Belowground Responses to Rising Atmospheric CO2: Implications for Plants, Soil Biota, and Ecosystem Processes


Book Description

As atmospheric CO2 increases there will almost certainly be alterations in soil carbon fluxes. It is likely that such alterations will be accompanied by changes in the partitioning of carbon between organic structures and to soil processes. These changes have the potential for further altering the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems. While there has been increasing recognition of the importance of soil-mediated responses to global climate change, the nature and magnitude of these responses are not well understood. In an effort to expand our assessment of the significance of belowground responses to rising atmospheric CO2, a workshop has been organized that resulted in the peer-reviewed contributions that are contained in this volume.




Carbon Dioxide and Terrestrial Ecosystems


Book Description

The importance of carbon dioxide extends from cellular to global levels of organization and potential ecological deterioration may be the result of increased CO2 in our atmosphere. Recently, the research emphasis shifted from studies of photosynthesis pathways and plant growth to ground-breaking studies of carbon dioxide balances in ecosystems, regions, and even the entire globe. Carbon Dioxide and Terrestrial Ecosystems addresses these new areas of research. Economically important woody ecosystems are emphasized because they have substantial influence on global carbon dioxide balances. Herbaceous ecosystems (e.g., grasslands, prairies, wetlands) and crop ecosystems are also covered. The interactions among organisms, communities, and ecosystems are modeled, and the book closes with an important synthesis of this growing nexus of research. Carbon Dioxide and Terrestrial Ecosystems is a compilation of detailed scientific studies that reveal how ecosystems generally, and particular plants specifically, respond to changed levels of carbon dioxide. - Contributions from an international team of experts - Empirical examination of the actual effects of carbon dioxide - Variety of terrestrial habitats investigated - Specific plants and whole ecosystems offered as studies




Carbon Dioxide and Environmental Stress


Book Description

This book focuses on the interactive effects of environmental stresses with plant and ecosystem functions, especially with respect to changes in the abundance of carbon dioxide. The interaction of stresses with elevated carbon dioxide are presented from the cellular through whole plant ecosystem level. The book carefully considers not only the responses of the above-ground portion of the plant, but also emphasizes the critical role of below-ground (rhizosphere) components (e.g., roots, microbes, soil) in determining the nature and magnitude of these interactions.* Will rising CO2 alter the importance of environmental stress in natural and agricultural ecosystems?* Will environmental stress on plants reduce their capacity to remove CO2 from the atmosphere?* Are some stresses more important than others as we concern ourselves with global change?* Can we develop predictive models useful for scientists and policy-makers?* Where should future research efforts be focused?




Grasslands


Book Description

This book looks at significant current grassland problems and issues, and provides an insight into grassland productivity in diverse areas of the world, with their various production systems. There is a focus on recent technical advances and the prospects for further innovation, through twenty-one chapters by eminent grassland scientists, grouped into seven sections - forage germplasm; forage conservation; grass-based systems and organic production; climate change, biodiversity and biotechnology; geographical information systems; farmer and pastoralist participation; and regional developments. The book is timely in view of the expanding human and livestock populations, especially in arid and semi-arid environments, with the consequent pressure on the world's grasslands.




Carbon Dioxide, Populations, and Communities


Book Description

In past decades and in association with a continuing global industrial development, the global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has been rising. Among the many predictions made concerning this disturbing trend is global warming sufficient to melt polar ice-caps thereby dramatically altering existing shorelines. This book will help fill an obvious gap in the carbon dioxide debate by substituting date for speculation.* * Includes contributions from leading authorities around the world* Serves as a companion to Carbon Dioxide and Terrestrial Ecosystems* The first book of its kind to explore evolutionary responses of both populations and communities to elevated carbon dioxide




Global Climate Change and Human Impacts on Forest Ecosystems


Book Description

The inclusion of forests as potential biological sinks in the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1997 has attracted international attention and again has put scientific and political focus on the world's forests, regarding their state and development. The international discus sion induced by the Kyoto Protocol has clearly shown that not only the tropical rain forests are endangered by man's activities, but also that the forest ecosystems of boreal, temperate, mediterranean and subtropical regions have been drastically modified. Deforestation on a large scale, burning, over-exploitation, and the degra dation of the biological diversity are well-known symptoms in forests all over the world. This negative development happens in spite of the already existing knowledge of the benefits of forests on global energy and water regimes, the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and other elements as well as on the biological and cultural diversity. The reasons why man does not take care of forests properly are manifold and complex and there is no easy solution how to change the existing negative trends. One reason that makes it so difficult to assess the impacts of human activity on the future development of forests is the large time scale in which forests react, ranging from decades to centuries.




Crop Yield Response to Deficit Irrigation


Book Description

This book discusses general concept and management issues of deficient irrigation practices, covering a wide range of field crops including cotton, maize, soybean, wheat, sugarcane, and the like, based on five years of field research implemented in fourteen different countries, in Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia. Additionally, guidelines are given for experimental methodology and data analysis for evaluating crop yield response to deficient irrigation. Experimental data, discussions and cited references will be an asset not only to field irrigation engineers but also to research scientists including soil and irrigation scientists and agronomists, for whom the book would be an invaluable reference source.




Our Changing Planet


Book Description




Frontiers of Forest Biology


Book Description

Discover new approaches to promote a viable forest industry while protecting non-timber values! Frontiers of Forest Biology: Proceedings of the 1998 Joint Meeting of the North American Forest Biology Workshop and the Western Forest Genetics Association gives you significant new insights on current initiatives in forest biology. Because the field is changing rapidly, you need to keep aware of current trends, as the emphasis in forest research shifts from productivity-based goals to sustainable development of forest resources. In this volume, you will find a comprehensive summary of the state of the art of forest science in North America. Whether your focus is on genetics or on the environmental aspects of forest science, plant physiology, or silviculture, you will find helpful chapters by practitioners as well as cutting-edge research by scientists. This integrated approach is unique in the field. Based on the 1998 Joint Meeting of the North American Forest Biology Workshop and the Western Forest Genetics Association, Frontiers of Forest Biology addresses changing priorities in forest resource management. This important book contains fascinating research studies, complete with tables and diagrams, on topics such as biodiversity research, the productivity of commercial species, conserving adaptive variation in forest ecosystems, and the effect of harvesting trees on nutrient leaching. The book maps the frontiers of this fast-changing science with chapters on: the social, biological, and industrial context of forest biology new directions for research into genetics, physiology, plant silviculture, and conservation the impact of genetics on sustainable forestry the effects of cold and disease on plant physiology regeneration of various species after logging new species adapted for agroforestry the impact and management of exotic weeds Frontiers of Forest Biology offers solid information on a broad spectrum of topics and suggests fresh avenues for your investigations in all aspects of forest biology.




Pollution Abstracts


Book Description

Indexes material from conference proceedings and hard-to-find documents, in addition to journal articles. Over 1,000 journals are indexed and literature published from 1981 to the present is covered. Topics in pollution and its management are extensively covered from the standpoints of atmosphere, emissions, mathematical models, effects on people and animals, and environmental action. Major areas of coverage include: air pollution, marine pollution, freshwater pollution, sewage and wastewater treatment, waste management, land pollution, toxicology and health, noise, and radiation.