The language of ecology has grown rapidly and changed extensively over the last decade. From Arrhenotoky to Psammosere; from the One-tailed test to Zoocoenosis, the Blackwell Concise Encyclopedia of Ecology provides concise, non-technical definitions of over 2000 ecological terms, covering the complete spectrum of pure and applied ecological research. The definitions are drawn from the Encyclopedia of Ecology and Environmental Management, and are fully cross-referenced. This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date dictionary of ecological terms available. It should be invaluable to students and researchers alike. Over 2000 terms defined Avoids technical jargon Fully cross-referenced Includes common abbreviations

Drawing on entries from The Encyclopedia of Ecology and Environmental Management, this concise reference will provide an essential quick guide for those working in the field of environmental management: consultants, planners, environmental advisors in industry, and students. Approximately 1500 key terms are defined in language that can easily be understood by the non-expert. Key acronyms, socio/economic terms, and scientific terms are all discussed. Over 1500 key terms Avoids technical jargon Includes key acronyms

The Encyclopedia of Ecology and Environmental Managementaddresses the core definitions and issues in pure and appliedecology. It is neither a short entry dictionary nor a long entryencyclopedia, but lies somewhere in between. The mixture of shortentry definitions and long entry essays gives a comprehensive andup-to-date alphabetical guide to over 3000 topics, and allows anysubject to be accessed to varying levels of detail; while thelonger entries provide general reviews of subjects, the shortdefinitions provide specific details on more specialised areas. Animportant feature of the Encyclopedia which sets it apart fromother similar works is the comprehensive cross-referencing. The most comprehensive and up-to-date reference work in pureand applied ecology. Definitions cover the entire spectrum of pure and appliedecological research. Distinguished editorial board: Dr Peter Moore, Professor JohnGrace, Professor Bryan Shorrocks, Professor Steven Stearns,Professor Don Falk. International team of distinguished authors - over 200contributors from 20 countries. 3000 headwords defined. Over 250 long entries review major topics. Heavily illustrated, with a section of colour plates. Complete one volume guide to pure and applied ecology. Presents cutting edge definitions in emerging fields as well asgrounding in well-established areas of ecology.

Unique in the reference literature, this Companion provides students with an introduction to all the major concepts and contemporary issues in the environmental sciences. The text is divided into six sections (Environmental Sciences, Environments, Paradigms and Concepts, Processes and Dynamic, Scales and Techniques, Environmental Issues), with over 200 entries alphabetically organized and authored by key names in the environmental science disciplines. Entries are concise, informative, richly visual and fully referenced and cross referenced. They introduce key concepts and processes that are included in the index, cite relevant websites, and reflect the latest thinking.

Winner of the Marsh Book of the Year Award 2012 by theBritish Ecological Society. In A Resource-Based Habitat View for Conservation RogerDennis introduces a novel approach to the understanding of habitatsbased on resources and conditions required by organisms and theiraccess to them, a quantum shift from simplistic andineffectual notions of habitats as vegetation units or biotopes. Indrawing attention to what organisms actually use and need inlandscapes, it focuses on resource composition, structure andconnectedness, all of which describe habitat quality and underpinlandscape heterogeneity. This contrasts with the current bipolarview of landscapes made up of habitat patches and empty matrix butillustrates how such a metapopulation approach of isolatedpatchworks can grow by adopting the new habitat viewpoint. The book explores principles underlying this newdefinition of habitat, and the impact of habitat components onpopulations, species’ distributions, geographical ranges andrange changes, with a view to conserving resources in landscapesfor whole communities. It does this using the example ofbutterflies - the most alluring of insects, flagship organisms andkey indicators of environmental health - in the British Isles,where they have been studied most intensively. The book formsessential reading for students, researchers and practitioners inecology and conservation, particularly those concerned withmanaging sites and landscapes for wildlife.

Allelochemicals play a great role in managed and natural ecosystems. Apart from plant growth, allelochemicals also may influence nutrient dynamics, mycorrhizae, soil chemical characteristics, and microbial ecology. Synergistic action of various factors may better explain plant growth and distribution in natural systems. The book emphasizes the role of allelochemicals in shaping the structure of plant communities in a broader ecological perspective. The book addresses the following questions: (1) How do allelochemicals influence different components of the ecosystem in terms of shaping community structure? (2) Why is it difficult to demonstrate interference by allelochemicals (i.e., allelopathy) in a natural system in its entirety? Despite a large amount of existing literature on allelopathy, why are ecologists still skeptical about the existence of allelopathy in nature? (3) Why are there only scarce data on aquatic ecosystems? (4) What role do allelochemicals play in microbial ecology?.....

"This book of metaethics focuses on Catholic virtue theory. To create an ecological model through which we can imagine the human moral character, the book integrates concepts of ecology with Aquinas' vision of moral character. The book describes the dynamics of a moral character in terms of the processes and functions that take place in an ecosystem. The virtues parallel species and other aspects of ecosystems, and other participants, such as the passions, the will, and the intellect, are also described in terms of this model. The book is a creative project with a solid and documented scholarly foundation. It aims to begin a conversation about a rarely discussed aspect of virtue ethics. The images we use to think about moral character are powerful. They inform our understandings of the moral virtues and the ways in which moral character develops. The book asks readers to choose deliberately the models we use to imagine moral character and offers this ecological virtue model as a good example for our own time"--