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The aim of this manual is to provide a comprehensive guide to the methods involved in collecting, preparing and screening plants for bioactive properties for manipulating key ruminal fermentation pathways and against gastrointestinal pathogens. The manual will better equip the reader with methodological approaches to initiate screening programmes to test for bioactivity in native plants and find ‘natural’ alternatives to chemicals for manipulating ruminal fermentation and gut health. The manual provides isotopic and non-isotopic techniques to efficiently screen plants or plant parts for a range of potential bioactives for livestock production. Each chapter has been contributed by experts in the field and methods have been presented in a format that is easily reproducible in the laboratory. It is hoped that this manual will be of great value to students, researchers and those involved in developing efficient and environmentally friendly livestock production systems.

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Savannas cover approximately half of the African land surface and one fifth of the land surface of the world. They are one of the most important, but least understood terrestrial ecosystems. They are the basis of the African livestock industry and the wildlife they support is of key importance in bringing in tourists. The Nylsvley area in South Africa is one of the most intensively studied savanna regions in the world and as such it is a key source of data and theory relating to this important tropical biome. The South African Savanna Biome Programme was set up to develop the understanding necessary to predict changes in the ecosystem stability induced by both natural and man-made stresses. This book provides a synthesis of the programme's sixteen years of research at Nylsvley and aims to develop a unified vision of the ecology of the dry savanna. ... Read more

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Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the heart of Maasailand is one of the world's most important conservation heritage areas. This book centres on a field study of the Ngorongoro Maasai and their herds, around which present knowledge of African rangeland, wildlife, livestock and pastoralist ecology is brought together and analysed. Management problems in Ngorongoro encapsulate many of the major debates in the ecology and conservation of African savannas. This book explores perceived problems, ecological facts and possible management solutions. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the authors argue a highly charged issue in terms of ecological fact and theory. This is an essential book for all those interested in the interface between wildlife conservation and human land use, whether professional ecologists or biologists, conservationists or resource managers, development workers or rural planners, and more generally, all those concerned with the ecological facts behind environmental and development issues. ... Read more

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Timber production is often the most economic form of land use in areas of tropical forest: forest preservation is rarely so. The area of tropical forest reserved for timber production exceeds that of National Parks and other preserved areas by a ratio of at least 8:1. Although often poorly managed to date, production forests have the potential to support a high percentage of natural forest biodiversity. They have a vital role to play in conservation strategies. This book attempts to bridge the current gap between conservation requirements and commercial interests, indicating the possibilities for integrated management of tropical forests. The aim is to develop a justification and practical approach for the management of production forest as a supplement to totally-protected forest in the conservation of tropical biodiversity. ... Read more

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With a population of more than eighteen million people, Mexico City is a major metropolitan area where the effects of urban development on air quality are of immediate concern. Air pollution exposures and effects on forests in the Mexico City Air Basin are in many respects similar to those reported in the Los Angeles, California Air Basin. Studies of air pollution impacts on forests in these two regions may serve as models for urban areas all over the world. Although scientists have studied air pollution and its effects on forests and vegetation in the Mexico City Air Basin for years, this book reviews and synthesizes this body of work for the first time. This synthesis is particularly valuable as air pollution increases at an alarming rate along with global urbanization. A thorough discussion of regional geology, climate and hydrology, historical natural resource utilization, and sociological factors provide the context for evaluating air pollution impacts on the highly valued forests surrounding this megacity. The environmental and ecological consequences of chronic exposure to biologically important pollutants are considered in various case studies. Finally, the editors discuss the state of air pollution research in the Mexico City Air Basin and the outlook for the health and sustainability of forests within the Basin. ... Read more

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Despite impressive innovations by some states, western water laws and institutions now in place were designed chiefly for an earlier era and have not adapted to the new demands and stresses on water resources.In Water and the Arid Lands of the Western United States the authors explore the nature of water demands in the agricultural and municipal sectors and set forth prescriptions for the west to move away from its historical reliance on expensive supply-side projects and toward better management of existing supplies.Six cases studies by experts in the field illustrate specific examples of water management issues.Taking as foci the Central Valley of California, the High Plains of Texas, and the Upper Basin of the Colorado River, three of the case studies examine problems faced by the large urban areas of southern California; Tucson, Arizona; and Denver, Colorado. A concluding chapter suggests practical policy options and politically feasible institutional changes for maximizing the efficiency of water use and minimizing the conflict associated with the reallocation of limited water supplies. ... Read more

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Student Unit Guides are perfect for revision. Each guide is written by an examiner and explains the unit requirements, summarises the relevant unit content and includes a series of specimen questions and answers. There are three sections to each guide: Introduction -- includes advice on how to use the guide, an explanation of the skills being tested by the assessment objectives, an outline of the unit or module and, depending on the unit, suggestions for how to revise effectively and prepare for the examination questions. Content Guidance -- provides an examiner's overview of the module's key terms and concepts and identifies opportunities to exhibit the skills required by the unit. It is designed to help students to structure their revision and make them aware of the concepts they need to understand the exam and how they might analyse and evaluate topics. Question and Answers -- sample questions and with graded answers which have been carefully written to reflect the style of the unit. All responses are accompanied by commentaries which highlight their respective strengths and weaknesses, giving students an insight into the mind of the examiner. ... Read more

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The state of the Northeast Atlantic fisheries in recent years has highlighted implementation as the Achilles heel of modern fisheries management: discards, unreported or misreported landings are in many cases recognised to effectively subvert sound conservation goals. Implementation is thus a key factor in avoiding fisheries crises. While social science literature on fisheries management has tended to regard the implementation of resource conservation policies as a question of effective enforcement, this book seeks to widen the perspective taken on implementation in fisheries management. The cases presented in this volume addresses legal, administrative, and political challenges regarding implementation of resource conservation policies. The book addresses problems relating to goal achievement, but also causes of deliberate change of political goals during implementation. Fisheries management systems are embedded in inert social structures and natural conditions that vary among different states. Consequently, the book takes a historical and comparative approach, describing the historical developments of national implementation systems and the conditions that shaped their development. It thus seeks to explain why national fisheries management systems have evolved differently, focusing on Norwegian, Faeroese, and EU/Danish management systems. The descriptive and explanatory outlines are accompanied by qualitative assessments of the systems effectiveness as tools for collective action.

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Since the industrialization of fishing, fisheries scientists have been subject to intense economic and political pressures, which have affected the way the science has developed. The origins and effects of these pressures are traced in this book to concerns about determining the causes of fluctuations in fish and whale catches, and to resistance to regulation of fishing activity when populations are depleted. The development of partial theories of fish population dynamics are described using examples of both national and international fisheries. The causes of the difficulties encountered in generalizing these theories are examined, setting the stage for the limitation of scope of these studies that still influences the form and extent of fisheries research today. ... Read more

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Hardbound. Genetic adaptations for particular husbandry conditions of cattle is the subject of this book. This timely presentation of vast genetic knowledge corresponds to the urgent present need of conservation for new genetic engineering programmes and applications of genetic adaptation for practical livestock production. ... Read more

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This introductory textbook examines diminishing terrestrial and aquatic habitats in the tropics, covering a broad range of topics including the fate of the coral reefs; the impact of agriculture, urbanization, and logging on habitat depletion; and the effects of fire on plants and animal survival.

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• Includes case studies and interviews with prominent conservation scientists to help situate key concepts in a real world context
  
• Covers a broad range of topics including: the fate of the coral reefs; the impact of agriculture, urbanization, and logging on habitat depletion; and the effects of fire on plants and animal survival
  
• Highlights conservation successes in the region, and emphasizes the need to integrate social issues, such as human hunger, into a tangible conservation plan
  
• Documents the current state of the field as it looks for ways to predict future outcomes and lessen human impact

“Sodhi et al. have done a masterful job of compiling a great deal of literature from around the tropical realm, and they have laid out the book in a fruitful and straightforward manner…I plan to use it as a reference and as supplemental reading for several courses and I would encourage others to do the same.” Ecology, 90(4), 2009, pp. 1144–1145 ... Read more

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This book serves as an advanced text on fisheries and fishery population dynamics and as a reference for fisheries scientists. It provides a thorough treatment of contemporary topics in quantitative fisheries science and emphasizes the link between biology and theory by explaining the assumptions inherent in the quantitative methods. The analytical methods are accessible to a wide range of biologists, and the book includes numerous examples. The book is unique in covering such advanced topics as optimal harvesting, migratory stocks, age-structured models, and size models. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

This is THE reference for quantitative fish biologists!
This is a well organized book that includes relevant real-world examples and all the latest in contemporary population dynamics.Aside from an appalling cover design, this book is a winner!

The good book...
This is the book -I- keep on the nightstand.Covers a broad base ofcontemporary population dynamics with relevant examples.Disregarding theinsipid cover design, its an essential addition to any biologist's library

An everyday reference for fishery managers and modelers.
This one is a keeper!A comprehensive masterpiece of the world of dynamic fish populaton modeling.Excellent examples using a multitude of fish species makes this book a must for anyone involved in fishery research ormanagement into the new millenium.I give the books content 5 starsalthough I, also, would like to see the release of a new book jacket.

A thorough review of fish population dynamic modeling
An excellent resource for anyone involved in the world of fisheries stock assessment or population dynamics.I only give it 4 stars because of the poor cover design. ... Read more

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Summarizing landmark research, Volume 2 of this essentialseries furnishes information on the availability of germplasm resources that breeders can exploit for producing high-yielding cereal crop varieties. Written by leading international experts, this volume offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on employing genetic resources to increase the yield of those cereal crops that provide the main source of nutrition for two-thirds of the world.

In thirteen succinct chapters, Genetic Resources, Chromosome Engineering, and Crop Improvement: Cereals, Volume 2 focuses on wheat, rice, maize, oats, barley, millet, sorghum, and rye, as well as triticale: a wheat and rye hybrid with great potential.

An introductory chapter outlines the cytogenetic architecture of cereal crops, describes the principles and strategies of cytogenetics and breeding, and summarizes landmarks in current research. This sets the stage for the ensuing crop-specific chapters. Each chapter generally provides a comprehensive account of the crop, its origin, wild relatives, exploitation of genetic resources in the primary, secondary, and tertiary gene pools through breeding and cytogenetic manipulation, and genetic enrichment using the tools of molecular genetics and biotechnology.

Certain to become the standard reference for improving the yields of these critical grains, this book is the definitive source of information for plant breeders, agronomists, cytogeneticists, taxonomists, molecular biologists, biotechnologists, and graduate students and researchers in these fields. ... Read more

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Many mushrooms—or the "fruits of fungi"—are extremely valuable, wild-gathered products which are utilized for both their medicinal properties and as food. In many of the world's tropical and temperate forests, they are the primary source of income for the people who live there.

These forests range from temperate woodlands and small forests to high altitude forests in the Himalaya and tropical miombo woodlands in south-central Africa. In south-west China, over 200 species of wild fungi in 64 genera are commercially traded while in Europe and North America, woodlands and small forests are the source of many highly-prized mushrooms and an essential resource for many small enterprises and collectors. Yet the increased demand for timber has resulted in the rapid expansion of forestry, which in turn has destroyed the natural habitat of many fungi, unbalancing both forest economics and ecology.

Despite the economic, social and cultural values of fungi, there is a general lack of understanding of their importance to local livelihoods and forest ecology. This book fills this gap and extends the People and Plants Conservation Series beyond the plant kingdom into the related world of fungi and mushrooms. It demonstrates the crucial roles that fungi play in maintaining forest ecosystems and the livelihoods of rural people throughout the world while providing good practice guidelines for the sustainable management of this resource and an assessment of economic value. It brings together the perspectives of biologists, anthropologists and forest and woodland managers to provide a unique inter-disciplinary and international overview of the key issues. ... Read more

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Explores perceptions of nature, wildlife and biological diversity, including the impact of cultural and social issues on conservation practices. Examines existing political, economic and legislative limitations and constraints. Discusses conservation at practice at various levels and scales. Paper. ... Read more

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This is the first introductory text on conservation biology to focus clearly on southern Australia and the problems that face its native animals and plants and their habitats as a result of human interference. Beginning with a comprehensive discussion of the broad principles of conservation biology and its importance in Australia, Conservation Biology covers: the development of conservation practive and theory in Australia, using local examples to provide a framework for understanding; the extent and nature of the need for conservation in southern Australia; extinction and its significance; the meanings, levels, and interpretation of the concept of biodiversity; the notion of rarity, and its evaluation in terms of establishing the conservation status of flora and fauna; approaches to species and ecosystem conservation, including reserve design and setting priorities for conservation management, conservation beyond reserves, and ex situ conservation (encompassing captive breeding and reintroduction); the considerable number of threats to species and ecosystems; Australia's conservation responsibilities in a global context.
Conservation Biology features a series of topical case histories that highlight management issues and some of the successes and disappointments that have occurred, and each chapter includes suggestions for further reading. ... Read more

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In this volume, leading world authorities present the state of the art of conservation biology, and advise on how this knowledge can be used to further the goals of the World Commission on Environment and Development as stated in its famed report, "Our Common Future." Long-term conservation and the preservation of living natural resources will depend on the concerted efforts of a variety of professions and community sectors.Here authors discuss conservation from various perspectives in genetics, ecology, economics, politics, ethics and philosophy, and underline the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach for the rational management of Earth's vital ecosystems. The book concludes with three sets of recommendations for action in biodiversity conservation, aimed at environmental policymakers, managers, administrators, and researchers. ... Read more