Author: Ai-Bing Zhang
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2832502350
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 154

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Author: Qing Zhang
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2832553923
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
Biodiversity can provide a series of important ecosystem functions and ecosystem services, which meet the needs of human beings. Plants are the biological group with the highest carbon content on earth, their diversity has attracted increased attention. The interpretation of plant diversity patterns and drivers is crucial for the conservation and utilization of plant resources and is also one of the hot topics in plant science and ecology. There are already many studies on the patterns and drivers of plant diversity, including different diversity dimensions (e.g., taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity) and spatial scales (different plots/sites, watershed, country, continent, and globe). The mechanisms underlying plant diversity patterns are also quite complex. For example, many hypotheses are related to contemporary climate and soil conditions, with temperature, precipitation, and soil nutrient being the most discussed drivers. In addition, paleoclimate and geological events may also have a strong legacy on current plant diversity patterns. Except for these natural factors, many anthropogenic activities, including agriculture, deforestation, grazing, urbanization, and coal mining, are also important drivers of plant diversity. These anthropogenic activities can affect plant diversity patterns not only directly, but also indirectly through their effects on habitat loss and habitat fragmentation. Therefore, the current plant diversity patterns are the result of many interacting factors and need to be interpreted from a more comprehensive perspective. This Research Topic will therefore provide a platform for sufficient communication, aiming to integrate the research from different fields and deepen the understanding of the patterns and drivers of plant diversity. We encourage the submission of theoretical and experimental studies on different plant groups, such as seed plants, ferns, mosses, and algae. Studies based on new methods and technology (such as genomics and drones) are also welcomed. We welcome the following specific topics: • Effects of historical factors (such as paleoclimate, geological events) on plant diversity; • Plant diversity that driven by contemporary climate and anthropogenic activities; • The effect of habitat loss and fragmentation on plant diversity; • New methods of research on the patterns and drivers of plant diversity.

Author: Akihiro Nakamura
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2832500668
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Author: Anna K. Behrensmeyer
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226041544
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 596

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Book Description
Breathtaking in scope, this is the first survey of the entire ecological history of life on land—from the earliest traces of terrestrial organisms over 400 million years ago to the beginning of human agriculture. By providing myriad insights into the unique ecological information contained in the fossil record, it establishes a new and ambitious basis for the study of evolutionary paleoecology of land ecosystems. A joint undertaking of the Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems Consortium at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, and twenty-six additional researchers, this book begins with four chapters that lay out the theoretical background and methodology of the science of evolutionary paleoecology. Included are a comprehensive review of the taphonomy and paleoenvironmental settings of fossil deposits as well as guidelines for developing ecological characterizations of extinct organisms and the communities in which they lived. The remaining three chapters treat the history of terrestrial ecosystems through geological time, emphasizing how ecological interactions have changed, the rate and tempo of ecosystem change, the role of exogenous "forcing factors" in generating ecological change, and the effect of ecological factors on the evolution of biological diversity. The six principal authors of this volume are all associated with the Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems program at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.

Author: Antônio Ricardo Panizzi
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439837082
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 752

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Book Description
The field of insect nutritional ecology has been defined by how insects deal with nutritional and non-nutritional compounds, and how these compounds influence their biology in evolutionary time. In contrast, Insect Bioecology and Nutrition for Integrated Pest Management presents these entomological concepts within the framework of integrated pest management (IPM). It specifically addresses bioecology and insect nutrition in modern agriculture. Written for graduate students and professionals in entomology, this book covers neotropical information in three sections: General Aspects: Basic bioecology and insect nutrition; artificial diets; insect/plant interactions; insect symbionts; the interface of chemical ecology with the food; and insect cannibalism Specific Aspects: Specific feeding guilds of insects including ants, social bees, leaf chewers, seed suckers, seed chewers, root feeders, gall makers, detritivorous feeders, pests of storage grains, fruit flies, aphids, endo- and ectoparasitoids, predators, crisopids, and hematophagous insects Applied Aspects: Host plant resistance and the design of IPM programs in the context of insect bioecology and nutrition Much of the research on which these chapters were written was done in Brazil and based on its neotropical fauna. The complexity and diversity of the neotropics provides enough data that readers from all zoogeographical regions can readily translate the information in this book to their specific conditions. The book’s value as an entry point for further research is enhanced by the inclusion of approximately 4,000 references.

Author: Ernst-Detlef Schulze
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 364271630X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 444

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Book Description
The identification of inputs and outputs is the first and probably most important step in testing and analyzing complex systems. Following accepted natural laws such as the conservation of mass and the principle of electroneutrality, the input/output analysis of the system, be it steady or in connection with perturbations will reveal the status dynamic, will identify whether changes are reversible or irreversible and whether changing the input will cause a hysteresis response. Moreover, measurements ofinput and output fluxes can indicate the storage capacity ofa system, its resilience to buffer or amplify variations of the external input, and it can identify structural changes. Therefore, to a certain extent, the input/output analysis can facilitate predictions about the ecosystem stability. The measurement of fluxes and the determination of inputs and outputs of eco systems are, in many aspects, analogous to measurements done by engineers when testing an electronic apparatus. The first step is the measurement ofthe input/output properties of the instrument as a whole, or ofvarious circuit boards, and the compari· son ofthese with the expected variations of the original design. Varying input and out· put can give valuable information about the stability and the regulatory properties of the device. Nevertheless, only the circuit as an entity has specific properties which cannot be anticipated if the individual components are investigated regardless oftheir position. Also, the instrument as a whole will have different input/output properties than its subcircuits.

Author: Frank E. Zachos
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642209920
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 550

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Book Description
Biodiversity and its conservation are among the main global topics in science and politics and perhaps the major challenge for the present and coming generations. This book written by international experts from different disciplines comprises general chapters on diversity and its measurement, human impacts on biodiversity hotspots on a global scale, human diversity itself and various geographic regions exhibiting high levels of diversity. The areas covered range from genetics and taxonomy to evolutionary biology, biogeography and the social sciences. In addition to the classic hotspots in the tropics, the book also highlights various other ecosystems harbouring unique species communities including coral reefs and the Southern Ocean. The approach taken considers, but is not limited to, the original hotspot definition sensu stricto and presents a chapter introducing the 35th hotspot, the forests of East Australia. While, due to a bias in data availability, the majority of contributions on particular taxa deal with vertebrates and plants, some also deal with the less-studied invertebrates. This book will be essential reading for anyone involved with biodiversity, particularly researchers and practitioners in the fields of conservation biology, ecology and evolution.

Author: James R. Barnes
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461337755
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 396

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Book Description
Most of the papers included here were part of the Plenary Sym posium on The Testing of General Ecological Theory in Lotic Ecosys tems held in conjunction with the 29th Annual Meeting of the North American Benthological Society in Provo, Utah, April 28, 1981. Sev eral additional papers were solicited, from recognized leaders in certain areas of specialization, in order to round out the coverage. All of the articles have been critiqued by at least two or three re viewers and an effort was made to rely on authorities in stream and theoretical ecology. In all cases this has helped to insure accur acyand to improve the overall quality of the papers. However, as one of our purposes has been to encourage thought-provoking and even controversial coverage of the topics, material has been retained even though it may upset certain critical readers. It is our hope that these presentations will stimulate further research, encourage the fuller development of a theoretical perspective among lotic ecologists, and lead to the testing of general ecological theories in the stream environment.

Author: Annika Meißner
Publisher: Cuvillier Verlag
ISBN: 3736964471
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Book Description
Legume-based intercropping systems have the potential for a more efficient use of water resources. This depends on various factors such as environmental conditions and genotypic characteristics. Therefore, several genotypes of legumes and non-legumes of arable, grassland and woody crops were tested comparing intercropping and pure stands under both greenhouse and field conditions. Greenhouse experiments with winter faba bean and winter wheat under water deficit revealed genotypic differences in the suitability for intercropping as well as effects on the microbial community. Field experiments with direct and remote measurements showed that including legumes in arable and grassland low-input systems improves water use efficiency and productivity in comparison to pure non-legumes. The grassland mixing partners perennial ryegrass and chicory had additional effects. Furthermore, arable intercropping reduced nitrous oxide emissions compared to fertilized wheat stands. From the consolidated results, some winter faba bean and white clover genotypes could be identified for further breeding for intercropping systems. In summary, intercropping with legumes improves the water use efficiency and the general performance and sustainability of the agro-ecosystem.

Author: Julie L. Lockwood
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9780306465420
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
Biological homogenization is the dominant process shaping the future global biosphere. As global transportation becomes faster and more frequent, it is inevitable that biotic intermixing will increase. Unique local biotas will become extinct only to be replaced by already widespread biotas that can tolerate human activities. This process is affecting all aspects of our world: language, economies, and ecosystems alike. The ultimate outcome is the loss of uniqueness and the growth of uniformity. In this way, fast food restaurants exist in Moscow and Java Sparrows breed on Hawaii. Biological homogenization qualifies as a global environmental catastrophe. The Earth has never witnessed such a broad and complete reorganization of species distributions.