Author: Claire Elizabeth Wainwright Publisher: ISBN: 9781124540108 Category : Languages : en Pages : 31
Book Description
Exotic annual grasses are invading native plant communities in many areas including the western United States, and pose a significant challenge to habitat restoration. Observations in California grasslands suggest that exotic species may become active earlier in the growing season than native species, and that this distinct phenology may contribute to invasion success. We hypothesized that flexible germination cues may allow exotic annual grasses to start annual growth early each growing season and preempt resources prior to native seedling establishment, a kind of seasonal priority effect. Flexible germination cues could incur a cost, however, if they cause seeds to germinate before the onset of favorable growing conditions. To evaluate these predictions, we compared native and exotic species performance in a coastal sage scrub community under both early (off-season) and ambient (natural) rainfall timings. Exotic annual grasses germinated substantially with off-season watering, but none of the early seedlings survived until the onset of the natural rains. Exotic annual grasses that experienced off-season watering had a depleted seedbank and lower germination following the natural rains. In contrast, native species did not germinate following the off-season watering pulse, and instead emerged with the beginning of the cold natural rains. Our results suggest that phenology is an important factor influencing invasion success and invader impact. Under some conditions, pre-growing season watering could be an important restoration strategy for native plant communities in early stages of invasion by depleting the exotic seedbank and allowing for native species to establish with reduced competition.
Author: Mark D. Schwartz Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media ISBN: 9400769253 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 610
Book Description
Phenology refers to recurring plant and animal life cycle stages, such as leafing and flowering, maturation of agricultural plants, emergence of insects, and migration of birds. It is also the study of these recurring events, especially their timing and relationships with weather and climate. Phenological phenomena all give a ready measure of the environment as viewed by the associated organism, and are thus ideal indicators of the impact of local and global changes in weather and climate on the earth’s biosphere. Assessing our changing world is a complex task that requires close cooperation from experts in biology, climatology, ecology, geography, oceanography, remote sensing, and other areas. Like its predecessor, this second edition of Phenology is a synthesis of current phenological knowledge, designed as a primer on the field for global change and general scientists, students, and interested members of the public. With updated and new contributions from over fifty phenological experts, covering data collection, current research, methods, and applications, it demonstrates the accomplishments, progress over the last decade, and future potential of phenology as an integrative environmental science.
Author: Eric Post Publisher: Princeton University Press ISBN: 0691185492 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 244
Book Description
Ecologists traditionally regard time as part of the background against which ecological interactions play out. In this book, Eric Post argues that time should be treated as a resource used by organisms for growth, maintenance, and offspring production. Post uses insights from phenology—the study of the timing of life-cycle events—to present a theoretical framework of time in ecology that casts long-standing observations in the field in an entirely new light. Combining conceptual models with field data, he demonstrates how phenological advances, delays, and stasis, documented in an array of taxa, can all be viewed as adaptive components of an organism’s strategic use of time. Post shows how the allocation of time by individual organisms to critical life history stages is not only a response to environmental cues but also an important driver of interactions at the population, species, and community levels. To demonstrate the applications of this exciting new conceptual framework, Time in Ecology uses meta-analyses of previous studies as well as Post’s original data on the phenological dynamics of plants, caribou, and muskoxen in Greenland.
Author: Peter J. Morin Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: 1444341944 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 731
Book Description
All life on earth occurs in natural assemblages called communities. Community ecology is the study of patterns and processes involving these collections of two or more species. Communities are typically studied using a diversity of techniques, including observations of natural history, statistical descriptions of natural patterns, laboratory and field experiments, and mathematical modelling. Community patterns arise from a complex assortment of processes including competition, predation, mutualism, indirect effects, habitat selection, which result in the most complex biological entities on earth – including iconic systems such as rain forests and coral reefs. This book introduces the reader to a balanced coverage of concepts and theories central to community ecology, using examples drawn from terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems, and focusing on animal, plant, and microbial species. The historical development of key concepts is described using descriptions of classic studies, while examples of exciting new developments in recent studies are used to point toward future advances in our understanding of community organization. Throughout, there is an emphasis on the crucial interplay between observations, experiments, and mathematical models. This second updated edition is a valuable resource for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and established scientists who seek a broad overview of community ecology. The book has developed from a course in community ecology that has been taught by the author since 1983. Figures and tables can be downloaded for free from www.wiley.com/go/morin/communityecology
Author: Therese M. Poland Publisher: Springer Nature ISBN: 3030453677 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 455
Book Description
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.
Author: Jason H. Byrd Publisher: CRC Press ISBN: 1420008862 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 705
Book Description
The first edition of Forensic Entomology: The Utility of Arthropods in Legal Investigations broke ground on all levels, from the caliber of information provided to the inclusion of copious color photographs. With over 100 additional color photographs, an expanded reference appendix, and updated information, the second edition has raised the bar for resources in this field, elucidating the basics on insects of forensic importance. New in the Second Edition: A chapter on insect identification that presents dichotomous keys Updates on DNA molecular techniques and genetic markers Coverage of new standardization in forensic entomological analysis Chapters on climatology and thermoregulation in insects 100 new color photographs, making available a total of 650 color photographs Goes Beyond Dramatics to the Nitty Gritty of Real Practice While many books, movies, and television shows have made forensic entomology popular, this book makes it real. Going beyond dramatics to the nitty gritty of actual practice, it covers what to search for when recovering entomological evidence, how to handle items found at the crime scene, and how to use entomological knowledge in legal investigations.
Author: Matthew J. Germino Publisher: Springer ISBN: 3319249304 Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 475
Book Description
Invasions by exotic grasses, particularly annuals, rank among the most extensive and intensive ways that humans are contributing to the transformation of the earth’s surface. The problem is particularly notable with a suite of exotic grasses in the Bromus genus in the arid and semiarid regions that dominate the western United States, which extend from the dry basins near the Sierra and Cascade Ranges across the Intermountain Region and Rockies to about 105° longitude. This genus includes approximately 150 species that have a wide range of invasive and non-invasive tendencies in their home ranges and in North America. Bromus species that became invasive upon introduction to North America in the late 1800’s, such as Bromus tectorum and B. rubens, have since became the dominant cover on millions of hectares. Here, millenia of ecosystem development led to landscapes that would otherwise be dominated by perennial shrubs, herbs, and biotic soil crusts that were able to persist in spite of variable and scarce precipitation. This native ecosystem resilience is increasingly coveted by land owners and managers as more hectares lose their resistance to Bromus grasses and similar exotics and as climate, land use, and disturbance-regime changes are also superimposed. Managers are increasingly challenged to glean basic services from these ecosystems as they become invaded. Exotic annual grasses reduce wildlife and livestock carrying capacity and increase the frequency and extent of wildfi res and associated soil erosion. This book uses a unique ecoregional and multidisciplinary approach to evaluate the invasiveness, impacts, and management of the large Bromus genus. Students, researchers, and practitioners interested in Bromus specifically and invasive exotics in general will benefit from the depth of knowledge summarized in the book.
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Publisher: National Academies Press ISBN: 0309492432 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 29
Book Description
We live on a dynamic Earth shaped by both natural processes and the impacts of humans on their environment. It is in our collective interest to observe and understand our planet, and to predict future behavior to the extent possible, in order to effectively manage resources, successfully respond to threats from natural and human-induced environmental change, and capitalize on the opportunities â€" social, economic, security, and more â€" that such knowledge can bring. By continuously monitoring and exploring Earth, developing a deep understanding of its evolving behavior, and characterizing the processes that shape and reshape the environment in which we live, we not only advance knowledge and basic discovery about our planet, but we further develop the foundation upon which benefits to society are built. Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space (National Academies Press, 2018) provides detailed guidance on how relevant federal agencies can ensure that the United States receives the maximum benefit from its investments in Earth observations from space, while operating within realistic cost constraints. This short booklet, designed to be accessible to the general public, provides a summary of the key ideas and recommendations from the full decadal survey report.
Author: Claire Elizabeth Wainwright
Author: Mark D. Schwartz
Author: Eric Post
Author: Peter J. Morin
Author: 
Author: Pedro Giovâni Da Silva
Author: Therese M. Poland
Author: Jason H. Byrd
Author: Matthew J. Germino
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine