Ecology & Field Biology PDF Download

Author: Robert Leo Smith
Publisher: Prentice Hall
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 888

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Book Description
Presenting an overview of all aspects of ecology, this text includes information on evolution, ecosystems theory, plants, animals, biogeochemical cycles, and global change. The student package includes a free Evolution Lab from the BiologyLabs Online series and a CD-ROM.

Author: Robert E. Kohler
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226450112
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
What is it like to do field biology in a world that exalts experiments and laboratories? How have field biologists assimilated laboratory values and practices, and crafted an exact, quantitative science without losing their naturalist souls? In Landscapes and Labscapes, Robert E. Kohler explores the people, places, and practices of field biology in the United States from the 1890s to the 1950s. He takes readers into the fields and forests where field biologists learned to count and measure nature and to read the imperfect records of "nature's experiments." He shows how field researchers use nature's particularities to develop "practices of place" that achieve in nature what laboratory researchers can only do with simplified experiments. Using historical frontiers as models, Kohler shows how biologists created vigorous new border sciences of ecology and evolutionary biology.

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies
ISBN: 0309039274
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 471

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Book Description
Biology has entered an era in which interdisciplinary cooperation is at an all-time high, practical applications follow basic discoveries more quickly than ever before, and new technologiesâ€"recombinant DNA, scanning tunneling microscopes, and moreâ€"are revolutionizing the way science is conducted. The potential for scientific breakthroughs with significant implications for society has never been greater. Opportunities in Biology reports on the state of the new biology, taking a detailed look at the disciplines of biology; examining the advances made in medicine, agriculture, and other fields; and pointing out promising research opportunities. Authored by an expert panel representing a variety of viewpoints, this volume also offers recommendations on how to meet the infrastructure needsâ€"for funding, effective information systems, and other supportâ€"of future biology research. Exploring what has been accomplished and what is on the horizon, Opportunities in Biology is an indispensable resource for students, teachers, and researchers in all subdisciplines of biology as well as for research administrators and those in funding agencies.

Author: Peter C. Wainwright
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226869954
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 375

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Book Description
Ecological morphology examines the relation between an animal's anatomy and physiology—its form and function—and how the animal has evolved in and can inhabit a particular environment. Within the past few years, research in this relatively new area has exploded. Ecological Morphology is a synthesis of major concepts and a demonstration of the ways in which this integrative approach can yield rich and surprising results. Through this interdisciplinary study, scientists have been able to understand, for instance, how bat wing design affects habitat use and bat diet; how the size of a predator affects its ability to capture and eat certain prey; and how certain mosquitoes have evolved physiologically and morphologically to tolerate salt-water habitats. Ecological Morphology also covers the history of the field, the role of the comparative method in studying adaptation, and the use of data from modern organisms for understanding the ecology of fossil communities. This book provides an overview of the achievements and potential of ecological morphology for all biologists and students interested in the way animal design, ecology, and evolution interact.

Author: Gerald J. Bakus
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470044403
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 452

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Book Description
Quantitative methods specifically tailored for the marine biologist While there are countless texts published on quantitative methods and many texts that cover quantitative terrestrial ecology, this text fills the need for the special quantitative problems confronting marine biologists and biological oceanographers. The author combines common quantitative techniques with recent advances in quantitative methodology and then demonstrates how these techniques can be used to study marine organisms, their behaviors, and their interactions with the environment. Readers learn how to better design experiments and sampling, employ sophisticated mathematical techniques, and accurately interpret and communicate the results. Most of this text is written at an introductory level, with a few topics that advance to more complex themes. Among the topics covered are plot/plotless sampling, biometrics, experimental design, game theory, optimization, time trends, modeling, and environmental impact assessments. Even readers new to quantitative methods will find the material accessible, with plenty of features to engage their interest, promote learning, and put their knowledge into practice: * One or more examples are provided to illustrate each individual quantitative technique presented in the text * The accompanying CD-ROM features two multimedia programs, several statistical programs, help to run complex statistical programs, and additional information amplifying topics covered in the text * References lead readers to additional information to pursue individual topics in greater depth Quantitative Analysis of Marine Biological Communities, with its extensive use of examples, is ideal for undergraduate and graduate students in marine biology. Marine biologists, regardless of their level of experience, will also discover new approaches to quantitative analysis tailored to the particular needs of their field.

Author: Richard Primack
Publisher: Open Book Publishers
ISBN: 1783747536
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 712

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Book Description
Conservation Biology in Sub-Saharan Africa comprehensively explores the challenges and potential solutions to key conservation issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. Easy to read, this lucid and accessible textbook includes fifteen chapters that cover a full range of conservation topics, including threats to biodiversity, environmental laws, and protected areas management, as well as related topics such as sustainability, poverty, and human-wildlife conflict. This rich resource also includes a background discussion of what conservation biology is, a wide range of theoretical approaches to the subject, and concrete examples of conservation practice in specific African contexts. Strategies are outlined to protect biodiversity whilst promoting economic development in the region. Boxes covering specific themes written by scientists who live and work throughout the region are included in each chapter, together with recommended readings and suggested discussion topics. Each chapter also includes an extensive bibliography. Conservation Biology in Sub-Saharan Africa provides the most up-to-date study in the field. It is an essential resource, available on-line without charge, for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as a handy guide for professionals working to stop the rapid loss of biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere.

Author: Robert W. Sterner
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400885698
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 465

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Book Description
All life is chemical. That fact underpins the developing field of ecological stoichiometry, the study of the balance of chemical elements in ecological interactions. This long-awaited book brings this field into its own as a unifying force in ecology and evolution. Synthesizing a wide range of knowledge, Robert Sterner and Jim Elser show how an understanding of the biochemical deployment of elements in organisms from microbes to metazoa provides the key to making sense of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. After summarizing the chemistry of elements and their relative abundance in Earth's environment, the authors proceed along a line of increasing complexity and scale from molecules to cells, individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems. The book examines fundamental chemical constraints on ecological phenomena such as competition, herbivory, symbiosis, energy flow in food webs, and organic matter sequestration. In accessible prose and with clear mathematical models, the authors show how ecological stoichiometry can illuminate diverse fields of study, from metabolism to global change. Set to be a classic in the field, Ecological Stoichiometry is an indispensable resource for researchers, instructors, and students of ecology, evolution, physiology, and biogeochemistry. From the foreword by Peter Vitousek: ? "[T]his book represents a significant milestone in the history of ecology. . . . Love it or argue with it--and I do both--most ecologists will be influenced by the framework developed in this book. . . . There are points to question here, and many more to test . . . And if we are both lucky and good, this questioning and testing will advance our field beyond the level achieved in this book. I can't wait to get on with it."

Author: Mike Calver
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521679826
Category : Biology
Languages : en
Pages : 689

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Book Description
"Environmental Biology offers a fresh, problem-solving treatment of the topic for students requiring a biology background before further study in environmental science, sustainable development or environmental engineering. It begins with an environmental theme that carries through the text, using three major case studies with a regional focus. Key foundational knowledge is introduced and developed as the text progresses, with students encouraged to integrate their accumulated learning to reach solutions. A comprehensive coverage of scientific method, including field experimentation and field techniques, is an important part of the approach. While emphasising the environmental theme, the book introduces all facets of the biology discipline, including cell biology, evolution, ecology, conservation and restoration."--Publisher.

Author: James S. Diana
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119505747
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 564

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Book Description
Biology and Ecology of Fishes Immerse yourself in the world of fish ecology with the newest edition of this essential introduction The study of fish ecology has traditionally proceeded along two tracks: the first is more basic, concerned with the anatomy, physiology and theoretical ecology of fish, and the second is more practical, concerning itself with fish populations, management, and habitats. Many fish researchers have come to view this distinction as artificial, and to develop a new study of fish that combines both tracks in a single holistic approach. It has never been more critical for introductory textbooks to represent this combined study in order to prepare the next generation of fish biologists and fishery scientists. Biology and Ecology of Fishes meets this need with a textbook that incorporates both biology and population management. Beginning with a general introduction to aquatic life and ecosystems, this book covers anatomical, environmental, and ethological topics to give a thoroughly rounded view of its subject, promising to serve as the fundamental introduction to multidisciplinary fish studies. Readers of the third edition of Biology and Ecology of Fishes will also find: Detailed coverage of subjects including growth and bioenergetics, feeding and predation, mortality and recruitment and more Increased attention to stressors of fish populations and communities New and revised chapters that introduce quantitative methods and present emerging issues facing fish populations and communities Biology and Ecology of Fishes is a useful overview for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying fish ecology or fishery biology, as well as a reference for researchers and professionals in fish ecology, fish population management, and related fields.

Author: Jim Fowler
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118685644
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 235

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Book Description
Provides an excellent introductory text for students on the principles and methods of statistical analysis in the life sciences, helping them choose and analyse statistical tests for their own problems and present their findings. An understanding of statistical principles and methods is essential for any scientist but is particularly important for those in the life sciences. The field biologist faces very particular problems and challenges with statistics as "real-life" situations such as collecting insects with a sweep net or counting seagulls on a cliff face can hardly be expected to be as reliable or controllable as a laboratory-based experiment. Acknowledging the peculiarites of field-based data and its interpretation, this book provides a superb introduction to statistical analysis helping students relate to their particular and often diverse data with confidence and ease. To enhance the usefulness of this book, the new edition incorporates the more advanced method of multivariate analysis, introducing the nature of multivariate problems and describing the the techniques of principal components analysis, cluster analysis and discriminant analysis which are all applied to biological examples. An appendix detailing the statistical computing packages available has also been included. It will be extremely useful to undergraduates studying ecology, biology, and earth and environmental sciences and of interest to postgraduates who are not familiar with the application of multiavirate techniques and practising field biologists working in these areas.