Quantifying Functional Biodiversity

Quantifying Functional Biodiversity PDF Author: Laura Pla
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400726481
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 103

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Book Description
This book synthesizes current methods used to quantify functional diversity, providing step-by-step examples for defining functional groups and estimating functional indices. The authors show how to compare communities, and how to analyze changes of diversity along environmental gradients, using real-life examples throughout. One section of the book demonstrates the selection of traits, and the standardization and characterization of ecosystem data. Another section presents methods used to quantify functional diversity, shows how to relate functional diversity with environmental variables and how to connect these to ecosystem services. The concluding section introduces FDiversity, a free program developed by the authors. The reader is guided through every step from software installation and basic functions, to sample and database design, to graphical projection methods, employing case study data to illustrate key concepts.

Quantifying Functional Biodiversity

Quantifying Functional Biodiversity PDF Author: Laura Pla
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400726481
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 103

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book synthesizes current methods used to quantify functional diversity, providing step-by-step examples for defining functional groups and estimating functional indices. The authors show how to compare communities, and how to analyze changes of diversity along environmental gradients, using real-life examples throughout. One section of the book demonstrates the selection of traits, and the standardization and characterization of ecosystem data. Another section presents methods used to quantify functional diversity, shows how to relate functional diversity with environmental variables and how to connect these to ecosystem services. The concluding section introduces FDiversity, a free program developed by the authors. The reader is guided through every step from software installation and basic functions, to sample and database design, to graphical projection methods, employing case study data to illustrate key concepts.

Aquatic Functional Biodiversity

Aquatic Functional Biodiversity PDF Author: Andrea Belgrano
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 012417020X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
Aquatic Functional Biodiversity: An Ecological and Evolutionary Perspective provides a general conceptual framework by some of the most prominent investigators in the field for how to link eco-evolutionary approaches with functional diversity to understand and conserve the provisioning of ecosystem services in aquatic systems. Rather than producing another methodological book, the editors and authors primarily concentrate on defining common grounds, connecting conceptual frameworks and providing examples by a more detailed discussion of a few empirical studies and projects, which illustrate key ideas and an outline of potential future directions and challenges that are expected in this interdisciplinary research field. Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in using network approaches to disentangle the relationship between biodiversity, community structure and functioning. Novel methods for model construction are being developed constantly, and modern methods allow for the inclusion of almost any type of explanatory variable that can be correlated either with biodiversity or ecosystem functioning. As a result these models have been widely used in ecology, conservation and eco-evolutionary biology. Nevertheless, there remains a considerable gap on how well these approaches are feasible to understand the mechanisms on how biodiversity constrains the provisioning of ecosystem services. - Defines common theoretical grounds in terms of terminology and conceptual issues - Connects theory and practice in ecology and eco-evolutionary sciences - Provides examples for successful biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service management

Biodiversity, Ecosystem Functioning, and Human Wellbeing

Biodiversity, Ecosystem Functioning, and Human Wellbeing PDF Author: Shahid Naeem
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199547955
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 387

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Book Description
The book starts by summarizing the development of the basic science and provides a meta-analysis that quantitatively tests several biodiversity and ecosystem functioning hypotheses.

Biological Diversity

Biological Diversity PDF Author: Anne E. Magurran
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199580669
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 364

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Book Description
This book provides an up to date review of the methods of measuring and assessing biological diversity, together with their application.

Ecological Assembly Rules

Ecological Assembly Rules PDF Author: Evan Weiher
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521655330
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 438

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Book Description
Considers the evidence for the existence of unifying rules controlling the formation and maintenance of ecological communities.

Freshwater Biodiversity

Freshwater Biodiversity PDF Author: David Dudgeon
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108882625
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 517

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Book Description
Growing human populations and higher demands for water impose increasing impacts and stresses upon freshwater biodiversity. Their combined effects have made these animals more endangered than their terrestrial and marine counterparts. Overuse and contamination of water, overexploitation and overfishing, introduction of alien species, and alteration of natural flow regimes have led to a 'great thinning' and declines in abundance of freshwater animals, a 'great shrinking' in body size with reductions in large species, and a 'great mixing' whereby the spread of introduced species has tended to homogenize previously dissimilar communities in different parts of the world. Climate change and warming temperatures will alter global water availability, and exacerbate the other threat factors. What conservation action is needed to halt or reverse these trends, and preserve freshwater biodiversity in a rapidly changing world? This book offers the tools and approaches that can be deployed to help conserve freshwater biodiversity.

Why Birds Matter

Why Birds Matter PDF Author: Çagan H. Sekercioglu
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022638277X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 398

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Book Description
For over one hundred years, ornithologists and amateur birders have jointly campaigned for the conservation of bird species, documenting not only birds’ beauty and extraordinary diversity, but also their importance to ecosystems worldwide. But while these avian enthusiasts have noted that birds eat fruit, carrion, and pests; spread seed and fertilizer; and pollinate plants, among other services, they have rarely asked what birds are worth in economic terms. In Why Birds Matter, an international collection of ornithologists, botanists, ecologists, conservation biologists, and environmental economists seeks to quantify avian ecosystem services—the myriad benefits that birds provide to humans. The first book to approach ecosystem services from an ornithological perspective, Why Birds Matter asks what economic value we can ascribe to those services, if any, and how this value should inform conservation. Chapters explore the role of birds in such important ecological dynamics as scavenging, nutrient cycling, food chains, and plant-animal interactions—all seen through the lens of human well-being—to show that quantifying avian ecosystem services is crucial when formulating contemporary conservation strategies. Both elucidating challenges and providing examples of specific ecosystem valuations and guidance for calculation, the contributors propose that in order to advance avian conservation, we need to appeal not only to hearts and minds, but also to wallets.

Tree Diversity Analysis

Tree Diversity Analysis PDF Author: R. Kindt
Publisher: World Agroforestry Centre
ISBN: 929059179X
Category : CD-ROMs
Languages : en
Pages : 18

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Book Description


From Assessing to Conserving Biodiversity

From Assessing to Conserving Biodiversity PDF Author: Elena Casetta
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3030109917
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 455

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Book Description
This open access book features essays written by philosophers, biologists, ecologists and conservation scientists facing the current biodiversity crisis. Despite increasing communication, accelerating policy and management responses, and notwithstanding improving ecosystem assessment and endangered species knowledge, conserving biodiversity continues to be more a concern than an accomplished task. Why is it so?The overexploitation of natural resources by our species is a frequently recognised factor, while the short-term economic interests of governments and stakeholders typically clash with the burdens that implementing conservation actions imply. But this is not the whole story. This book develops a different perspective on the problem by exploring the conceptual challenges and practical defiance posed by conserving biodiversity, namely: on the one hand, the difficulties in defining what biodiversity is and characterizing that “thing” to which the word ‘biodiversity’ refers to; on the other hand, the reasons why assessing biodiversity and putting in place effective conservation actions is arduous.

Measuring Biological Diversity

Measuring Biological Diversity PDF Author: Anne E. Magurran
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118687922
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
This accessible and timely book provides a comprehensive overview of how to measure biodiversity. The book highlights new developments, including innovative approaches to measuring taxonomic distinctness and estimating species richness, and evaluates these alongside traditional methods such as species abundance distributions, and diversity and evenness statistics. Helps the reader quantify and interpret patterns of ecological diversity, focusing on the measurement and estimation of species richness and abundance. Explores the concept of ecological diversity, bringing new perspectives to a field beset by contradictory views and advice. Discussion spans issues such as the meaning of community in the context of ecological diversity, scales of diversity and distribution of diversity among taxa Highlights advances in measurement paying particular attention to new techniques such as species richness estimation, application of measures of diversity to conservation and environmental management and addressing sampling issues Includes worked examples of key methods in helping people to understand the techniques and use available computer packages more effectively