Reproductive Allocation in Plants (Physiological Ecology)

Reproductive Allocation in Plants (Physiological Ecology)
Edward Reekie,Fakhri A. Bazzaz | 2005-10-28 00:00:00 | Academic Press | 264 | Biology
Much effort has been devoted to developing theories to explain the wide variation we observe in reproductive allocation among environments. Reproductive Allocation in Plants describes why plants differ in the proportion of their resources that they allocate to reproduction and looks into the various theories. This book examines the ecological and evolutionary explanations for variation in plant reproductive allocation from the perspective of the underlying physiological mechanisms controlling reproduction and growth. An international team of leading experts have prepared chapters summarizing the current state of the field and offering their views on the factors determining reproductive allocation in plants. This will be a valuable resource for senior undergraduate students, graduate students and researchers in ecology, plant ecophysiology, and population biology.

* 8 outstanding chapters dedicated to the evolution and ecology of variation in plant reproductive allocation
* Written by an international team of leading experts in the field
* Provides enough background information to make it accessible to senior undergraduate students
* Includes over 60 figures and 29 tables

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Evolution of the Insects (Cambridge Evolution Series)

Evolution of the Insects (Cambridge Evolution Series)
David Grimaldi,Michael S. Engel | 2005-05-16 00:00:00 | Cambridge University Press | 772 | Biology
To come
Reviews
The product arrived before the expected, in perfect conditions.

Personally I have to say that this book is one of the best books in this topic, if you have a chance to buy it, you won't regret.
Reviews
This is simply a GREAT book. I am not a scientist! The book is technically more than sound and yet accessible for the natural history buff, bug fans, those interested in flower/insect symbiosis. Anyone curious about the natural world "must-have" this book on their shelves--or rather in their hand. The book is beautiful. It is also an appropriate "gift" for a PhD specializing in etymology, although he probably already has it? Or the bright, curious high-school girl. I couldn't put it down!
Reviews
The illustrations are stunning.



The writing is judicious and comprehensive, but never tedious or stale.



The citations are comprehensive and up-to-date, and the discussion based on them synthesizes the views of naturalists, entomologists, paleontologists, biologists, and systematists, but without ever burying important contemporary controversies.



The authors are active researchers, who somehow found the time to put this gorgeous volume together for the rest of us while pursuing their own fresh interests.



You need not be a professional to read, enjoy, and benefit from this volume. Any intelligent layperson with an abiding interest in science and the deep evo-devo connections between ourselves and this most successful animal group will gain enrichment and goggle at the photos, paintings, charts, and other graphic content. Recent fossil discoveries are particularly well discussed and displayed, but the graphics are superb overall--the illustrations of grasshopper dentition are alone worth the price of admission!



Really, what more could you want?



Any tome of this size and production quality is bound to be pricey. But there are solutions to that--encourage your local public library system to obtain a copy, or indulge in a "guest researcher" membership at your nearest university library, or simply grit your teeth and get a copy now.



Because you know volumes like these don't stay in print forever, and are not the kind that diminish greatly in price over any reasonably near term.
Reviews
The book was in our hands before the predicted day and in excellent conditions. It is the recommended literature to the PhD course of Entomology, in this field.
Reviews
This book was a textbook for a course on insect fossils I took a few years ago and we read it cover to cover. My fellow classmates and I (all professional entomologists) had mixed reviews of this book. While it undoutedly provides a lot of good information and is a tremendous contribution to the field of insect fossils, it also contains several mistakes and leaves out a lot of important information. For example, the professor for my fossil insect course is one of the world's experts on giant water bug fossils and was appalled to see what was clearly a giant water bug fossil, from a formation in Germany he has studied himself, labeled as a naucorid, a completely different insect. A description of a dryopid beetle fossil on another page said that all stages of dryopids are aquatic when the larvae are terrestrial. My classmates and I found several such errata throughout the book and felt they seriously undermined the reliability of the information it contains. We were also all annoyed by the lack of molecular support for the arguments presented by the authors. While morphological data is certainly important to consider in systematic studies, it is blatently obvious that the authors don't think much of molecular phylogenetic data. This is unfortunate because in several cases, molecular data has cleared up long standing controversies over taxnomic deliniations where morphological data alone could not. It is clear from the text that the authors are more comfortable with the morphological data than molecular (as expected - they're experts on insect fossils), which would be fine if the book was called Insect Paleontology. However, this book is called Evolution of the Insects. Molecular data is a huge part of modern insect systematics and phylogenetics and any book purporting to canvas the subject of insect evolution should take advantage of the entire wealth of knowledge available and report on it all. That said, this book does what few other books does: it contains information on both extant and extinct linages and it covers the groups we know only through fossils as thoroughly as it does the living taxa. For me, that information alone makes this book worth reading, and is the reason I give it 3 stars insted of 2.

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Tiger (Reaktion Books - Animal)

Tiger (Reaktion Books - Animal)
Susie Green | 2006-01-01 00:00:00 | Reaktion | 224 | Biology
Tiger (Reaktion Books - Animal)
By Susie Green


* Publisher: Reaktion Books
* Number Of Pages: 224
* Publication Date: 2006-09-15
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 1861892764
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9781861892768



Product Description:

Contrary to popular belief, it is the tiger, not the lion, who is the true king of the jungle. A male tiger can grow to eleven feet in length and weigh more than 650 pounds. Sleek, powerful, and mysterious, the tiger is revered as a potent symbol of sexuality and ferocity in many cultures around the world. Yet the tiger’s strength and beauty has also been its downfall—nearly every part of the tiger has a value to poachers, including the animal’s hide, teeth, bones, and even sexual organs.

With Tiger, author Susie Green explores the tiger’s new status as both predator and prey. She also examines the tiger’s rich cultural history, from its valued position in Taoist mythology and the Chinese Zodiac, to more recent interpretations of the tiger’s prowess in the work of Salvador Dali. Smart, readable, and lushly illustrated, Tiger will appeal to the wide audience that admires this wonderfully vital yet highly endangered species.
(20061103)


Summary: TIGER by Susie Green
Rating: 1

Susie Green's book TIGER published in 2006 by Reaktion Books UK and printed in China is a very superficial view of the subject. There is absolutely nothing new about tigers in this paperback, unlike Dr. George Schaller's phoenominal work THE DEER & THE TIGER, or Jim Corbett's classic works on Tigers including MAN EATERS OF KUMAON. No field studies conducted by the author for this book. Instead the author focused on books written by Valmik Thapar and Kailash Sankhala - one hated Jim Corbett who was detrimental in creating India's first national park to protect tigers in 1935, and the other completely avoided acknowledging Corbett for his works towards the conservation of tigers and other wildlife in India. Arjan Singh calls it a canard, and unfortunately both Sankhala and his desciple Thapar showed it.

Susie Green (most likely a pen name) copies Sankhala's hatred towards Corbett (without acknowledging it) by saying that Jim Corbett enjoyed the patronage of the viceroy, and if he chose to designate a tiger as a man eater, his judgement would not be disputed. She further goes on to attack Corbett thus " the killing of beasts even more dangerous than the regular run of vilified tigers made Corbett appear a bigger and brave man than the other hunters, a desire deeply embedded in his psyche.... and he rarely put himself in real danger" Her hatred towards Corbett is so intense, she continues to bash Corbett by calling him an 'enthusiastic animal slaughterer' and 'one of Raj's chief tiger slaughterers who manipulated the tigers' reputation so expertly through his blood curdling writing that he himself appeared as a saviour, was in reality a man with a massive lust for power and status'.

Whoever is behind the name Susie Green, one gets the impression that the author has done no research on tigers, never seen a tiger alive in her lifetime and has no qualifications whatsoever to tackle the subject. Instead of visiting museums and Thai temples, the author should have visited the tiger reserves and spent more time learning the basics about tigers by talking to people who have had actual encounters with wild tigers in the field. Bashing Corbett, who died in 1955 when Susie Green was likely in diapers, is like calling Sir Winston Churchill a sissy.

In short, the book is a great disappointment, then again buying a product from an unknown author is a gamble.It could have saved a few trees in China by not printing it. If it is not for the atrocious cost of the postage, I would have returned my copy of TIGER.


Summary: What a lovely book!
Rating: 5

What a lovely book! I bought this book after having a dream about a friend who was a tiger and imparted to me animal wisdom -- and knowing also that I was born the Year of the Tiger, I decided to learn more about tigers. Although this book explores in part the behaviors of tigers, it focuses considerably on the symbolism, meanings, spirituality etc. of tigers throughout history and across many cultures. The color photographs are high quality and add much to the fascinating text. Chapters include: Evolution and Natural History, Earthly Passion and Spiritual Balance, The Power of Image and Strength of Reality, The Psychology of Fear: Tiger Tamed and Degraded, Conservation of Tigers, Timeline.
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Introduction to Population Biology

Introduction to Population Biology
Dick Neal | 2004-02-09 00:00:00 | Cambridge University Press | 408 | Biology
This text adopts an evolutionary perspective on population biology. To help undergraduate students better understand the subject, Dick Neal presents step-by-step spreadsheet simulations of many basic equations that explore the outcomes or predictions of the various models. Proven examples demonstrate how the equations can be applied to biological questions, and problem sets and detailed solutions challenge the student's comprehension. Many real life examples are also included to help the reader relate the quantitative theory to the natural world.

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Flowering Plants

Flowering Plants
Armen Takhtajan | 2009-01-01 00:00:00 | Springer | 905 | Biology
Armen Takhtajan is among the greatest authorities in the world on the evolution of plants. This book culminates almost sixty years of the scientist's research of the origin and classification of the flowering plants. It presents a continuation of Dr. Takhtajan's earlier publications including "Systema Magnoliophytorum" (1987), (in Russian), and "Diversity and Classification of Flowering Plants" (1997), (in English). In his latest book, the author presents a concise and significantly revised system of plant classification ('Takhtajan system') based on the most recent studies in plant morphology, embryology, phytochemistry, cytology, molecular biology and palynology. Flowering plants are divided into two classes: class Magnoliopsida (or Dicotyledons) includes 8 subclasses, 126 orders, c. 440 families, almost 10,500 genera, and no less than 195,000 species; and, class Liliopsida (or Monocotyledons) includes 4 subclasses, 31 orders, 120 families, more than 3,000 genera, and about 65,000 species. This book contains a detailed description of plant orders, and descriptive keys to plant families providing characteristic features of the families and their differences.
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Falcon (Reaktion Books - Animal)

Falcon (Reaktion Books - Animal)
Helen Macdonald | 2006-01-01 00:00:00 | Reaktion Books | 208 | Biology
The fastest animal on earth, the falcon deserves attention not just for the combination of speed, power, beauty and ferocity that have made it an object of fascination for thousands of years, but for the light it sheds on the cultures through which it has flown. This book, bridging science and cultural history, surveys the practical and symbolic uses of falcons in human culture in new and exciting ways.

Helen Macdonald describes the complete history of the bird, ranging across the globe and over many millennia, as well as incorporating the latest scientific discoveries. There are chapters on falcon natural history; myth and legend; falconry; conservation; falcons in the military, in urban settings and the corporate world. Along the way the reader will discover how falcons were mobilized in secret military projects, their links with espionage, the Third Reich and the space programme, and how they’ve featured in erotic stories. The book explores their veneration as gods in Ancient Egypt, their role as cultural icons in the Middle East, and their recruitment by the advertising industry to promote all manner of products, from photocopiers to jet planes.

Falcon combines in-depth practical, personal and scientific knowledge of falcons with a strong analytical perspective on the place of these birds in human history. It will be enjoyed by specialists and non-specialists alike: lovers of the countryside, birdwatchers or anyone who has ever wondered why falcons are so compelling.
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Spatial Complexity, Informatics, and Wildlife Conservation

Spatial Complexity, Informatics, and Wildlife Conservation
Sam Cushman, Falk Huettmann | 2010-01-01 00:00:00 | Springer; 1 edition | 464 | Biology
As Earth faces the greatest mass extinction in 65 million years, the present is a moment of tremendous foment and emergence in ecological science. With leaps in advances in ecological research and the technical tools available, scientists face the critical task of challenging policymakers and the public to recognize the urgency of our global crisis. This book focuses directly on the interplay between theory, data, and analytical methodology in the rapidly evolving fields of animal ecology, conservation, and management. The mixture of topics of particular current relevance includes landscape ecology, remote sensing, spatial modeling, geostatistics, genomics, and ecological informatics. The greatest interest to the practicing scientist and graduate student will be the synthesis and integration of these topics to provide a composite view of the emerging field of spatial ecological informatics and its applications in research and management.
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Incredible Insects Q & A

Incredible Insects Q & A
DK Publishing | 2009-01-01 00:00:00 | DK CHILDREN | 64 | Biology
How did the katydid get its name? Do praying mantises really eat their mates? Is a spider an insect? Find out the answers to these questions and hundreds more in Incredible Insects Q&A. Gorgeous photographs reveal the secrets of the insect world in this truly incredible book. No stone or leaf or rotting log was left unturned to get the most up-to-date and fascinating answers in the world!
This Q&A series is a favorite among young readers, their parents, and teachers. Hundreds of questions are presented and answered in easy-to-understand language that really brings zoology, ecology, and other sciences right to the reader. Incredible Insects is the third in the series, which also includes Amazing Animals Q&A and Dangerous Dinosaurs Q&A.


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The Theory of Evolution and Dynamical Systems: Mathematical Aspects of Selection (London Mathematical Society Student Texts)

The Theory of Evolution and Dynamical Systems: Mathematical Aspects of Selection (London Mathematical Society Student Texts)
Josef Hofbauer | 1988-10-28 00:00:00 | Cambridge University Press | 352 | Biology
Product Description: This textbook is an introduction to dynamical systems and its applications to evolutionary game theory, mathematical ecology, and population genetics. This first English edition is a translation from the authors' successful German edition which has already made an enormous impact on the teaching and study of mathematical biology. The book's main theme is to discuss the solution of differential equations that arise from examples in evolutionary biology. Topics covered include the Hardy-Weinberg law, the Lotka-Volterra equations for ecological models, genetic evolution, aspects of sociobiology, and mutation and recombination. There are numerous examples and exercises throughout and the reader is led up to some of the most recent developments in the field. Thus the book will make an ideal introduction to the subject for graduate students in mathematics and biology coming to the subject for the first time. Research workers in evolutionary theory will also find much of interest here in the application of powerful mathematical techniques to the subject.
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Mathematical Biology Research Trends

Mathematical Biology Research Trends
Lachlan B. Wilson | 2009-01-30 00:00:00 | Nova Science Publishers | 312 | Biology
Applying mathematics to biology has a long history, but only recently has there been an explosion of interest in the field. Some reasons for this include: the explosion of data-rich information sets, due to the genomics revolution, which are difficult to understand without the use of analytical tools, recent development of mathematical tools such as chaos theory to help understand complex, non-linear mechanisms in biology, an increase in computing power which enables calculations and simulations to be performed that were not previously possible, and an increasing interest in in-silico experimentation due to the complications involved in human and animal research.

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The Fundamentals of Modern Statistical Genetics (Statistics for Biology and Health)

The Fundamentals of Modern Statistical Genetics (Statistics for Biology and Health)
Nan M. Laird | 2010-12-02 00:00:00 | Springer | 226 | Biology
Product Description:

This book covers the statistical models and methods that are used to understand human genetics, following the historical and recent developments of human genetics. Starting with Mendel’s first experiments to genome-wide association studies, the book describes how genetic information can be incorporated into statistical models to discover disease genes. All commonly used approaches in statistical genetics (e.g. aggregation analysis, segregation, linkage analysis, etc), are used, but the focus of the book is modern approaches to association analysis. Numerous examples illustrate key points throughout the text, both of Mendelian and complex genetic disorders.

The intended audience is statisticians, biostatisticians, epidemiologists and quantitatively- oriented geneticists and health scientists wanting to learn about statistical methods for genetic analysis, whether to better analyze genetic data, or to pursue research in methodology. A background in intermediate level statistical methods is required. The authors include few mathematical derivations, and the exercises provide problems for students with a broad range of skill levels. No background in genetics is assumed.
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Environmental Evolution: Effects of the Origin and Evolution of Life on Planet Earth

Environmental Evolution: Effects of the Origin and Evolution of Life on Planet Earth
Lynn Margulis | 1900-01-01 00:00:00 | MIT Press | 405 | Biology
This text provides an accessible introduction to critical changes in the biosphere that have occurred since life's origin. Based on a course developed by Lynn Margulis and colleagues over many years, it presents an integrated view of how our planet evolved. "Environmental Evolution" differs from Earth-science textbooks in its consideration of geology as it is shaped by life. Fifteen scientists reflect on major events in the history of life on Earth. Comparisons with the atmospheres of other planets, laboratory studies on the origins of life, and fossil evidence of microbial communities all contribute to the story of early life and its environment. The ability of modern bacteria to trap, bind, and precipitate calcium carbonate explains the presence of stromatolites from the Archean and Proterozoic eons. Evidence from cell biology provides clues to the origin of eukaryotic cells by multiple serial symbiosis. Transcending academic boundaries, the Gaia hypothesis shows how the sensing, growing, excreting, gas-exchanging, sediment-binding biota (plants, animals, and microbes) have irreversibly altered the third planet - from the origin of life some 14 billion years ago to the present. "Environmental Evolution" includes a glossary, charts and tables, lists of recommended readings, and an appendix that offers strategies for teaching, sample syllabuses, and suggestions for assignments and class presentations. Contributors include E.S. Barghorn, R. Buchsbaum, D.Deamer, S. Golubic, A. Knoll, A. Lazcano, J.E. Lovelock, L. Margulis, C. Matthews, M. Mc Elroy, C. Ponnamperuma, R. Siever, P. Strother, T. Swain, and N. Todd.

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Rt-Pcr Protocols

Rt-Pcr Protocols
Joe O Connell | 1900-01-01 00:00:00 | Humana Press | 1 | Biology
Rt-Pcr Protocols
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Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard: The Mysterious World of Mushrooms, Molds, and Mycologists

Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard: The Mysterious World of Mushrooms, Molds, and Mycologists
Nicholas P. Money | 2004-01-01 00:00:00 | Oxford University Press | 224 | Biology
Wow! I never thought Id enjoy a book on fungi this much. Parts of it are not a particularly easy read, but the information it contains is mind blowing. Forget terrorists; if fungi and mold decided to take out the human race it would be no contest.

We tend not to think of fungi as being a very important part of our world. We might occasionally have mushrooms on pizza or steak, we might notice fungi growing on an old tree or on something that has been kept too long in the refrigerator, but thats about it. In fact fungi has a vast influence in our world, from breaking down fallen trees in the forest to making our bread and beer. Have you ever wondered how dandruff was formed? Guess what plays a major role.

The writer, who presents often bizarre information with wit and style, reminds us that one fungi, covering 2000 acres in Oregon, is thought to be the worlds largest living organism. Even the more prosaic information comes to life in this book - I enjoyed his description of the speed a spore is catapulted from a gill.

Some of the most interesting sections are the mini-biographies of scientists who have researched fungi and added to our knowledge of them. There was Buller, for instance, a professor whose students called him Uncle Reggie, and Ingold who found a totally unknown kind of fungus in water. There are now over 300 species of Ingoldian fungi known and in fall you can find about 20,000 of them in every litre of brook water.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the natural world. Youll need to expend a little effort reading the more scholarly parts of it, but youll learn some amazing stuff about fungi, mold and the scientists who discovered them.
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Goat Science and Production

Goat Science and Production
Sandra G. Solaiman | 2010-01-01 00:00:00 | Wiley-Blackwell | 444 | Biology
Goat Science and Production presents comprehensive, state-of-the-art information on the science of goats and goat production for meat, dairy, and fiber. Chapters provide a fundamental understanding of the goat anatomy and physiology as well as production issues such as welfare, disease management, and feeding. Goat Science and Production is an essential introduction and reference to this increasingly important production animal.
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Complete Course in Astrobiology

Complete Course in Astrobiology
Gerda Horneck, Petra Rettberg | 2007-01-01 00:00:00 | Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co KGaA | 436 | Biology
Astrobiology is a relatively new research area that addresses questions that have intrigued humans for a long time: “How did life originate?” “Are we alone in the Universe?” “What is the future of life on Earth and in the Universe?” These questions are jointly tackled by scientists converging from widely different fields, reaching from astrophysics to molecular biology and from planetology to ecology, among others. Whereas classical biological research has concentrated on the only example of “life” so far known – life on Earth – astrobiology extends the boundaries of biological investigations beyond the Earth to other planets, comets, meteorites, and space at large. Focal points are the different steps of the evolutionary pathways through cosmic history that may be related to the origin, evolution, and distribution of life. In the interstellar medium, as well as in comets and meteorites, complex organics are detected in huge reservoirs that eventually may provide the chemical ingredients for life.
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Genetic NatureCulture Anthropology and Science beyond the Two-Culture Divide

Genetic NatureCulture Anthropology and Science beyond the Two-Culture Divide
Alan Goodman | 2003-01-01 00:00:00 | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS | 1 | Biology
Genetic NatureCulture Anthropology and Science beyond the Two-Culture Divide
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