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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.

  • Genetics and Molecular Biology of Rhythms in Drosophila and Other Insects

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 48
    • February 7, 2003
    • Jeffrey C. Hall
    • English
    Biological rhythms, such as the sleep-wake cycle or circadian clock, are an intriguing aspect of biology. The regulation of daily rhythmicity has long been a mystery, up until the mid-1980's when a key gene in the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster, was molecularly identified. Genetic and molecular chronobiology of Drosophila has been a driving force in this field of inquiry ever since. Genetics and Molecular Biology of Rhythms in Drosophila and Other Insects describes and evaluates all of the studies of this sort, discussing the manner by which these investigations have spread out in various directions of rhythmic biology, including genetic and molecular approaches used on other insect species.
  • Decision Methods for Forest Resource Management

    • 1st Edition
    • February 6, 2003
    • Joseph Buongiorno + 1 more
    • English
    Decision Methods for Forest Resource Management focuses on decision making for forests that are managed for both ecological and economic objectives. The essential modern decision methods used in the scientific management of forests are described using basic algebra, computer spreadsheets, and numerous examples and applications. Balanced treatment is given throughout the book to the ecological and economic impacts of alternative management decisions in both even-aged and uneven-aged forests.
  • Performance Functional Foods

    • 1st Edition
    • February 3, 2003
    • David Watson
    • English
    One of the most innovative sectors in the rapidly growing functional foods market is that comprising so-called 'performance' functional foods which affect mood, mental and physical performance. An important issue in ensuring long term growth in this sector is to consolidate research on the complex links between nutrition and functional ingredients such as herbs, mood and cognitive performance. With its distinguished international team of contributors, this collection reviews key research in this important new area.After an introductory review of market trends, chapter two discusses recent research on the interactions between food, stress and mood, looking in particular at the role of carbohydrates. The following chapter reviews current evidence for the impact of a number of nutrients and herbal ingredients on mood and cognitive performance, including herbs such as St John's wort and kava kava. Chapter three then discusses the range of medicinal plants that have been associated with improvements in mental and physical performance. The following chapters then look in more detail at particular topics including phyto-oestrogens and cognitive function, the functional benefits of ginseng, ginkgo biloba and Alzheimer's disease, polyphenols and, finally, the impact of caffeine on mental performance and mood.Performance functional foods will be widely welcomed as a timely review of an important sector in the functional foods market.
  • Advances in Agronomy

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 79
    • January 1, 2003
    • English
    Advances in Agronomy continues to be recognized as a leading reference and a first-rate source of the latest research in agronomy. Major reviews deal with the current topics of interest to agronomists, as well as crop and soil scientists. As always, the subjects covered are varied and exemplary of the myriad subject matter dealt with by this long-running serial. Editor Donald Sparks, former president of the Soil Science Society of America and current president of the International Union of Soil Science, has just been appointed the S. Hallock du Pont Chair of Plant and Soil Sciences at The University of Delaware.
  • Advances in Insect Physiology

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 29
    • December 19, 2002
    • Peter Evans
    • English
    Advances in Insect Physiology is committed to publishing eclectic volumes containing comprehensive and in-depth reviews on all aspects of insect physiology. First published in 1963, these volumes are an essential reference source for invertebrate physiologists, neurobiologists, entomologists, zoologists, and insect biochemists. This latest volume now has a new four-color laminated cover. In 1999, the Institute for Scientific Information released figures showing that Advances in Insect Physiology has an Impct Factor of 4.5, placing it second in the highly competitive category of Entomology.
  • Advances in Botanical Research

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 38
    • December 19, 2002
    • English
    Advances in Botanical Research is a multi-volume publication that brings together reviews by recognized experts on subjects of importance to those involved in botanical research. First published in 1963, Advances in Botanical Research has earned a reputation for excellence in the field for more than thirty years. In 1995, Advances in Botanical Research was merged with Advances in Plant Pathology to provide one comprehensive resource for the plant science community, with equal coverage of plant pathology and botany in both thematic and mixed volumes. Now edited by J.A. Callow (University of Birmingham, UK), supported by an international Editorial Board, Advances in Botanical Research publishes in-depth and up-to-date reviews on a wide range of topics which will appeal to post-graduates and researchers in plant sciences including botany, plant biochemistry, plant pathology and plant physiology. Eclectic volumes in the serial are supplemented by thematic volumes on such topics as Plant Protein Kinases, and Plant Trichomes.In 1999, the Institute for Scientific Information released figures showing that Advances in Botanical Research has an Impact Factor of 4.378, placing it 8th in the highly competitive category of Plant Sciences.
  • Anthocyanins in Leaves

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 37
    • December 10, 2002
    • English
    Anthocyanins are the pigments in leaves and fruits that give them their colour; for example, the red colour of strawberries, or red leaves in autumn. Although these pigments are especially prominent in the autumn foliage of deciduous trees and in the growth flushes of tropical rainforest plants, they are also found in the leaves of many species after exposure to environmental or biotic stresses. Although the control of anthocyanin synthesis in vegetative organs has long been studied, and is a model system in plant molecular genetics, potential functions of these pigments in leaves have been largely ignored. This volume pulls together new information from experts in the fields of genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, physiological ecology and plant development, providing a platform to discuss putative hypotheses for anthocyanin function in these vegetative organs.
  • Elsevier's Dictionary of Bird Names

    In Latin, English, French, German and Italian
    • 1st Edition
    • December 3, 2002
    • Murray Wrobel
    • English
    This dictionary gives an overview of the English, French, German and Italian names of birds occurring in Europe, North America, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and French-speaking countries. It contains 10,838 scientific names of orders, families, species and some sub-species. The relevant order and family are shown for each term. The taxonomy is that used by the different authors of the sources.This dictionary will be of value to translators of scientific and general literature; scientific and botanical authors; environmentalists and ecologists; and scientific and lay readers of foreign literature.
  • Horse Behavior

    • 2nd Edition
    • December 3, 2002
    • George Waring
    • English
    First published in 1983, the second edition of this informative book remains the most comprehensive and current overview of the behavioral traits and adaptations of horses. The book integrates findings from hundreds of international researchers to provide the reader a factual synthesis of the behavior of domestic and feral horses. Building on the strengths of the first edition, the author has thoroughly updated coverage of horse ancestry, development, perception, learning, play, social behavior, behavioral manipulation, maintenance activities, and sexual behavior. In this second edition more emphasis has been given to animal husbandry and management. Additionally, the second edition includes an all-new section on ecological influences on activity patterns, habitat utilization, social behavior and reproduction. An expanded section on applied ethology provides behavioral considerations for management and insight regarding the behavioral indicators of horse health and well being. This is followed with an updated appendix listing behavioral symptoms and possible causes. The text contains numerous tables and nearly 100 illustrations and photos.
  • Nitrogen Fixation at the Millennium

    • 1st Edition
    • November 22, 2002
    • G.J. Leigh
    • English
    The turn of the millennium from the twentieth to the twenty-first century provides an occasion to review our understanding of a biological process, biological nitrogen fixation, that is of prime importance for the continued survival of mankind. This process has provided a basis for maintaining soil fertility since the beginning of organised agriculture, yet its very existence was confirmed only just over a century ago. In the intervening years, an enormous intellectual effort has dispersed much of the mystery surrounding biological nitrogen fixation. Biological fixation is widely exploited in agriculture, as are nitrogen fertilisers prepared for the last hundred years under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure. However, despite all our efforts, the fundamental nature of the reactions involved at the heart of the biological process remain unknown. This book aims to describe what we have learned in the last one hundred years or so about biological nitrogen fixation, about what its chemistry appears to be, and how it is applied in agriculture. This ambitious objective has not been attempted recently. It is aimed at students and those who wish to enter these very challenging areas of research, and who need to learn the state of the art at the turn of the millennium.The authors are all acknowledged world experts in their fields. They have prepared concise, well referenced and authoritative accounts of their subjects. This book provides a unique summary of the current state of knowledge that will be indispensable to all students and researchers, actual and potential, interested in biological nitrogen fixation.