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Books in Agricultural and biological sciences

The Agricultural and Biological Sciences collection advances science-based knowledge for the improvement of animal and plant life and for secure food systems that produce nutritious, novel, sustainable foods with minimal environmental impact. Food Science titles include not only those products from agriculture but all other aspects from food production to nutrition, health and safety, chemistry to security, policy, law and regulation. Biological Sciences address animal behaviour and biodiversity, organismal and evolutionary biology, entomology, marine biology and aquaculture, plant science and forestry.

BooksJournals

    • Seed Germination, Ontogeny, and Shoot Growth

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • T.T. Kozlowski
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 4 6 2 8 0
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 9 4 7 1
      Growth and Development of Trees, Volume I: Seed Germination, Ontogeny, and Shoot Growth is a part of a two-volume treatise, which characterizes important features of growth and development of trees and other woody plants during their life cycles. Organized into eight chapters, this book describes the important events in growth of the perennial woody plant. This volume highlights the significant changes that take place in vegetative and reproductive growth as woody plants progress from juvenility to adulthood and, finally, to a senescent state. This book also describes the effects of external and internal controls of vegetative and reproductive growth. Considerable attention is given to important spatial and temporal variations in growth. This book will be useful to academicians as well as to those involved in the practice of growing trees and other woody plants for fruit crops or wood, as well as for esthetic reasons.

    • Variable plants and herbivores in natural and managed systems

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Robert Denno
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 2 3 7 2 4
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 2 8 7 8
      Variable Plants and Herbivores in Natural and Managed Systems examines individual, population, species, and community responses of herbivores to plant variation, with emphasis on insects, fungi, bacteria, and viruses. It is divided into five parts encompassing 18 chapters that discuss variability as a mechanism of defense used by plants against their parasites and the effects of variability on herbivores at several different levels of complexity. After a brief discussion on plant-herbivore interactions, the first part of this book considers sources of within-plant variation and effects on the distribution and abundance of herbivores. Part II examines interplant variation, the co-evolutionary problems it poses for herbivores, and the ecological and evolutionary responses of these animals. It discusses the effects of host-plant variability on the fitness of sedentary herbivorous insects. Part III discusses the role of host variability in the evolution of feeding specialization, genetic differentiation, and race formation. The importance of host variation to the organization of herbivore communities and the manipulation of host-plant variability for the management of herbivore pest populations are presented in the remaining parts. This book will be helpful to agriculturists, silviculturists, biologists, and researchers who wish to expand their knowledge in dynamics of plant-herbivore relationships.

    • Mobile Genetic Elements

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • James Shapiro
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 2 4 0 4 2
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 3 1 9 6
      Mobile Genetic Elements introduces the nonspecialist to the biology and genetics of mobile elements. It attempts to make the biochemistry of DNA rearrangements more accessible to embryologists and evolutionists, and to illuminate the related developmental cycles to the biochemist. The book also shows how natural the activity of mobile elements can be in diverse biological situations. The chapters describe several well-studied cases in which genetic determinants—often identified as specific nucleic acid sequences—repeatedly change their positions within or between cellular genomes. Because their genomic positions are not fixed, these determinants may conveniently be classed together under the rubric of mobile genetic elements. The book begins with a discussion of maize controlling elements. This is followed by separate chapters on the bacteriophages λ and Mu; nonviral mobile elements in bacteria; transposable Ty elements in brewer's yeast; Drosophila transposable element; and hybrid dysgenesis. Subsequent chapters cover vertebrate retroviruses; Agrobacterium oncogenesis in plants; flagellar phase variation in Salmonella; yeast mating type; and surface antigenic variation in trypanosomes.

    • The Mycetozoans

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Lindsay Olive
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 3 3 3 6 1 1
      • Hardback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 5 2 6 2 5 0 7
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 5 6 7 3 8
      The Mycetozoans brings together, for the first time in a single volume, comprehensive information on the biology and classification of the mycetozoans and associated groups. The mycetozoans and their associates remain of prime interest to taxonomists and phylogenists because major new taxa continue to be discovered among them. This book informs the reader where to find mycetozoans, how to isolate and culture them, their life cycles and ultrastructure, and some of the experiments that may be performed with them. It presents studies on Protostelia (protostelids); Dictyostelia (dictyostelid cellular slime molds); Myxogastria (myxomycetes); Acrasea (acrasid cellular slime molds); Plasmodiophorina (plasmodiophorids); and Labyrinthulas (labyrinthulina and thraustochytrids). This text can serve as a reference tool in courses on mycetozoans, protozoology, mycology, and developmental biology of lower organisms, and as a concentrated source of information for research workers in all aspects of the biology and taxonomy of these organisms.

    • Keratinization

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Nancy Alexander
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 5 4 1 4 0 5
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 6 1 2 1 3
      Keratinization: A Survey of Vertebrate Epithelia illustrates the salient features of the epithelial portion of the skin and its appendages in each class of vertebrates, with emphasis on the ultrastructural and functional aspects. Divided into six chapters, this book begins with the general process of keratinization. Then, epithelial differentiation and specialization in the various classes of vertebrates are described. Classes of vertebrates considered are fish, amphibian, reptilian, avian, and mammalian. This treatise is designed to provide an introduction to the study of vertebrate skin and to stimulate professional investigators to delve into its mysteries.

    • Social Insects V4

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Henry Hermani
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 3 1 4 1 5 3
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 5 2 1 6 7
      Social Insects, Volume IV is the last installment of a four-volume treatise and is dedicated to the discussion on wasps and ants. Comprised of four chapters, this volume focuses on the sociality of various types of ants as their group has very diverse habits. The first chapter describes the general biology and behavior of social wasps and discusses the cyclical populations, nest associates, and communal defense of wasps. Chapter 2 introduces the broad and general overview of the biology of ants, including their behavior, food collection, and nest construction. Chapters 3 and 4 present the biology of army and fungus ants, respectively. This volume also explains how ants are defined and identified, including their colony composition and behavior. As with the previous volumes, this volume seeks to be of service to students, researchers, and scientists in various fields of research, particularly entomology, social biology, zoology, and biological science.

    • Human Lymphokines

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Amanullah Khan
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 2 3 5 2 6
      • Hardback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 0 6 0 8 0 7
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 2 6 7 0
      Human Lymphokines: The Biological Immune Response Modifiers is a collection of papers presented at the Third International Symposium on Human Lymphokines held on October 15-17, 1981 at the Wadley Institutes of Molecular Medicine in Dallas, Texas. Contributors explore the role of human lymphokines in immune responses and their applications in immunotherapy. The focus is on lymphokines that have either entered clinical trials or are nearing clinical evaluation. Some of the activities of possible immediate significance, such as Glia cell stimulating factor and polyclonal B-cell activator, are also described. This volume is organized into six sections encompassing 56 chapters and begins with an overview of assay systems, touching on topics such as the activation of macrophages by interferon to produce plasminogen and macrophage activation by lymphokine factors. The next sections turn to the production, purification, and biological and chemical characterization of lymphokines. The discussion then shifts to the mechanisms of action of lymphokines in vitro and the use of animal models in lymphokine investigations, including lymphokine fractions in a mouse tumor model and enhancement of natural killing activity by different types of interferon. A great deal of emphasis is placed on macrophage migration inhibitory factor, lymphotoxins, gamma interferon, and interleukins. The book concludes with chapters devoted to the immunoregulatory effects of lymphokines and clinical studies.

    • Fungal Wilt Diseases of Plants

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • Marshal Mace
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 2 4 7 6 9
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 3 9 1 2
      Fungal Wilt Diseases of Plants focuses on wilt diseases caused by the fungal genera Verticillium, Fusarium, and Ceratocystis. Special attention is given to the interactions of physiological, biochemical, and anatomical factors, as these relate to pathogenesis and mechanisms of disease resistance. Organized into 16 chapters, this book begins with a description, in a historical perspective, of the major research themes in fungal wilt diseases. It then looks into the worldwide status of this plant disease. The three subsequent chapters describe the epidemiology and life cycle of the major fungal wilt pathogens in Fusarium, Verticillium, and Ceratocystis. This book also provides an in-depth view of the genetics and biochemistry of these pathogens; the nature of pathogenesis and the effects of wilt pathogens on host-water relations; and the sources and genetics of host resistance in field and fruit crops, vegetable crops, and shade trees. Other chapters are dedicated to the biochemistry, physiology, and the anatomical aspects of resistance and to the progress in the biological and chemical control of these pathogens. This text will be of great value to graduate students and senior research scientists in plant pathology, physiology, and biochemistry, who are specifically involved in studying wilt diseases and host-parasite interactions. It will provide them the detailed background information needed to supplement their specialized research interests.

    • Transgenic Plants

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 2 0 5 3 2
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 4 0 2 6 3
      Volumes 1 and 2 of Transgenic Plants assemble important information on transgenic crops which has appeared scattered in many different publications. These two volumes are a significant milestone in plant/agricultural biology, promote the practical application of recombinant DNA technology, and assist in transforming the agricultural industry.

    • Seed Dispersal

      • 1st Edition
      • December 2, 2012
      • David R. Murray
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 0 1 2 4 1 2 0 0 2 0
      • eBook
        9 7 8 0 3 2 3 1 3 9 8 8 5
      Seed Dispersal focuses on the mechanics and processes involved in seed dispersal, including its implications in ecology, animal behavior, plant and animal biogeography, speciation, and evolution. The selection first elaborates on the aerial motion of seeds, fruits, spores, and pollen and seed dispersal by water. Discussions focus on seed dispersal by rain, river, and flood, effective seed dispersal by ocean currents compared to other vectors, aerodynamic forces and their effects, and launching and release mechanisms. The text then takes a look at seed dispersal syndromes in Australian Acacia, including inference of dispersal syndromes, seed dispersal syndromes, ecological consequences of seed dispersal, and evolutionary derivation of dispersal syndromes. The publication ponders on seed dispersal by fruit-eating birds and mammals, rodents as seed consumers and dispersers, and seed dispersal in relation to fire. Topics include fire as a dispersal vector, long distance dispersal, granivorous rodents and the fates of seeds, determinants of the fate path, population ecology of seed dispersal, and foraging for fruits. The selection is a valuable reference for researchers interested in the factors involved in seed dispersal.

Related subjects

Agricultural science

Animal science

Aquatic science

Entomology

Food science and technology

Forest science

Mathematical biosciences

Plant science

Soil science

Veterinary science