EBookClubs

Read Books & Download eBooks Full Online

EBookClubs

Read Books & Download eBooks Full Online

Book Boundary Dynamics and Matrix Effects on Beetle Community Composition and Movement Between Forests and Agriculture

Download or read book Boundary Dynamics and Matrix Effects on Beetle Community Composition and Movement Between Forests and Agriculture written by Sarah Kathleen Dudziak and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Insect movement across habitat edges between forest and agriculture has the potential to affect ecosystem processes. In this study, I quantified aerial beetle communities in Ohio along transect lines crossing forest edges and stretching into corn and forest habitats. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of forest patch size, distance to the forest edge and agricultural matrix effects on beetle community dynamics. Beetle abundance and species richness were significantly higher at the edge throughout season. Net difference in abundance showed that in large fragments, individuals moved toward forest interior whereas beetles in small fragments flux towards corn. This suggests that large forest fragment edge were "hard" compared to small forest fragments. Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling showed log patch area and tree importance value were the two most importance variables in determining species composition. Spillover of insects across boundaries has various implications for biodiversity research in land management.

Book The Ecology of Hedgerows and Field Margins

Download or read book The Ecology of Hedgerows and Field Margins written by John W. Dover and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-02-01 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hedges and field margins are important wildlife habitats and deliver a range of ecosystem services, and their value is increasingly recognised by ecologists. This book reviews and assesses the current state of research on hedgerows and associated field margins. With the intensification of agriculture in the second half of the last century, field sizes were increased by amalgamation and the rooting out of hedges, synthetic pesticide and inorganic fertiliser use increased, and traditional methods of hedge management were largely abandoned. The book is split into two main sections. The first deals with definitions, current and historic management, the impact of pesticides, the decline in hedge stock and condition, and new approaches to hedge evaluation using remote sensing techniques. The second section explores the pollination and biological pest control benefits provided by hedges and field margins and examines the ecology of some of the major groups that are found in hedgerows and field margins: butterflies and moths, carabid beetles, mammals, and birds. A case study on birds and invertebrates from a research farm managed as a commercial enterprise, but which attempts to farm with wildlife in mind, brings these themes together. A final chapter introduces the neglected area of hedges in the urban environment. The book will be of great interest to advanced students, researchers and professionals in ecology, agriculture, wildlife conservation, natural history, landscape, environmental and land management.

Book From Plantings to the Paddock

Download or read book From Plantings to the Paddock written by Katherina Ng and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The intensification of agriculture for increased food production is leading to new challenges for biodiversity conservation, particularly managing complex changing landscapes for mutually beneficial outcomes for agriculture and the environment. My thesis aimed to understand the diversity and distribution of beetles (Coleoptera), and the mechanisms shaping beetle assemblages across a dynamic and fragmented agricultural landscape. I used a landscape-scale study in south-eastern Australia to examine beetle assemblages in remnant woodland patches and four types of adjoining farmlands: crop, fallow, plantings, and fine woody debris applied over harvested crop. My thesis comprised four chapters written as journal articles. In Paper I, I examined seasonal differences in beetle assemblages between the woodland interior and four adjoining farmland uses. I found that overall species richness was significantly lower in woodlands than farmlands, although both habitats supported significantly different assemblages. Abundance responses were taxon-specific, and influenced by interactions between land-use and season. These results suggest the importance of maintaining farmland heterogeneity with a mix of low-intensity land-uses, with further agricultural intensification a likely threat to beetle diversity in the region. In Paper II, I examined temporal patterns of edge responses and movement of beetle assemblages between woodlands and the four farmland uses. The use of directional pitfall traps allowed inference of cross-habitat movement. Farmland use and season interactively affected beetle abundance across farmland-woodland edges. Applying woody debris was a novel way of reducing seasonal fluctuations in edge responses and increasing permeability for cross-habitat movement. Edges likely provided resources for beetles in adjoining habitats, but seasonal movement of predators into edges might negatively affect prey assemblages. In Paper III, I quantified relationships between ground-layer structure, plant species richness and plant composition, and the diversity and composition of beetles from different habitats or seasons. Plant composition better predicted beetle composition than vegetation structure. Plant richness and vegetation structure both significantly affected beetle abundance and composition. The influence of these vegetation attributes often varied depending on habitat and season for all trophic groups. These dynamic plant-beetle relationships suggest a need for targeted ways of managing vegetation to improve beetle diversity in different parts of the landscape. In Paper IV, I disentangled the effects of farmland use, edge effects and vegetation structure on the morphological traits of Carabidae species. Carabid body size increased across a distance from edges between woodlands and farmlands, and there were strong mediating effects of farmland use on this association. Vegetation structure was associated with traits relating to body size, flying ability and body shape, and helped explain some of the effects of farmland use and edge effects on body size. These results provide evidence of vegetation- and land-use-mediated filtering of traits as an important factor shaping carabid assemblages in human-modified landscapes. My results indicate that farmlands can provide important habitat for many beetle species. However, spatio-temporal changes in farmland habitat strongly influence beetle assemblages across the landscape. Conservation strategies, therefore, need to take a whole-of-landscape approach, and exploit heterogeneity of mixed-farmlands over space and time to maximise outcomes for biodiversity.

Book Systematic review of effects on biodiversity from oil palm production

Download or read book Systematic review of effects on biodiversity from oil palm production written by Sini Savilaakso and published by CIFOR. This book was released on 2014-12-29 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the past decade there has been a growing interest in bioenergy, driven by concerns about global climate change, growing energy demand, and depleting fossil fuel reserves. The predicted rise in biofuel demand makes it important to understand the potential consequences of expanding biofuel cultivation. A systematic review was conducted on the biodiversity impacts of three first-generation biofuel crops (oil palm, soybean, and jatropha) in the tropics. The study focused on the impacts on species richness, abundance (total number of individuals or occurrences), community composition, and ecosystem functions related to species richness and community composition.

Book The Southern Pine Beetle

Download or read book The Southern Pine Beetle written by Robert C. Thatcher and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Bats in the Anthropocene  Conservation of Bats in a Changing World

Download or read book Bats in the Anthropocene Conservation of Bats in a Changing World written by Christian C. Voigt and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-12-07 with total page 601 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on central themes related to the conservation of bats. It details their response to land-use change and management practices, intensified urbanization and roost disturbance and loss. Increasing interactions between humans and bats as a result of hunting, disease relationships, occupation of human dwellings, and conflict over fruit crops are explored in depth. Finally, contributors highlight the roles that taxonomy, conservation networks and conservation psychology have to play in conserving this imperilled but vital taxon. With over 1300 species, bats are the second largest order of mammals, yet as the Anthropocene dawns, bat populations around the world are in decline. Greater understanding of the anthropogenic drivers of this decline and exploration of possible mitigation measures are urgently needed if we are to retain global bat diversity in the coming decades. This book brings together teams of international experts to provide a global review of current understanding and recommend directions for future research and mitigation.

Book The Routledge Handbook of Landscape Ecology

Download or read book The Routledge Handbook of Landscape Ecology written by Robert A. Francis and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-09-09 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Handbook provides a supporting guide to key aspects and applications of landscape ecology to underpin its research and teaching. A wide range of contributions written by expert researchers in the field summarize the latest knowledge on landscape ecology theory and concepts, landscape processes, methods and tools, and emerging frontiers. Landscape ecology is an interdisciplinary and holistic discipline, and this is reflected in the chapters contained in this Handbook. Authors from varying disciplinary backgrounds tackle key concepts such as landscape structure and function, scale and connectivity; landscape processes such as disturbance, flows, and fragmentation; methods such as remote sensing and mapping, fieldwork, pattern analysis, modelling, and participation and engagement in landscape planning; and emerging frontiers such as ecosystem services, landscape approaches to biodiversity conservation, and climate change. Each chapter provides a blend of the latest scientific understanding of its focal topics along with considerations and examples of their application from around the world. An invaluable guide to the concepts, methods, and applications of landscape ecology, this book will be an important reference text for a wide range of students and academics in ecology, geography, biology, and interdisciplinary environmental studies.

Book Linkages in the Landscape

Download or read book Linkages in the Landscape written by Andrew F. Bennett and published by IUCN. This book was released on 2003 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The loss and fragmentation of natural habitats is one of the major issues in wildlife management and conservation. Habitat "corridors" are sometimes proposed as an important element within a conservation strategy. Examples are given of corridors both as pathways and as habitats in their own right. Includes detailed reviews of principles relevant to the design and management of corridors, their place in regional approaches to conservation planning, and recommendations for research and management.

Book Acta Theriologica

Download or read book Acta Theriologica written by and published by . This book was released on 1955 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Dissertation Abstracts International

Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 684 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Vegetation Dynamics

    Book Details:
  • Author : R. Knapp
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2012-12-06
  • ISBN : 9401023441
  • Pages : 333 pages

Download or read book Vegetation Dynamics written by R. Knapp and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the International Botanical Congress in Edinburgh, 1964, Mrs. 1. M. WEISBACH-J UNK of The Hague discussed a plan for preparation by her publishing company (Dr. W. Junk b.v.) of an international Handbook of Vegetation Science. She proposed a series that should give a comprehensive survey of the varied directions within this science, and their achievements to date as well as their objectives for the future. The challenge of such an enterprise, and its evident value for the further development of vegetation research, induced the undersigned after some consideration to accept the offer of the honorable but also burdensome task of General Editor. The decision was encouraged by a well formulated and detailed outline for the Handbook worked out by the Dutch phytosociolo gists J. J. BARKMAN and V. WESTHOFF. A circle of scholars from numerous countries was invited by the Dr. Junk Publishing Com pany to The Hague in January 1966 to draw up a list of editors and contributors for the parts of the Handbook. The outline and list have served since for the organization of the Handbook, with no need for major change. The different burdens of editors and authors have compelled quite different timings for completion of the individual sections.

Book Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data using CANOCO 5

Download or read book Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data using CANOCO 5 written by Petr Šmilauer and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-04-17 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An accessible introduction to the theory and practice of multivariate analysis for graduates, researchers and professionals dealing with ecological problems.

Book Ant Ecology

    Book Details:
  • Author : Lori Lach
  • Publisher : Oxford University Press
  • Release : 2010
  • ISBN : 0199544638
  • Pages : 429 pages

Download or read book Ant Ecology written by Lori Lach and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The incredible global diversity of ants, and their important ecological roles, mean that we cannot ignore the significance of ants in ecological systems. Ant Ecology takes the reader on a journey of discovery from the beginnings of ants many hundreds of thousands of years ago, through to the makings of present day distributions.

Book Dung Beetle Ecology

    Book Details:
  • Author : Ilkka Hanski
  • Publisher : Princeton University Press
  • Release : 2014-07-14
  • ISBN : 1400862094
  • Pages : 514 pages

Download or read book Dung Beetle Ecology written by Ilkka Hanski and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In many ecosystems dung beetles play a crucial role--both ecologically and economically--in the decomposition of large herbivore dung. Their activities provide scientists with an excellent opportunity to explore biological community dynamics. This collection of essays offers a concise account of the population and community ecology of dung beetles worldwide, with an emphasis on comparisons between arctic, temperate, and tropical species assemblages. Useful insights arise from relating the vast differences in species' life histories to their population and community-level consequences. The authors also discuss changes in dung beetle faunas due to human-caused habitat alteration and examine the possible effects of introducing dung beetles to cattle-breeding areas that lack efficient native species. "With the expansion of cattle breeding areas, the ecology of dung beetles is a subject of great economic concern as well as one of intense theoretical interest. This excellent book represents an up-to-date ecological study covering important aspects of the dung beetle never before presented."--Gonzalo Halffter, Instituto de Ecologia, Mexico City Originally published in 1991. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Book The pollination services of forests

Download or read book The pollination services of forests written by Krishnan, S., Wiederkehr Guerra, G., Bertrand, D., Wertz-Kanounnikoff, S. and Kettle, C.J. and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2020-06-01 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most flowering plants, including wild species and many food crops, are pollinated by animals and are vital, therefore, for biological production and the maintenance of biodiversity. Pollinators benefit from diverse natural habitats for forage and nesting, especially when these are limited in plant production systems. Landscape and forest management practices can help ensure the continued availability of pollinators and thereby increase resilience and the productivity of forestry and agriculture. The extent of forests and other natural habitats in a landscape plays a role in determining the species composition of pollinators. Agricultural landscapes adjoining fragmented forests and natural areas benefit from pollinator services, and animal-pollinated crops therefore achieve higher fruit set. Forest management practices can have significant effects on pollinator abundance and diversity. They affect forest variables such as structure, species composition, soil dynamics, hydrology and light availability, all of which can affect pollinator species composition and diversity and plant–pollinator networks. Indigenous and local knowledge can contribute to the conservation of pollinators through traditional management practices. This working paper, which is aimed at forest practitioners, landscape planners and land-use decision-makers, reviews published literature on the impacts of forest and landscape management practices on pollinators. It also addresses the implications of climate change, collates 36 case studies, and makes recommendation on measures for maintaining pollinator diversity and abundance in forests and landscapes

Book Carabid Beetles  Ecology and Evolution

Download or read book Carabid Beetles Ecology and Evolution written by K. Desender and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-04-17 with total page 446 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Carabidae form one of the largest and best studied families of insects, occurring in nearly every terrestrial habitat. The contributions included in this book cover a broad spectrum of recent research into this beetle family, with an emphasis on various aspects of ecology and evolution. They deal both with individual carabid species, for example in studies on population and reproductive biology or life history in general, and with ground beetle communities, as exemplified in papers treating assemblages in natural habitats, on agricultural land and in forests. Disciplines range from biogeography and faunistics, over morphology, taxonomy and phylogenetics, ecophysiology and functional ecology, to population, community, conservation and landscape ecology. This volume is the result of the 8th European Carabidologists' Meeting, 2nd International Symposium of Carabidology, September 1-4, 1992, Belgium.

Book Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States

Download or read book Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States written by Therese M. Poland and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-02-01 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book describes the serious threat of invasive species to native ecosystems. Invasive species have caused and will continue to cause enormous ecological and economic damage with ever increasing world trade. This multi-disciplinary book, written by over 100 national experts, presents the latest research on a wide range of natural science and social science fields that explore the ecology, impacts, and practical tools for management of invasive species. It covers species of all taxonomic groups from insects and pathogens, to plants, vertebrates, and aquatic organisms that impact a diversity of habitats in forests, rangelands and grasslands of the United States. It is well-illustrated, provides summaries of the most important invasive species and issues impacting all regions of the country, and includes a comprehensive primary reference list for each topic. This scientific synthesis provides the cultural, economic, scientific and social context for addressing environmental challenges posed by invasive species and will be a valuable resource for scholars, policy makers, natural resource managers and practitioners.