Indicator Plants: Using Plants to Evaluate the Environment


Book Description

The guide looks at how plants may be used to 'read the environment', essentially treating them as indicators of the state of the habitat where they are found. It was written with three sets of people in mind: 1. Junior ecological consultants who want to improve their Phase 1 Habitat Surveys with botanical target notes useful in ecological assessment. 2. Students of ecology who need to use plants to interpret the landscape around them and understand habitats in greater detail. 3. Amateur naturalists and walkers who seek to enrich their experience of the countryside through a knowledge of plants. Compiled from a range of published sources and from the author's personal experience, it is intended for use primarily in the lowland English countryside.




Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia


Book Description

This original work makes unprecedented use of some of the most important research to date in plant ecology. It is a guide for assessing site quality, that is, the climate and soil of particular forest and non-forest ecosystems. Foresters have long been interested in using plants as indicators in predicting the growth performance of reforestation sites, but the data have not been readily available. Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia fully discusses how indicator plants are recognized and demonstrates how indicator plants can be used in site diagnosis. The book presents colour illustrations and descriptions of 419 selected vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens of coastal British Columbia. Indicators with similar values are grouped into indicator species groups which are used to evaluate site quality. These data are supplemented by information on geographic distribution, life-form, shade tolerance, and other ecological characteristics of the species. Three methods are given on how to use indicator plants for the purpose of site diagnosis. Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia summarizes original research in a format which both students and practitioners will find easy to use.




Air Pollution and Plant Biotechnology


Book Description

Air pollution is ubiquitous in industrialized societies, causing a host of environmental problems. It is thus essential to monitor and reduce pollution levels. A number of plant species already are being exploited as detectors (for phytomonitoring) and as scavengers (for phytoremediation) of air pollutants. With advances in biotechnology, it is now feasible to modify plants for a wider range of phytomonitoring and phytoremediation applications. Air Pollution and Plant Biotechnology presents recent results in this field, including plant responses during phytomonitoring, pollution-resistant plant species, imaging diagnosis of plant responses, and the use of novel transgenic plants, along with reviews of basic plant physiology and biochemistry where appropriate. Researchers and students working in plant biotechnology and the environmental sciences or considering new areas of investigation will find this volume a valuable reference.




Air Pollution Impacts on Plants in East Asia


Book Description

This is the only book to offer an up-to-date overview of air pollution in East Asia and the effects of air pollutants such as ozone, acid deposition and aerosols on Asian crops and trees. It is unique in that it discusses the fundamentals of environmental plant science and research advances in the area at the plant ecophysiology level. It addresses various topics, including gaseous air pollutants such as ozone; soil acidification and atmospheric nitrogen deposition due to acid deposition; PM2.5 and the effects of air pollutants on growth, yield and physiological functions such as photosynthesis of crops and trees in East Asia. It is a valuable resource for environmental scientists, plant scientists, government officials, industrialists, environmentalists, undergraduate and graduate students and anyone interested in the application of the latest findings to agricultural production and protection of forest ecosystems in Asia. It also provides useful information for professionals involved in research, development, production, processing and marketing of agricultural products, including those in developing countries who are interested in advanced environmental science in this field.







Measuring and Monitoring Plant Populations


Book Description

This technical reference applies to monitoring situations involving a single plant species, such as an indicator species, key species, or weed. It was originally developed for monitoring special status plants, which have some recognized status at the Federal, State, or agency level because of their rarity or vulnerability. Most examples and discussions in this technical reference focus on these special status species, but the methods described are also applicable to any single-species monitoring and even some community monitoring situations.We thus hope wildlife biologists, range conservationists, botanists, and ecologists will all find this technical reference helpful.




Spider Research in the 21st Century


Book Description

The result is a great increase in multi-disciplinary research and novel avenues incorporating spiders as model organisms.




Handbook of Ecological Indicators for Assessment of Ecosystem Health


Book Description

The field of ecosystem health explores the interactions between natural systems, human health, and social organization. As decision makers require a sound, modular approach to environmental management and sustainable development, ecosystem health assessment indicators are increasingly used across any number of applications. The Handbook of Ecologic




Environmental Effects of Transgenic Plants


Book Description

Transgenic crops offer the promise of increased agricultural productivity and better quality foods. But they also raise the specter of harmful environmental effects. In this new book, a panel of experts examines: • Similarities and differences between crops developed by conventional and transgenic methods • Potential for commercialized transgenic crops to change both agricultural and nonagricultural landscapes • How well the U.S. government is regulating transgenic crops to avoid any negative effects. Environmental Effects of Transgenic Plants provides a wealth of information about transgenic processes, previous experience with the introduction of novel crops, principles of risk assessment and management, the science behind current regulatory schemes, issues in monitoring transgenic products already on the market, and more. The book discusses public involvementâ€"and public confidenceâ€"in biotechnology regulation. And it looks to the future, exploring the potential of genetic engineering and the prospects for environmental effects.