Download or read book Arid Land Ecosystems Volume 1 written by R. A. Perry and published by CUP Archive. This book was released on 1979-03-08 with total page 920 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive account of arid-land ecosystems will be of importance to university teachers and professional ecologists throughout the world.
Download or read book Management of Semi Arid Ecosystems written by B.H. Walker and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Extensive regions of the world have a climate which, whilst permitting development of a continuous vegetative cover, is too dry for successful annual cropping. These are the semi-arid areas where land use is based on the natural vegetation. Easily degraded and difficult to maintain, they are under increasing pressure as expanding human populations move in and endeavour to force a living from them. As a result they contain some of the worst examples of resource degradation. This book examines the problems and opportunities involved in man's use of semi-arid areas. The authors are all actively involved in research and land management in the areas discussed. Each chapter begins with a detailed, up-to-date account of the ecology of the region (its climate, soils, vegetation, fauna and main ecological characteristics). This is followed by a history of land use, problems involved in its management, a review of current research and recommended land use practices. The common features of semi-arid ecosystems are brought together in a final section.
Download or read book Arid Lands Management written by T. W. Hoekstra and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers various directions for both research and management.
Download or read book Aridland Springs in North America written by Lawrence E. Stevens and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of articles on the ecology of North American desert springs, by authors from the fields of biology, botany, ichthyology, conservation, geology and law; and covering both the special traits of springs and the ways in which they might be managed in order to survive.
Download or read book Carnivore Ecology in Arid Lands written by Jacobus du P. Bothma and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-29 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Arid lands require that organisms inhabiting them be well-adapted to thrive or even just to survive. This book provides a review of the ecological adaptations - be they behavioural, physiological or morphological - of carnivores to arid environments. Following a general introduction into aridity and arid lands in Africa, the major carnivore families are presented. Ecological adaptations of carnivores in arid lands reveal the amplitude and resilience of the ecology of these animals. In setting up conservation measures, the nature and extent of such adaptations are important facets in determining the effective area and degree of heterogeneity required as habitat by a carnivore population so as to produce a viable unit.
Download or read book Conserving Biodiversity in Arid Regions written by J. Lemons and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the eve of the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD), held in autumn 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan recommended five specific areas as focal points of discussion for the global forum: Water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity. In his address, "Towards a Sustainable Future," delivered just four months before the WSSD, Secretary General Annan contended that concrete progress in each of these areas, often referred to by their acronym WEHAB, would be key to improving the quality of life not only in the developing world but across the globe. For most people, I think it is fair to say that the inclusion of biodiversity in a list that focuses on basic human needs may not be self-evident. Water, energy, health and agriculture, yes. But why biodiversity? The truth is that biodiversity is just as critical to global well-being as water, energy, agriculture and health. This is because biodiversity both drives and shapes nature's intricate and dynamic structure in an enduring form and force that enables both current and future generations to enjoy its bounty.
Download or read book Ecology of Desert Systems written by Walter G. Whitford and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2019-08-20 with total page 473 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nearly one-third of the land area on our planet is classified as arid or desert. Therefore, an understanding of the dynamics of such arid ecosystems is essential to managing those systems in a way that sustains human populations. This second edition of Ecology of Desert Systems provides a clear, extensive guide to the complex interactions involved in these areas. This book details the relationships between abiotic and biotic environments of desert ecosystems, demonstrating to readers how these interactions drive ecological processes. These include plant growth and animal reproductive success, the spatial and temporal distribution of vegetation and animals, and the influence of invasive species and anthropogenic climate change specific to arid systems. Drawing on the extensive experience of its expert authors, Ecology of Desert Systems is an essential guide to arid ecosystems for students looking for an overview of the field, researchers keen to learn how their work fits in to the overall picture, and those involved with environmental management of desert areas. Highlights the complexity of global desert systems in a clear, concise way Reviews the most current issues facing researchers in the field, including the spread of invasive species due to globalized trade, the impact of industrial mining, and climate change Updated and extended to include information on invasive species management, industrial mining impacts, and the current and future role of climate change in desert systems
Download or read book Arid Ecosystems written by Hans-Peter Blume and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Climate Change and Its Impact on Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity in Arid and Semi Arid Zones written by Karmaoui, Ahmed and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2019-02-22 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecosystems provide services that are crucial and beneficial to the human population. The management and conservation of these services can assure the wellbeing of the local population. Climate Change and Its Impact on Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones is an essential reference source that studies the effects of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services in dry regions and examines various strategic local, national, and international policy developments to help overcome these impacts. Featuring research on topics such as poverty reduction, climate change, and adaption policies, this book is ideally designed for environmentalists, policymakers, government officials, academicians, researchers, and technology developers who want to improve their understanding of climate change impact, vulnerability, and sustainability, and the strategic role of adaptation and mitigation.
Download or read book Arid Land Ecosystems Volume 2 Structure Functioning and Management written by D. W. Goodall and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009-03-19 with total page 628 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume was first published in 1981. The history of man's use of arid lands is a sad record of deterioration of the natural resource base and of low and declining living standards for the 300 million people who live in them. One prerequisite to meeting the challenge of reversing the deterioration and of raising living standards is a sound knowledge of the natural ecosystems.
Download or read book Shrub Steppe written by Alec Rickard and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Owing to man-made intervention, the shrub-steppe now represents a rapidly disappearing landscape in the arid regions of North America. This book represents a systems-level study of ecological variables affecting water balance, and responses to perturbation. The study focused on a very large, protected, landscape unit, comprising a natural ``watershed'' area located in the semi-arid western United States. Long-term and concurrent data sets were established with a view towards establishing system-level responses to manipulative interventions, and natural perturbations like wildfire. These data sets were established for micrometeorology, climatology, mineral cycling in soils, nutrient and mineral pathways in springs and streams, vegetational dynamics, and population changes on the site. In synthesizing nearly twenty years of data, the more interesting ecosystem level responses concerned vegetational recovery and water balance. For instance, the synthesis uniquely demonstrates the interaction of biotic and non-biotic factors and their integrated effect on regional water balance. However, special attention was also paid to species diversity and the genetic resource pool represented at this site.This book will be of primary interest as a reference resource to land managers and wildlife specialists, and as a research study for scientists interested in systems-level ecology. Conservation-minded citizens who take more than a cursory interest in ecology will also find it interesting.
Download or read book Steppes written by Michael Bone and published by Timber Press. This book was released on 2015-07-15 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Steppes—semi-arid biomes dominated by forbs, grasses, and grass-like species, and characterized by extremes of cold and heat—occupy enormous areas on four continents. Yet these ecosystems are among the least studied on our planet. Given that the birth and evolution of human beings have been so intimately interwoven with steppe regions, it is amazing that so few attempts have been made to compare and quantify the features of these regions. In this ground-breaking volume, five leading voices in horticulture—all staff members of Denver Botanic Gardens—examine the plants, climate, geology, and geography of the world’s steppes: central Asia, central and intermountain North America, Patagonia, and South Africa. Drawing upon their first-hand experience, the writers illuminate the distinctive features of each region, with a particular emphasis on the striking similarities between their floras. Each chapter includes a primer of species of horticultural interest—a rich resource for readers with an interest in steppe plants.
Download or read book The Reconstruction Of Disturbed Arid Lands written by Edith B. Allen and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-07-11 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume emphasizes application of the basic ecological relationships among plants, animals, microorganisms, the physical environment and man to reconstruct wildland ecosystems. It contains the proceedings of a symposium sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Download or read book The Arid Lands written by Diana K. Davis and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2016-03-25 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An argument that the perception of arid lands as wastelands is politically motivated and that these landscapes are variable, biodiverse ecosystems, whose inhabitants must be empowered. Deserts are commonly imagined as barren, defiled, worthless places, wastelands in need of development. This understanding has fueled extensive anti-desertification efforts—a multimillion-dollar global campaign driven by perceptions of a looming crisis. In this book, Diana Davis argues that estimates of desertification have been significantly exaggerated and that deserts and drylands—which constitute about 41% of the earth's landmass—are actually resilient and biodiverse environments in which a great many indigenous people have long lived sustainably. Meanwhile, contemporary arid lands development programs and anti-desertification efforts have met with little success. As Davis explains, these environments are not governed by the equilibrium ecological dynamics that apply in most other regions. Davis shows that our notion of the arid lands as wastelands derives largely from politically motivated Anglo-European colonial assumptions that these regions had been laid waste by “traditional” uses of the land. Unfortunately, such assumptions still frequently inform policy. Drawing on political ecology and environmental history, Davis traces changes in our understanding of deserts, from the benign views of the classical era to Christian associations of the desert with sinful activities to later (neo)colonial assumptions of destruction. She further explains how our thinking about deserts is problematically related to our conceptions of forests and desiccation. Davis concludes that a new understanding of the arid lands as healthy, natural, but variable ecosystems that do not necessarily need improvement or development will facilitate a more sustainable future for the world's magnificent drylands.
Download or read book Aridity and Man written by American Association for the Advancement of Science. Committee on Desert and Arid Zones Research and published by . This book was released on 1963 with total page 616 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Floristic Study of Arid Ecosystem Ecology and Phytosociology written by Dr. Ekta B. Joshi and published by Google Book Publishers . This book was released on with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book “Floristic Study of Arid Ecosystem: Ecology and Phytosociology” focuses on biodiversity, ecology and taxonomy of plant diversity of altitudinal hill gradient environment viz. Kachchh Arid Ecosystem, Western Gujarat, India, with special emphasis on conservation and management of rare, endangered and threatened (RET) taxa. It encompasses the in-depth information on occurrence and distribution of general vegetation, species richness, frequency, density, abundance, commonness and rarity of important and significant plant species exist in the region. The core theme of this book is floristic study and altitudinal diversity of hilly plants with special reference to species distribution, population dynamics and community structure in addition to ethnobotany, ethnomedicine and phytosociology. The book embodies the vast and enormous information about ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal plants used by tribal community of hilly habitats of Kachchh. This book also highlights the phytosociological aspects of invasive plant species viz. Prosopis julifora, along with historical account, population structure, dominance and dynamics. It summarizes the unique records of RET plants in relation to status, distribution, age structure, threats faced, etc. Besides, the book is a good repository of field records of some native and endemic plants used by locales as medications or panacea for curing incorrigible ailments. The special feature of this book is conservation and management strategies of RET plants using grass-root techniques for survival, sustenance, revival, restoration and rejuvenation of dwindling plant species of environmental, ecological and economic importance of arid hill ecosystem.
Download or read book Man and the Biology of Arid Zones written by J. L. Cloudsley-Thompson and published by . This book was released on 1977 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
