A comparison of the adaptations made by invertebrates in polar deserts with those of temperate and subtropical deserts. These regions represent some of the most hostile environments on earth, demanding an array of strategies for survival. Polar species are well adapted to the cold and have to cope with arid conditions due to low precipitation and lack of liquid water during the winter. Similarly, temperate desert invertebrates have adapted to dry conditions and are also exposed to low winter temperatures. Terrestrial arthropods maintain their water-balance through behavioural and physiological adaptations. Tardigrades and nematodes are remarkable in their ability to shed all their water before entering a state of anhydrobiosis only to be revived when moisture once again becomes available.

Major parts of the oceans and lands of our planet are permanently, or temporarily, exposed to temperatures below 10 C. Microorganisms, plants and animals living under these conditions have adapted to their environments in such a way that metabolic processes, reproduction and survival strategies are optimal for their natural biotopes. This book presents the most recent knowledge of the ecology and the physiology of cold-adapted microorganisms, plants and animals, and explains the mechanisms of cold-adaptation on the enzymatic and molecular level, including results from the first crystal structures of enzymes of cold-adapted organisms.

Eutrophication continues to be a major global challenge to water quality scientists. The global demand on water resources due to population increases, economic development, and emerging energy development schemes has created new environmental challenges to global sustainability. Eutrophication, causes, consequences, and control provides a current account of many important aspects of the processes of natural and accelerated eutrophication in major aquatic ecosystems around the world. The connections between accelerated eutrophication and climate change, chemical contamination of surface waters, and major environmental and ecological impacts on aquatic ecosystems are discussed. Water quality changes typical of eutrophication events in major climate zones including temperate, tropical, subtropical, and arid regions are included along with current approaches to treat and control increased eutrophication around the world. The book provides many useful new insights to address the challenges of global increases in eutrophication and the increasing threats to biodiversity and water quality.

Climatic change, conservation biology

This book offers a comprehensive study of species- and genus-level diversity and chorology of the global freshwater fauna to date. It gives a state of the art assessment of the diversity and distribution of Metazoa in the continental waters of the world.

The Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst Science contains 350 alphabetically arranged entries. The topics include cave and karst geoscience, cave archaeology and human use of caves, art in caves, hydrology and groundwater, cave and karst history, and conservation and management. The Encyclopedia is extensively illustrated with photographs, maps, diagrams, and tables, and has thematic content lists and a comprehensive index to facilitate searching and browsing.