbersIncident Management Team (IMT) Support LocationsIncident Response Support LocationsOn-the-Incident LocationsSoot and Effects on Wildland/WUI Fire BehaviorWeathering Effects on Fire Retardant Wood TreatmentsWildland Firefighting LocationsWildlandFuel Treatments