Alien Species in North America and Hawaii Impacts on Natural Ecosystems

Alien Species in North America and Hawaii Impacts on Natural Ecosystems PDF

Author: George W. Cox

Publisher: Turtleback

Published: 1999-09-01

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780613917230

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The world is in the midst of ecological an explosion with devastating implications. Thousands of species of microbes, plants, and animals are being introduced, both deliberately and inadvertently, to new land areas, seas, and fresh-waters.Alien Species in North America and Hawaii provides a comprehensive overview of the invasive species phenomenon, examining the threats posed and the damage that has already been done. It offers a framework for understanding the problem and provides a detailed examination of species and regions. Specific chapters examine: -- North American invaders and their threats -- how exotic species are dispersed to new regions -- patterns of exotic invasions, with separate chapters covering each of the ten most seriously invaded regions and ecosystems -- patterns of invasiveness exhibited by major groups of exotics -- the theory of invasive capability of alien species and the resistance of communities to invasion -- management and public policy issuesAlien Species in North America and Hawaii offers for the first time an assessment and synthesis of the problem of invasive species in North American and Hawaiian ecosystems. Scientists, conservation professsionals, policymakers, and anyone involved with the study and control of invasive species will find the book an essential guide and reference.

Alien Species in North America and Hawaii

Alien Species in North America and Hawaii PDF

Author: George W. Cox

Publisher:

Published: 1999-09

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The world is in the midst of an ecological explosion with devastating implications. Thousands of species of microbes, plants, and animals are being introduced, both deliberately and inadvertently, to new land areas, seas, and freshwaters. In many regions, these new colonists are running wild, disrupting the dynamics of ecosystems, pushing native species toward extinction, and causing billions of dollars in direct economic damages.Alien Species in North America and Hawaii provides a comprehensive overview of the invasive species phenomenon, examining the threats posed and the damage that has already been done to ecosystems across North America and Hawaii. George W. Cox considers both the biological theory underlying invasions and the potential and actual effects on ecosystems and human activities. His book offers a framework for understanding the problem and provides a detailed examination of species and regions. Specific chapters examine: North American invaders and their threats how exotic species are dispersed to new regions how physical and biotic features influence the establishment and spread of invasives patterns of exotic invasions, with separate chapters covering each of the ten most seriously invaded regions and ecosystems patterns of invasiveness exhibited by major groups of exotics the theory of invasive capability of alien species and the resistance of communities to invasion theoretical aspects of ecosystem impacts of invaders and the evolutionary interaction of invaders and natives management and public policy issuesAlien Species in North America and Hawaii offers for the first time an assessment and synthesis of the problem of invasive species in North American and Hawaiian ecosystems. Scientists, conservation professionals, policymakers, and anyone involved with the study and control of invasive species will find the book an essential guide and reference to one of the most serious and widespread threats to global biodiversity.

Alien Species and Evolution

Alien Species and Evolution PDF

Author: George W. Cox

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2013-04-10

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 1597268356

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In Alien Species and Evolution, biologist George W. Cox reviews and synthesizes emerging information on the evolutionary changes that occur in plants, animals, and microbial organisms when they colonize new geographical areas, and on the evolutionary responses of the native species with which alien species interact. The book is broad in scope, exploring information across a wide variety of taxonomic groups, trophic levels, and geographic areas. It examines theoretical topics related to rapid evolutionary change and supports the emerging concept that species introduced to new physical and biotic environments are particularly prone to rapid evolution. The author draws on examples from all parts of the world and all major ecosystem types, and the variety of examples used gives considerable insight into the patterns of evolution that are likely to result from the massive introduction of species to new geographic regions that is currently occurring around the globe. Alien Species and Evolution is the only state-of-the-art review and synthesis available of this critically important topic, and is an essential work for anyone concerned with the new science of invasion biology or the threats posed by invasive species.

Freshwater Biodiversity

Freshwater Biodiversity PDF

Author: David Dudgeon

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-05-21

Total Pages: 517

ISBN-13: 1108882625

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Growing human populations and higher demands for water impose increasing impacts and stresses upon freshwater biodiversity. Their combined effects have made these animals more endangered than their terrestrial and marine counterparts. Overuse and contamination of water, overexploitation and overfishing, introduction of alien species, and alteration of natural flow regimes have led to a 'great thinning' and declines in abundance of freshwater animals, a 'great shrinking' in body size with reductions in large species, and a 'great mixing' whereby the spread of introduced species has tended to homogenize previously dissimilar communities in different parts of the world. Climate change and warming temperatures will alter global water availability, and exacerbate the other threat factors. What conservation action is needed to halt or reverse these trends, and preserve freshwater biodiversity in a rapidly changing world? This book offers the tools and approaches that can be deployed to help conserve freshwater biodiversity.

Invasive Plants

Invasive Plants PDF

Author: Sylvan Ramsey Kaufman

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2023-09-08

Total Pages: 545

ISBN-13: 0811772373

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

An easy-to-use, wide-ranging guide to invasive plants in North America. Features full-color photos and descriptions of more than 250 alien species—both terrestrial and aquatic—that are in some cases changing the landscape to an almost unimaginable degree. Accompanying text describes the plant's environmental and economic impacts as well as management techniques used to control it. Also includes an explanation of what an invasive is and a step-by-step identification key. An essential guide to understanding this unprecedented environmental challenge.

Social Issues in America

Social Issues in America PDF

Author: James Ciment

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-03-04

Total Pages: 2056

ISBN-13: 1317459717

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

More than 150 key social issues confronting the United States today are covered in this eight-volume set: from abortion and adoption to capital punishment and corporate crime; from obesity and organized crime to sweatshops and xenophobia.

Feather Trails

Feather Trails PDF

Author: Sophie A. H. Osborn

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2024-05-02

Total Pages: 318

ISBN-13: 1645022439

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The story of one woman’s remarkable work with a trio of charismatic, endangered bird species—and her discoveries about the devastating threats that imperil them. In Feather Trails, wildlife biologist and birder Sophie A. H. Osborn reveals how the harmful environmental choices we’ve made—including pesticide use, the introduction of invasive species, lead poisoning, and habitat destruction—have decimated Peregrine Falcons, Hawaiian Crows, and California Condors. In the Rocky Mountains, the cloud forests of Hawai’i, and the Grand Canyon, Sophie and her colleagues work day-to-day to try to reintroduce these birds to the wild, even when it seems that the odds are steeply stacked against their survival. With humor and suspense, Feather Trails introduces us to the fascinating behaviors and unique personalities of Sophie’s avian charges and shows that what endangers them ultimately threatens all life on our planet. More than a deeply researched environmental investigation, Feather Trails is also a personal journey and human story, in which Sophie overcomes her own obstacles—among them heat exhaustion, poachers, rattlesnakes, and chauvinism. Ultimately, Feather Trails is an inspiring, poignant narrative about endangered birds and how our choices can help to ensure a future not only for the rarest species, but for us too. "An intimate look at the wonder and effort needed for working with endangered species in the wild. [Osborn's] matter-of-fact writing style and wry humor make the reader part of the action."—Booklist (starred review)

Invasion Biology

Invasion Biology PDF

Author: Mark A. Davis

Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand

Published: 2009-01-29

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 0199218757

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Carefully balanced to avoid distinct taxonomic, ecosystem, and geographic biases, the book addresses a wide range of invasive species (including protists, invertebrates, vertebrates, fungi, and plants), which have been studied in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments throughout the world by investigators equally diverse in their origins."--BOOK JACKET.

Insect Biodiversity

Insect Biodiversity PDF

Author: Robert G. Foottit

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2009-03-03

Total Pages: 656

ISBN-13: 9781444308228

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society brings togetherleading scientific experts to assess the impact insects have onhumankind and the earth’s fragile ecosystems. It examines whyinsect biodiversity matters and how the rapid evolution of insectspecies is affecting us all. Insects and related arthropods make up more than 50 percent ofthe known animal diversity globally, yet a lack of knowledge aboutinsects is hindering the advance of science and society. This bookexplores the wide variety in type and number of insect species andtheir evolutionary relationships. Case studies offer assessments onhow insect biodiversity can help meet the needs of a rapidlyexpanding human population, and also examine the consequences thatan increased loss of insect species will have on the world. The book concludes that a better understanding of the biologyand ecology of insects is the only way to sustainably manageecosystems in an ever changing global environment.