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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.

  • Behavioral Ecology of Tropical Birds

    • 1st Edition
    • Bridget J.M. Stutchbury + 1 more
    • English
    This book examines behavioral adaptations of tropical birds in timing of breeding, life history traits, mating systems and parental care, territoriality, communication, and biotic interactions, and emphasizes the many gaps in our knowledge of tropical birds. We urge students and researchers in temperate and tropical regions alike to realize the potential they have for improving our knowledge of avian adaptations far beyond what is currently accepted as gospel. Time is running out.
  • World Resources 2000-2001

    People and Ecosystems: The Fraying Web of Life
    • 1st Edition
    • C. Rosen
    • English
    World Resources 2000-2001, People and Ecosystems: The Fraying Web of Life focuses on the critical link between ecosystems and people and provides an overview of current global environmental and economic trends using hundreds of indicators in more than 150 countries. Until now there has not been a comprehensive, formalised process to assess human damage to our ecosystems, to establish a baseline for future actions, or to disseminate information that would aid the formulation of better policies world-wide. This book is the first reliable, comprehensive base of evidence for taking stock and taking care of the world's diverse ecosystems.deals with the critical issues that focus on the link between ecosystems and peoplehighlights the goods and services that ecosystems provide and illustrates the benefits of a better understanding and better management of the planet's natural wealthreports on pilot studies by leading scientists and international institutions assessing the state of the world's ecosystems - forests, croplands, grasslands, freshwater systems and coastal areasincreases the understanding of human dependence on natureraises awareness of environmental threatsprovides examples of wise stewardship from all corners of the globefocuses on four main issues: population and human well-being, food and water security, consumption, energy and wastes, trace emissions since the Kyoto protocolgives data tables for more than 150 countriesIt demonstrates the power of information and new digital technologies to transform the way we interact with our environment and is particularly important for environmentalists, scientists, professionals, journalists, policy-makers and students.This special Millennium Edition of the World Resources Institute's biennial report published by Elsevier Science in September 2000 in partnership with the World Resources Institute, the UN Environment Program, the UN Development Programme and the World Bank.NEW FROM APRIL 2001 -http://www.enviromo... and Environmental Modeling - An Interactive Internet Course
  • Advances in Food and Nutrition Research

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 43
    • Steve Taylor
    • English
    Advances in Food and Nutrition Research recognizes the integral relationship between the food and nutritional sciences and brings together outstanding and comprehensive reviews that highlight this relationship. Contributions detail the scientific developments in the broad areas encompassed by the fields of food science and nutrition and are intended to ensure that food scientists in academia and industry as well as professional nutritionists and dieticians are kept informed concerning emerging research and developments in these important disciplines.
  • Redesigning Rice Photosynthesis to Increase Yield

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 7
    • P.L. Mitchell + 1 more
    • J.E. Sheehy
    • English
    Rice yields need to increase in order to keep pace with the growing population of Asia and to alleviate hunger and poverty. There appears, however, to be a biophysical limit associated with conventional photosynthetic pathways. The research presented in this book aims at understanding how the rice plant's photosynthetic pathway could be redesigned to overcome current yield limits. The factors controlling yield are discussed from the agronomic to the molecular level. Prospects for improving rice photosynthesis include using genetic engineering to convert rice into a C4 plant.The various chapters in this book deal with photosynthesis; a comparison of C3 and C4 pathways; genes physiology and function, and also discuss this in the broader context of economic consequences of yield improvements for poverty, the molecular genetics of photosynthesis, and ecophysiological and evolutionary perspectives of photosynthesis in wetlands.Researchers on rice, photosynthesis, agronomy, genetic engineering, and food policy will find much of interest in this book.
  • Phytosfere'99 - Highlights in European Plant Biotechnology Research and Technology Transfer

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 6
    • G.E. de Vries + 1 more
    • English
    Humans face the challenge of producing enough food to meet the demands imposed by economic, biological and agricultural factors: rising population; rising income; and an expectation of higher quality food and a more diverse diet; decreasing amount of land available for food production; lowering environmental impact of agricultural practices and preserving biodiversity.Biotech... is one of the most exciting and dynamic industries of our day. It offers us the possibility of reducing our dependence on intensive farming. Plant biotechnology is central to the search for effective, environmentally safe and economically sound alternatives to the use of chemical pesticides and the exhaustion of natural resources. Today, applied plant science has four overall goals: increased crop yield, improved crop quality, reducing production costs and reducing negative environmental impact. Biotechnology is proving its value in meeting these goals. It offers farmers higher yielding crops with lower costs of production and new outlets such as nutraceuticals and crop-based bio-factories. It offers the European economy the potential of high quality, knowledge based job creation and the European consumer better quality, tastier and more nutritious food. Though there is public concern of genetic engineering, those who are close to the science understand that this is the next big frontier to be crossed. The potential and opportunities offered by plant biotechnology must not be missed. We must go forward on that basis rather than turning our backs on the science.Phytosfere'9... provides a comprehensive overview for plant biotechnology. It combines specific scientific articles, review articles and comments from outside people on it, which is unique in European Literature.
  • Fish Physiology: Muscle Development and Growth

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 18
    • English
    With the advent of zebrafish as a model system, the development and growth of muscle in fish has become an ever more important process. This volume, in the continuing Fish Physiology series, focuses attention on muscle from the genetics of muscle development to application of muscle growth patterns to aquacultural production.
  • Advances in Agronomy

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 70
    • English
    Volume 70 contains six excellent treatises dealing with two of the leitmotifs in the plant and soil sciences - environmental quality and crop improvement. Chapter 1 is a comprehensive treatment of the role of carbon sequestration in affecting climate change. Issues of science, monitoring, and degraded lands are fully discussed. Chapter 2 deals with ways to improve the nutritional quality of foods to alleviate a major human nutrition problem, micronutrient malnutrition. Nitrogen cycling under different soil management is the topic of Chapter 3, including aspects of carbon/nitrogen interactions. Chapter 4 provides thorough coverage on methane emissions from rice fields, including aspects of quantification, mechanisms, role of management, and mitigation options. Agronomic and environmental implications of organic farming systems, including an historical and current perspective, development of governmental policies, characteristics of organic farming systems, and effects on the environment, are discussed in Chapter 5. Chapter 6 addresses the state-of-the-art of biodegradation of BTEX under anaerobic conditions.
  • Grazing Management

    • 2nd Edition
    • John F. Vallentine
    • English
    Grazing animals need to be managed in order to accommodate desired results in terms of animal, plant, land and economic responses. Grazing Management, Second Edition integrates principles and management techniques that apply to all grazing lands and to all grazing animals. This comprehensive volume provides authoritative review on a wide range of relevant topics: animal nutrition and nutritional balance when fed on different sorts of grazing lands; seasonal variation and limits placed on ecosystems by grazing; the effects of grazing on grazing lands; the various sorts of grazing behaviors; selecting plants and managing grazing lands, as well as many other important topics bearing upon the methods, practises and procedures for properly managing grazing lands and animals.
  • Advances in Marine Biology

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 39
    • English
    Volume 39 is a standard volume with reviews on three different topics: the effect of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on the Alaskan ecosystem, the reproduction and development of peracarida (abundant marine crustaceans), and remote sensing of the global light-fishing fleet.
  • Advances in Agronomy

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 71
    • English
    Volume 71 contains six outstanding reviews that discuss cutting edge developments in the crop and soil sciences. Chapter 1 addresses advances in the development, use, and evaluation of controlled release fertilizers. Chapter 2 is a comprehensive review of developments in breeding crops for increased nutritional value. Historical and current advances in the field are covered as well as selection in methodology and employment of molecular biology tools. Chapter 3 is a comprehensive treatment of remaking bean plant architecture for efficient production. Chapter 4 is a review on carbon sequestration, specifically, the potential of world cropland solid to serve as a source of atmospheric carbon. Chapter 5 discusses the ability of grain legumes (pulses) to adapt to water-limited environments. Chapter 6 describes and applies an important water quality model - the root zone water quality model (RZWQM). The model is described and discussion is provided on the calibration and application in laboratory and field settings.