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Encyclopedia of Biodiversity

  • 3rd Edition - November 3, 2023
  • Latest edition
  • Editor: Samuel M. Scheiner
  • Language: English

Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Third Edition, Seven Volume Set provides a coherent, synthetic and comprehensive overview of the field, bringing together contributions from over 400… Read more

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Description

Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Third Edition, Seven Volume Set provides a coherent, synthetic and comprehensive overview of the field, bringing together contributions from over 400 expert academics and practitioners. The book brings together the dimensions of biodiversity and examines the services it provides and measures to protect it. Major themes include the evolution of biodiversity, systems for classifying and defining biodiversity, ecological patterns and theories of biodiversity, and an assessment of contemporary patterns and trends in biodiversity. The entire work is reviewed and updated, including new chapters on topics which have come to the forefront since the publication of the previous edition.

The science of biodiversity has become the science of our future. It is an interdisciplinary field spanning areas of both physical and life sciences. Our awareness of the loss of biodiversity has brought a long overdue appreciation of the magnitude of this loss and a determination to develop the tools to protect our future. One important feature of the new edition will be updated information on the growing biodiversity crisis.

Key features

  • Offers a one-stop shop with access to a wealth of information currently available only in scattered or non-technical sources
  • Written by renowned academics and practitioners working in different research areas, providing an all-round depiction of the field
  • Guides readers though the topic, and is written to be accessible to a general, educated audience and scientists and practitioners looking for an overview
  • Presents the latest release in a resource used by a wide range of scientists

Readership

Academic libraries serving a wide array of life science disciplines: ecology, conservation biology, evolutionary biology, animal and plant sciences, microbiology, Organizations involved in environmental policies, sustainability and conservation, e.g. The Natural Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund, the Sierra Club

Table of contents

A list of sections with short lists of contents is below:1. Theories and concepts of biodiversity: what is biodiversity, metrics of biodiversity, species definitions2. Biodiversity of taxa and clades: descriptions of various groups such as mammals, birds, insects, fungi, bacteria3. Biodiversity of biomes and communities: descriptions of various types of ecosystems such as hot deserts, tropical savannas, boreal forests, tropical forest canopies, diversity patterns along environmental and geographic gradients4. Ecological processes that determine biodiversity: how biodiversity is shaped by competition, predation, dispersal, and so forth, including both theory and empirical patterns5. Evolutionary processes that determine biodiversity: how biodiversity is shaped by natural selection, mutation, speciation, extinction, and so forth, including both theory and empirical patterns, both current and in deep time6. Conservation and management of biodiversity: how global change is affecting biodiversity, conservation in law and practice, the role of farming, fishing and other human activities in biodiversity

Product details

  • Edition: 3
  • Latest edition
  • Published: November 6, 2023
  • Language: English

About the editor

SS

Samuel M. Scheiner

Sam Scheiner is a theoretical biologist with work in various areas of evolution, ecology, and general biology. In evolution, he works on modeling phenotypic plasticity and the use of structural equation modeling for measuring trait relationships and natural selection. In ecology, he works on macroecological patterns of diversity, species richness relationships, and diversity metrics. In general biology, he is developing a set of general theories encompassing all of biology. He currently serves as a Program Director in the Division of Environmental Biology at the U.S. National Science Foundation. Previously he was an Associate Professor at Arizona State University West, and Assistant and Associate Professor at Northern Illinois University, and Adjunct Faculty at the University of Arizona. He received his BA, MS and PhD from the University of Chicago and is a AAAS Fellow.
Affiliations and expertise
Sam Scheiner is a theoretical biologist with work in various areas of evolution, ecology, and general biology

View book on ScienceDirect

Read Encyclopedia of Biodiversity on ScienceDirect