Download or read book Plant Evolution and Biogeography in Wetland Ecosystems of the South American Andes written by Simon Pfanzelt and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Evolution of Aquatic Plants in Rivers and Wetlands Across the Andes in Northern South America written by Ana María Bedoya and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Northern South America is one of the most biodiverse regions on earth and understanding the causes and processes that have led to the assembly of this rich biota has been central to ecological and evolutionary investigations since Humboldt and Wallace. Given that northern South America is a geologically dynamic region consisting of a complex and heterogeneous landscape matrix, landscape change is viewed as a primary factor promoting species diversification. The Andean Cordillera is deemed responsible for triggering explosive radiations and increasing diversification rates in Neotropical taxa. All botanical investigations that have aimed to understand the role of landscape change on the evolution of the Neotropical flora have been restricted to terrestrial plants. However, fossil and stratigraphic data show that the uplift of the Andes not only resulted in the development of high-elevation tropical ecosystems, but also in changes in drainage basin reconfiguration through time. Aquatic plants are most diverse in the Neotropics. How did Andean uplift and drainage basin reconfiguration shaped the evolution of aquatic plants in rivers and wetlands across the Andes in northern South America? In this dissertation I aim to address this question and provide a novel perspective on the impact of landscape change on the evolution of the Neotropical flora, by using empirical data obtained from samples collected in the field from which I generate comprehensive genomic datasets and conduct phylogenetic, populations genetics, and biogeographical analyses. To investigate the impact of Andean uplift and drainage basin reconfiguration on river plant evolution, I use Marathrum foeniculaceum and Marathrum utile(Podostemaceae) as model systems. These are the only species living strictly in fast-flowing rivers across the Andes in northern South America. To explore how landscape change in northern South America shaped the evolution of plants in standing-water ecosystems such as wetlands, I study selected species of Ludwigia (Onagraceae). Ludwigia include amphibious and strictly aquatic plants restricted to standing-water ecosystems like flooded savannas, lakes and ponds. In Chapter 1, I generate plastome data for five species of Podostemaceae and analyze the structure of the chloroplast genomes in a comparative framework within the order Malpighiales. This chapter is an introduction to learning about the evolution of Podostemaceae. The results of this chapter show that plastid genomes in the family are among the smallest in the Malpighiales due to variation in length of the inverted repeats, gene loss, and intergenic region variation. The uncommon loss of a number of genes is reported and we suggest fast rates of evolution in the plastomes of Podostemaceae. In Chapter 2, I investigate how drainage basin formation linked to Andean uplift shaped the evolution of plants in fast-flowing aquatic ecosystems such as river-rapids and waterfalls. Specifically, I aim to 1) test if the geographical separation of drainage basins interrupted by the Andes and other topological units in northern South America limits gene flow and structures populations according to river drainages, 2) determine if the timing of divergence events in populations of the two species in northern South America correspond with the currently proposed timing of Andean uplift, and 3) provide a hypothesis for the pattern and timing of drainage basin separation. I conduct phylogenetic, population genetics, phylogenetic networks and divergence dating analyses of populations of M. foeniculaceum and M. utile located in river drainages across the Andes. Andean uplift isolated populations of Marathrum limiting gene flow. At the same time, drainage basin reconfiguration brought species in sympatry where hybridization occurs. I propose that the pattern of divergence of populations reflects the formation of river drainages, which was not complete until
Download or read book Plant Evolution and Endemism in Andean South America written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Amazonia Landscape and Species Evolution written by Carina Hoorn and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-09-26 with total page 869 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book focuses on geological history as the critical factor in determining the present biodiversity and landscapes of Amazonia. The different driving mechanisms for landscape evolution are explored by reviewing the history of the Amazonian Craton, the associated sedimentary basins, and the role of mountain uplift and climate change. This book provdes an insight into the Meso- and Cenozoic record of Amazonia that was characterized by fluvial and long-lived lake systems and a highly diverse flora and fauna. This fauna includes giants such as the ca. 12 m long caiman Purussaurus, but also a varied fish fauna and fragile molluscs, whilst fossil pollen and spores form relics of ancestral swamps and rainforests. Finally, a review the molecular datasets of the modern Amazonian rainforest and aquatic ecosystem, discussing the possible relations between the origin of Amazonian species diversity and the palaeogeographic, palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental evolution of northern South America. The multidisciplinary approach in evaluating the history of Amazonia has resulted in a comprehensive volume that provides novel insights into the evolution of this region.
Download or read book The Physical Geography of South America written by Thomas T. Veblen and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015-12-01 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Physical Geography of South America, the eighth volume in the Oxford Regional Environments series, presents an enduring statement on the physical and biogeographic conditions of this remarkable continent and their relationships to human activity. It fills a void in recent environmental literature by assembling a team of specialists from within and beyond South America in order to provide an integrated, cross-disciplinary body of knowledge about this mostly tropical continent, together with its high mountains and temperate southern cone. The authors systematically cover the main components of the South American environment - tectonism, climate, glaciation, natural landscape changes, rivers, vegetation, animals, and soils. The book then presents more specific treatments of regions with special attributes from the tropical forests of the Amazon basin to the Atacama Desert and Patagonian steppe, and from the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific coasts to the high Andes. Additionally, the continents environments are given a human face by evaluating the roles played by people over time, from pre-European and European colonial impacts to the effects of modern agriculture and urbanization, and from interactions with El Niño events to prognoses for the future environments of the continent.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Biodiversity written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2013-02-05 with total page 5485 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 7-volume Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Second Edition maintains the reputation of the highly regarded original, presenting the most current information available in this globally crucial area of research and study. It brings together the dimensions of biodiversity and examines both the services it provides and the measures to protect it. Major themes of the work include the evolution of biodiversity, systems for classifying and defining biodiversity, ecological patterns and theories of biodiversity, and an assessment of contemporary patterns and trends in biodiversity. The science of biodiversity has become the science of our future. It is an interdisciplinary field spanning areas of both physical and life sciences. Our awareness of the loss of biodiversity has brought a long overdue appreciation of the magnitude of this loss and a determination to develop the tools to protect our future. Second edition includes over 100 new articles and 226 updated articles covering this multidisciplinary field— from evolution to habits to economics, in 7 volumes The editors of this edition are all well respected, instantly recognizable academics operating at the top of their respective fields in biodiversity research; readers can be assured that they are reading material that has been meticulously checked and reviewed by experts Approximately 1,800 figures and 350 tables complement the text, and more than 3,000 glossary entries explain key terms
Download or read book Oxford Bibliographies written by and published by . This book was released on with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book History of Terrestrial Mammals in South America written by Thomas Defler and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-12-19 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book takes a non-technical approach in covering the evolution of South American mammalian fauna throughout geological history, and discusses how South America has changed due to mammalian invasions. Unlike other works on the subject, this book attempts to answer several crucial questions that often go unmentioned together in one cohesive monograph. What was the fauna like before the American interchange? What were the origins of the now-extinct groups when northern species arrived and out-competed them? How did the modern mammalian fauna come into being with such disparate animal groups? This information is given from a historical perspective throughout the book's 15 chapters, and is presented in an easily graspable fashion by mostly avoiding technical language. The book is written for academics, scientists and scholars engaged in paleontology, zoology and evolutionary biology, but may also appeal to a larger audience of general readers interested in mammalian evolution. The book begins with an introduction, describing the tools necessary to interpret the evolutionary history of South American mammals in geological terms and some of the early people who helped found South American mammalian paleontology. Chapter 2 describes the Mesozoic first mammals of Gondwana and what we are learning about them, dominant before the K/T extinction event. Then chapters 3 through 8 cover the Cenozoic, or "Age of Mammals", highlighting the major mammalian groups of South America that replaced the earlier mammals of Gondwana. These groups include the marsupials, native ungulates, the xenarthrans (armadillos, anteaters, sloths), the caviomorphs (rodents), and the platyrrhine monkeys. Chapters 9 and 10 address the Antarctic La Meseta fossils and the Colombian La Venta fossil faunal assemblages. Chapter 11 discusses the neotropical mammals that invaded the Caribbean Islands, and illustrates the influence South America has had on adjacent faunas. Chapter 12 describes the origin of the Amazon River and the role it has played in the evolution of the mammals and other flora and fauna. Chapter 13 tells the story of the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI), and chapter 14 follows this up with a discussion of the Pleistocene mammal communities and their eventual extinction. Chapter 15 concludes the text by discussing the modern mammals of South America, and how despite the extensive Pleistocene extinctions there is still a lot of mammalian diversity in South America.
Download or read book Neotropical Savannas and Seasonally Dry Forests written by R. Toby Pennington and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2006-05-25 with total page 509 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More often than not, when people think of a neotropical forest, what comes to mind is a rain forest, rather than a dry forest. Just as typically, when they imagine a savanna, they visualize the African plains, rather than those dry woodlands and grasslands found in the Neotropics. These same preconceptions can be found among scientists, as these ne
Download or read book Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores written by Peter Frank Scogings and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-09-30 with total page 794 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Insights on current research and recent developments in understanding global savanna systems Increasingly recognized as synonymous with tropical grassy biomes, savannas are found in tropical and sub-tropical climates as well as warm, temperate regions of North America. Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores examines the interactions between woody plants and browsing mammals in global savannas—focusing primarily on the C4 grassy ecosystems with woody components that constitute the majority of global savannas—and discusses contemporary savanna management models and applications. This much-needed addition to current research examines topics including the varying behavior of browsing mammals, the response to browsing by woody species, and the factors that inhibit forage intake. Contributions from an international team of active researchers and experts compare and contrast different savanna ecosystems, offering a global perspective on savanna functioning, the roles of soil and climate in resource availability and organism interaction, and the possible impacts of climate change across global savannas. Fills a gap in literature on savanna management issues, including biodiversity conservation and animal production Applies concepts developed in other biomes to future savanna research Complements contemporary books on savanna or large herbivore ecology Focuses on the woody component of savanna ecosystems and large herbivore interactions in savannas Compares tree-mammal systems of savannas and other eco-systems of temperate and boreal regions Provides numerous case studies of plant-mammal interactions from various savanna ecosystems Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores is a valuable addition to those in fields such as ecology, wildlife and conservation biology, natural resource management, and environmental science.
Download or read book Ecotones Between Forest and Grassland written by Randall W. Myster and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-07-10 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecotones are dynamic over-lapping boundary areas where major terrestrial biomes meet. As past studies have shown, and as the chapters in this book will illustrate, their structure, size, and scope have changed considerably over the millennia, expanding and shrinking as climate and/or other driving conditions, also changed. Today, however, many of them are changing at a rate not seen for a long time, perhaps largely due to climate change and other human-induced factors. Indeed ecotones are more sensitive to climate change than the biomes on either side, and thus may serve as critical early indicators of future climate change. As ecotones change, they also redefine the limits of the biomes on either side by altering their distributions of species because, in addition to their own endemic species, any ecotone will also have species from both adjoining biomes. Consequently, they may also be places of high levels of species interaction, serving as active evolutionary laboratories, which generate new species that then migrate back into adjacent biomes. Ecotones Between Forest and Grassland explores how these ecotones have changed in the past, how they are changing today, and how they are likely to change in the future. The book includes chapters from around the world with a special focus on South American and Neotropical ecotones.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of the World s Biomes written by and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2020-06-26 with total page 3542 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Encyclopedia of the World’s Biomes is a unique, five volume reference that provides a global synthesis of biomes, including the latest science. All of the book's chapters follow a common thematic order that spans biodiversity importance, principal anthropogenic stressors and trends, changing climatic conditions, and conservation strategies for maintaining biomes in an increasingly human-dominated world. This work is a one-stop shop that gives users access to up-to-date, informative articles that go deeper in content than any currently available publication. Offers students and researchers a one-stop shop for information currently only available in scattered or non-technical sources Authored and edited by top scientists in the field Concisely written to guide the reader though the topic Includes meaningful illustrations and suggests further reading for those needing more specific information
Download or read book Alexander von Humboldt written by Gregor C. Falk and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-07-23 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book aims to view and to understand Alexander von Humboldt from different perspectives and in varying disciplinary contexts. His contributions addressed numerous topics in the earth but also life sciences—spanning from geo-botany, climatology, paleontology, oceanography, mineralogy, resources, and hydrogeology to links between the environmental impact of humans, erosion, and climate change. From the very beginning, he paved the way for a modern, integrated earth system science approach to decipher, characterize, and model the different forcing factors and their feedback mechanisms. It becomes obvious that Humboldt’s holistic approach is far beyond simple description and empiric data collection. As documented and analyzed in the different texts of this volume, he combines observation and analysis with emotions and subjective perceptions in a very affectionate way. However, this publication does not intend to add another encyclopedic text compilation but to observe and critically analyze this unique personality ́s relevance in a modern context, particularly in discussing environmental and social key issues in the twenty-first century.
Download or read book Backbone of the Americas written by Suzanne Mahlburg Kay and published by Geological Society of America. This book was released on 2009 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The American Cordilleras form a continuous orogen that extends for 12,500 km along the eastern flank of the Pacific Ocean from Arctic to Antarctic latitudes as an integral part of the circum-Pacific orogenic belt. Following two summary chapters on the overall anatomy and evolution of North and South American segments of the orogenic system, this volume includes ten seminal chapters dealing with salient aspects of the key geodynamic processes that have accompanied Cordilleran geotectonic evolution: forearc terrane accretion, arc magmatism, shallow subduction, and backarc intracontinental deformation. The papers in this volume were selected from those presented at the 2006 Backbone of the Americas Meeting, which was sponsored jointly by multiple North and South American geological societies in Mendoza, Argentina."--pub. desc.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Inland Waters written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2009-01-13 with total page 2589 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inland aquatic habitats occur world-wide at all scales from marshes, swamps and temporary puddles, to ponds, lakes and inland seas; from streams and creeks to rolling rivers. Vital for biological diversity, ecosystem function and as resources for human life, commerce and leisure, inland waters are a vital component of life on Earth. The Encyclopedia of Inland Waters describes and explains all the basic features of the subject, from water chemistry and physics, to the biology of aquatic creatures and the complex function and balance of aquatic ecosystems of varying size and complexity. Used and abused as an essential resource, it is vital that we understand and manage them as much as we appreciate and enjoy them. This extraordinary reference brings together the very best research to provide the basic and advanced information necessary for scientists to understand these ecosystems – and for water resource managers and consultants to manage and protect them for future generations. Encyclopedic reference to Limnology - a key core subject in ecology taught as a specialist course in universitiesOver 240 topic related articles cover the field Gene Likens is a renowned limnologist and conservationist, Emeritus Director of the Institute of Ecosystems Research, elected member of the American Philosophical Society and recipient of the 2001 National Medal of Science Subject Section Editors and authors include the very best research workers in the field
Download or read book A Conservation Assessment of the Terrestrial Ecoregions of Latin America and the Caribbean written by Eric Dinerstein and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1995 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Approach; Major ecosystem types, major habitat types, and ecoregions of LAC; Conservation status of terretrial ecoregions of LAC; Biological distinctiveness of territorial ecoregions of LAC at different biogeographic scales results; Integrating biological distinctiveness and conservation status; Conservation assessment of mangrove ecosystems.
Download or read book Island Biogeography written by Robert J. Whittaker and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Isolation, extinction, conservation, biodiversity, hotspots.
