Download or read book Macroevolutionary Theory on Macroecological Patterns written by Peter W. Price and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Table of contents

Download or read book Macroevolutionary Theory on Macroecological Patterns written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Establishes a new vision of the central themes in ecology. The study of distribution, abundance, and population size variation in animals is cast in an evolutionary framework. The book argues that evolved characters of organisms such as morphology, behavior, and life history influence strongly their ecological relationships, including the way that populations fluctuate through time and space. The central ideas in the book are supported by data gathered from over 20 years of research, primarily into plant and herbivore interactions, concentrating on insects. The huge diversity of insect herbivores provides the immense comparative power necessary for a strong evolutionary study of ecological principles. The book is intended for all researchers and students of ecology, evolutionary biology, and behavior, and for entomologists working in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry.

Download or read book Ecology Volume I written by Antonio Bodini and published by EOLSS Publications. This book was released on 2009-10-20 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecology is a component of Encyclopedia of Environmental and Ecological Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Ecology is the study of the interrelationships between living organisms and their environment. The term "ecology" was introduced by Ernst Haeckel, at the end of the nineteenth century. Since that time spectacular advances have been made. Much has been learned about the relationship between organisms and environmental factors, and about the processes that regulate the abundance and distribution of species. The Theme on Ecology with contributions from distinguished experts in the field discusses the Science of Ecology for a Sustainable World. The two volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.

Download or read book Tropical Biology and Conservation Management Volume V written by Kleber Del Claro and published by EOLSS Publications. This book was released on 2009-05-11 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Encyclopedia of Tropical Biology and Conservation Management is a component of the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Tropical environments cover the most part of still preserved natural areas of the Earth. The greatest biodiversity, as in terms of animals and plants, as microorganisms, is placed in these hot and rainy ecosystems spread up and below the Equator line. Additionally, the most part of food products, with vegetal or animal origin, that sustain nowadays human beings is direct or undirected dependent of tropical productivity. Biodiversity should be looked at and evaluated not only in terms of numbers of species, but also in terms of the diversity of interactions among distinct organisms that it maintains. In this sense, the complexity of web structure in tropical systems is a promise of future to nature preservation on Earth. In the chemicals of tropical plant and animals, could be the cure to infinite number of diseases, new food sources, and who knows what more. Despite these facts tropical areas have been exploited in an irresponsible way for more than 500 years due the lack of an ecological conscience of men. Exactly in the same way we did with temperate areas and also tropical areas in the north of Equator line. Nowadays, is estimated that due human exploitation, nation conflicts and social problems, less than 8% of tropical nature inside continental areas is still now untouchable. The extension of damage in the tropical areas of oceans is unknown. Thus so, all knowledge we could accumulate about tropical systems will help us, as in the preservations of these important and threatened ecosystems as in a future recuperation, when it was possible. Only knowing the past and developing culture, mainly that directed to peace, to a better relationship among nations and responsible use and preservation of natural resources, human beings will have a long future on Earth. These volumes, Tropical Biology and Natural Resources was divided in sessions to provide the reader the better comprehension possible of issue and also to enable future complementation and improvements in the encyclopedia. Like we work with life, we intended to transform this encyclopedia also in a “life” volume, in what new information could be added in any time. As president of the encyclopedia and main editor I opened the theme with an article titled: “Tropical Biology and Natural resources: Historical Pathways and Perspectives”, providing the reader an initial view of the origins of human knowledge about the tropical life, and what we hope to the future. In the sequence we have more than 100 chapters distributed in tem sessions: Tropical Ecology (TE); Tropical Botany (TB); Tropical Zoology (TZ); Savannah Ecosystems (SE); Desert Ecosystems (DE); Tropical Agriculture (TA); Natural History of Tropical Plants (NH); Human Impact on Tropical Ecosystems (HI); Tropical Phytopathology and Entomology (TPE); Case Studies (CS). This 11-volume set contains several chapters, each of size 5000-30000 words, with perspectives, applications and extensive illustrations. It is the only publication of its kind carrying state-of-the-art knowledge in the fields of Tropical Biology and Conservation Management and is aimed, by virtue of the several applications, at the following five major target audiences: University and College Students, Educators, Professional Practitioners, Research Personnel and Policy Analysts, Managers, and Decision Makers and NGOs.

Download or read book The Macroecological Perspective written by José Alexandre Felizola Diniz-Filho and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-12-29 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive volume discusses the patterns and processes analyzed in macroecology with a distinct look at the theoretical and methodological issues underlying the discipline as well as deeper epistemological matters. The book serves as a synthesis of macroecological literature that has been published since Brown and Maurer proposed and defined the term “macroecology” in 1989. Author José Alexandre Felizola Diniz-Filho draws from the different disciplines and branches (ecology, evolutionary biology, physiology, behavioral sciences, climatology, and paleontology) that make up macroecology to present a full, holistic picture of where the discipline stands. Through ten chapters, Diniz-Filho moves from a discussion of what macroecology actually is to macroecological modeling to the more applied side of the discipline, covering topics such as richness and diversity patterns and patterns in body size. The book concludes with a synthesis of how macroecological research is done in a theoretical and operational sense as well as unifying explanations for each of the macroecological patterns discussed, moving on to evaluate which theories and models are still useful and which ones can be abandoned. The book is intended for academics, young researchers and students interested in macroecology and conservation biogeography. In addition, because of the integrative nature of macroecology and the theoretical and methodological background in the book, it can be of interest to researchers working in related fields including but not limited to ecology and evolutionary biology.

Download or read book Foundations of Restoration Ecology written by Donald A. Falk and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2013-03-19 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the practical application of ecological restoration continues to grow, there is an increasing need to connect restoration practice to areas of underlying ecological theory. Foundations of Restoration Ecology is an important milestone in the field, bringing together leading ecologists to bridge the gap between theory and practice by translating elements of ecological theory and current research themes into a scientific framework for the field of restoration ecology. Each chapter addresses a particular area of ecological theory, covering traditional levels of biological hierarchy (such as population genetics, demography, community ecology) as well as topics of central relevance to the challenges of restoration ecology (such as species interactions, fine-scale heterogeneity, successional trajectories, invasive species ecology, ecophysiology). Several chapters focus on research tools (research design, statistical analysis, modeling), or place restoration ecology research in a larger context (large-scale ecological phenomena, macroecology, climate change and paleoecology, evolutionary ecology). The book makes a compelling case that a stronger connection between ecological theory and the science of restoration ecology will be mutually beneficial for both fields: restoration ecology benefits from a stronger grounding in basic theory, while ecological theory benefits from the unique opportunities for experimentation in a restoration context. Foundations of Restoration Ecology advances the science behind the practice of restoring ecosystems while exploring ways in which restoration ecology can inform basic ecological questions. It provides the first comprehensive overview of the theoretical foundations of restoration ecology, and is a must-have volume for anyone involved in restoration research, teaching, or practice.

Download or read book Conservation Paleobiology written by Gregory P. Dietl and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2017-11-17 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In conservation, perhaps no better example exists of the past informing the present than the return of the California condor to the Vermilion Cliffs of Arizona. Extinct in the region for nearly one hundred years, condors were successfully reintroduced starting in the 1990s in an effort informed by the fossil record—condor skeletal remains had been found in the area’s late-Pleistocene cave deposits. The potential benefits of applying such data to conservation initiatives are unquestionably great, yet integrating the relevant disciplines has proven challenging. Conservation Paleobiology gathers a remarkable array of scientists—from Jeremy B. C. Jackson to Geerat J. Vermeij—to provide an authoritative overview of how paleobiology can inform both the management of threatened species and larger conservation decisions. Studying endangered species is difficult. They are by definition rare, some exist only in captivity, and for those still in their native habitats any experimentation can potentially have a negative effect on survival. Moreover, a lack of long-term data makes it challenging to anticipate biotic responses to environmental conditions that are outside of our immediate experience. But in the fossil and prefossil records—from natural accumulations such as reefs, shell beds, and caves to human-made deposits like kitchen middens and archaeological sites—enlightening parallels to the Anthropocene can be found that might serve as a primer for present-day predicaments. Offering both deep-time and near-time perspectives and exploring a range of ecological and evolutionary dynamics and taxa from terrestrial as well as aquatic habitats, Conservation Paleobiology is a sterling demonstration of how the past can be used to manage for the future, giving new hope for the creation and implementation of successful conservation programs.

Download or read book The Theory of Evolution written by Samuel M. Scheiner and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2020-01-07 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Darwin’s nineteenth-century writings laid the foundations for modern studies of evolution, and theoretical developments in the mid-twentieth century fostered the Modern Synthesis. Since that time, a great deal of new biological knowledge has been generated, including details of the genetic code, lateral gene transfer, and developmental constraints. Our improved understanding of these and many other phenomena have been working their way into evolutionary theory, changing it and improving its correspondence with evolution in nature. And while the study of evolution is thriving both as a basic science to understand the world and in its applications in agriculture, medicine, and public health, the broad scope of evolution—operating across genes, whole organisms, clades, and ecosystems—presents a significant challenge for researchers seeking to integrate abundant new data and content into a general theory of evolution. This book gives us that framework and synthesis for the twenty-first century. The Theory of Evolution presents a series of chapters by experts seeking this integration by addressing the current state of affairs across numerous fields within evolutionary biology, ranging from biogeography to multilevel selection, speciation, and macroevolutionary theory. By presenting current syntheses of evolution’s theoretical foundations and their growth in light of new datasets and analyses, this collection will enhance future research and understanding.

Download or read book International Encyclopedia of Geography 15 Volume Set written by Noel Castree and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2017-03-20 with total page 8364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zweifelsohne das Referenzwerk zu diesem weitgefächerten und dynamischen Fachgebiet. The International Encyclopedia of Geograph ist das Ergebnis einer einmaligen Zusammenarbeit zwischen Wiley und der American Association of Geographers (AAG), beleuchtet und definiert Konzepte, Forschung und Techniken in der Geographie und zugehörigen Fachgebieten. Die Enzyklopädie ist als Online-Ausgabe und 15-bändige farbige Printversion erhältlich. Unter der Mitarbeit einer Gruppe von Experten aus aller Welt ist ein umfassender und fundierter Überblick über die Geographie in allen Erdteilen entstanden. - Enthält mehr als 1.000 Einträge zwischen 1.000 und 10.000 Wörtern, die verständlich in grundlegende Konzepte einführen, komplexe Themen erläutern und Informationen zu geographischen Gesellschaften aus aller Welt enthalten. - Entstanden unter der Mitarbeit von mehr als 900 Wissenschaftlern aus über 40 Ländern und bietet damit einen umfassenden und fundierten Überblick über die Geographie in allen Erdteilen. - Deckt das Fachgebiet umfassend ab und berücksichtigt auch die Richtungen Humangeographie, Physikalische Geographie, geographische Informationswissenschaften und -systeme, Erdwissenschaften und Umweltwissenschaften. - Führt interdisziplinäre Sichtweisen zu geographischen Themen und Verfahren zusammen, die auch für die Sozialwissenschaften, Geisteswissenschaften, Naturwissenschaften und Medizin von Interesse sind. - Printausgabe durchgängig in Farbe mit über 1.000 Illustrationen und Fotos. - Online-Ausgabe wird jährlich aktualisiert.

Download or read book The Princeton Guide to Ecology written by Simon A. Levin and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2012-09-30 with total page 826 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Princeton Guide to Ecology is a concise, authoritative one-volume reference to the field's major subjects and key concepts. Edited by eminent ecologist Simon Levin, with contributions from an international team of leading ecologists, the book contains more than ninety clear, accurate, and up-to-date articles on the most important topics within seven major areas: autecology, population ecology, communities and ecosystems, landscapes and the biosphere, conservation biology, ecosystem services, and biosphere management. Complete with more than 200 illustrations (including sixteen pages in color), a glossary of key terms, a chronology of milestones in the field, suggestions for further reading on each topic, and an index, this is an essential volume for undergraduate and graduate students, research ecologists, scientists in related fields, policymakers, and anyone else with a serious interest in ecology. Explains key topics in one concise and authoritative volume Features more than ninety articles written by an international team of leading ecologists Contains more than 200 illustrations, including sixteen pages in color Includes glossary, chronology, suggestions for further reading, and index Covers autecology, population ecology, communities and ecosystems, landscapes and the biosphere, conservation biology, ecosystem services, and biosphere management

Download or read book The History and Philosophy of Science written by Nandan Bhattacharya and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-12-05 with total page 365 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides an in-depth analysis of the history and evolution of the major disciplines of science, which include the basic sciences, bioscience, natural sciences and medical science, with special emphasis on the Indian perspective. While academic interest shown in the history and philosophy of science dates back to several centuries, serious scholarship on how the sciences and the society interact and influence each other can only be dated back to the twentieth century. This volume explores the ethical and moral issues related to social values, along with the controversies that arise in relation to the discourse of science from the philosophical perspectives. The book sheds light on themes that have proved to have a significant and overwhelming influence on present-day civilisation. It takes the reader through a journey, on how the sciences have developed and have been discussed, to explore key themes like the colonial influences on science; how key scientific ideas have developed from Aristotle to Newton; history of ancient Indian mathematics; agency, representation, deviance with regard to the human body in science; bioethics; mental health, psychology and the sciences; setting up of the first teaching departments for subjects such as medicine, ecology and physiology in India; recent research in chemical technology; and even the legacy of ancient Indian scientific discoveries. A part of the Contemporary Issues in Social Science Research series, this interdisciplinary work will be of immense interest to scholars and researchers of philosophy, modern history, sociology of medicine, physical sciences, bioscience, chemistry and medical sciences. It will be of interest to the general reader also.

Download or read book Chance in Evolution written by Grant Ramsey and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-10-25 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This illuminating volume explores the effects of chance on evolution, covering diverse perspectives from scientists, philosophers, and historians. The evolution of species, from single-celled organisms to multicellular animals and plants, is the result of a long and highly chancy history. But how profoundly has chance shaped life on earth? And what, precisely, do we mean by chance? Bringing together biologists, philosophers of science, and historians of science, Chance in Evolution is the first book to untangle the far-reaching effects of chance, contingency, and randomness on the evolution of life. The book begins by placing chance in historical context, starting with the ancients and moving through Darwin to contemporary biology. It documents the shifts in our understanding of chance as Darwin’s theory of evolution developed into the modern synthesis, and how the acceptance of chance in Darwinian theory affected theological resistance to it. Other chapters discuss how chance relates to the concepts of genetic drift, mutation, and parallel evolution—as well as recent work in paleobiology and the experimental evolution of microbes. By engaging in collaboration across biology, history, philosophy, and theology, this book offers a comprehensive overview both of the history of chance in evolution and of our current understanding of the impact of chance on life.

Download or read book Ecological Paradigms Lost written by Beatrix Beisner and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2005-08-23 with total page 459 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited volume in the Theoretical Ecology series addresses the historical development and evolution of theoretical ideas in the field of ecology. Not only does Ecological Paradigms Lost recount the history of the discipline by practitioners of the science of ecology, it includes commentary on these historical reflections by philosophers of science. Even though the theories discussed are, in many cases, are at the forefront of research, the language and approach make this material accessible to non-theoreticians. The book is structured in 5 major sections including population ecology, epidemiology, community ecology, evolutionary biology and ecosystem ecology. In each section a chapter by an eminent, experienced ecologist is complemented by analysis from a newer, cutting-edge researcher. - Reflection on the past and future of ecology - A historical overview of major ideas in the field of ecology - Pairing of historical views by ecologists along with a philosophical commentary directed at the practicing scientists' views by a philosopher of science - Historical analysis by practicing ecologists including anectodal experiences that are rarely recorded - Based on a very popular symposium at the 2002 Ecological Society of America annual meeting in Tucson, AZ

Download or read book Formal Methods in Macro Biology written by François Fages and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-08-14 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the First International Conference on Formal Methods in Macro-Biology, FMMB 2014, held in Nouméa, New Caledonia, in September 2014. The 7 revised full and 3 short papers presented together with 7 invited presentations were carefully reviewed and selected from 17 submissions. The scientific program consists of papers on a wide variety of topics, including ecological systems, medical applications, logical frameworks, and discrete continuous and hybrid models for the analysis of biological systems at macroscopic levels.

Download or read book Macroevolution written by Emanuele Serrelli and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-02-13 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is divided in two parts, the first of which shows how, beyond paleontology and systematics, macroevolutionary theories apply key insights from ecology and biogeography, developmental biology, biophysics, molecular phylogenetics and even the sociocultural sciences to explain evolution in deep time. In the second part, the phenomenon of macroevolution is examined with the help of real life-history case studies on the evolution of eukaryotic sex, the formation of anatomical form and body-plans, extinction and speciation events of marine invertebrates, hominin evolution and species conservation ethics. The book brings together leading experts, who explain pivotal concepts such as Punctuated Equilibria, Stasis, Developmental Constraints, Adaptive Radiations, Habitat Tracking, Turnovers, (Mass) Extinctions, Species Sorting, Major Transitions, Trends and Hierarchies – key premises that allow macroevolutionary epistemic frameworks to transcend microevolutionary theories that focus on genetic variation, selection, migration and fitness. Along the way, the contributing authors review ongoing debates and current scientific challenges; detail new and fascinating scientific tools and techniques that allow us to cross the classic borders between disciplines; demonstrate how their theories make it possible to extend the Modern Synthesis; present guidelines on how the macroevolutionary field could be further developed; and provide a rich view of just how it was that life evolved across time and space. In short, this book is a must-read for active scholars and because the technical aspects are fully explained, it is also accessible for non-specialists. Understanding evolution requires a solid grasp of above-population phenomena. Species are real biological individuals and abiotic factors impact the future course of evolution. Beyond observation, when the explanation of macroevolution is the goal, we need both evidence and theory that enable us to explain and interpret how life evolves at the grand scale.

Download or read book Relentless Evolution written by John N. Thompson and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 510 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At a glance, most species seem adapted to the environment in which they live. Yet species relentlessly evolve, and populations within species evolve in different ways. Evolution, as it turns out, is much more dynamic than biologists realized just a few decades ago. In Relentless Evolution, John N. Thompson explores why adaptive evolution never ceases and why natural selection acts on species in so many different ways. Thompson presents a view of life in which ongoing evolution is essential and inevitable. Each chapter focuses on one of the major problems in adaptive evolution: How fast is evolution? How strong is natural selection? How do species co-opt the genomes of other species as they adapt? Why does adaptive evolution sometimes lead to more, rather than less, genetic variation within populations? How does the process of adaptation drive the evolution of new species? How does coevolution among species continually reshape the web of life? And, more generally, how are our views of adaptive evolution changing? Relentless Evolution draws on studies of all the major forms of life—from microbes that evolve in microcosms within a few weeks to plants and animals that sometimes evolve in detectable ways within a few decades. It shows evolution not as a slow and stately process, but rather as a continual and sometimes frenetic process that favors yet more evolutionary change.

Download or read book The Geographic Mosaic of Coevolution written by John N. Thompson and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2005-06-15 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coevolution—reciprocal evolutionary change in interacting species driven by natural selection—is one of the most important ecological and genetic processes organizing the earth's biodiversity: most plants and animals require coevolved interactions with other species to survive and reproduce. The Geographic Mosaic of Coevolution analyzes how the biology of species provides the raw material for long-term coevolution, evaluates how local coadaptation forms the basic module of coevolutionary change, and explores how the coevolutionary process reshapes locally coevolving interactions across the earth's constantly changing landscapes. Picking up where his influential The Coevolutionary Process left off, John N. Thompsonsynthesizes the state of a rapidly developing science that integrates approaches from evolutionary ecology, population genetics, phylogeography, systematics, evolutionary biochemistry and physiology, and molecular biology. Using models, data, and hypotheses to develop a complete conceptual framework, Thompson also draws on examples from a wide range of taxa and environments, illustrating the expanding breadth and depth of research in coevolutionary biology.