Afrotropical Streams and Rivers


Book Description

The Afrotropical Streams and Rivers: Structure, Ecological Processes and Management is a comprehensive guide that provides assessment of major rivers and tributaries in Africa. Unlike other books available, the editors present a thorough study of geomorphological, hydrological, biological, and ecological processes incorporating a range of plant and animal communities, while considering implications of human communities that depend upon them. This book, edited by a diverse cohort of researchers and/or scholars, is intended as an educational and practical guide for graduate students, researchers and scientists who focus on the biodiversity, conservation and management/policy issues of the African river systems. - Provides a comprehensive introduction to African freshwater rivers, their biota, and abiotic processes. - Contains unique case studies on African streams and rivers. - Organised around an interdisciplinary approach that covers the complex aspects of conservation and management of African river systems on the continent.




Freshwater science in africa


Book Description




National Geographic Visual Atlas of the World


Book Description

A comprehensive, up-to-date atlas encompasses more than three hundred thematic maps, along with more than six hundred color photographs, illustrations, charts, and graphs, that document the world's natural and cultural wonders.




Hydraenidae (Coleoptera)


Book Description

Concerns about global biodiversity are rising dramatically, yet we are lagging behind in the most basic prerequisite for its understanding and conservation: the inventory. Insect species may make up five or ten times the number of all other plant and animal species combined, and as such they represent one of the major challenges in biosystematic science. World Catalogue of Insects is an initiative aiming at compiling worldscale, authoritative catalogues of monophyletic insect taxa. We are therefore proud to launch this major series. Volumes will as a minimum contain standard nomenclatoral information on all names pertaining to the taxon treated, including type locality and distribution to the extent this is relevant. Additional information is optional, e. g., location, status and condition of types; biology; bibliographical information; pest status; vector status; etc. This volume one focuses on Hydraenidae (Coleoptera). (Series: World Catalogue of Insects)




Coleoptera, Beetles. Morphology and Systematics


Book Description

This book is a revised edition of the first of three volumes in the Handbook of Zoology series which treats the systematics and biology of Coleoptera. With over 380,000 described species, Coleoptera are by far the most species-rich order of insects and the largest group of animals of comparable geological age. Moreover, numerous species are tremendously important economically. The beetle volumes meet the demand of modern biologists seeking to answer questions about Coleoptera phylogeny, evolution, and ecology. This first Coleoptera volume covers the suborders Archostemata, Myxophaga and Adephaga, and the basal series of Polyphaga, with information on world distribution, biology, morphology of all life stages, phylogeny and comments on taxonomy.




The Ecology of Plant Litter Decomposition in Stream Ecosystems


Book Description

With almost 90% of terrestrial plant material entering the detrital pool, the processing of this significant carbon source is a critical ecosystem function to understand. Riverine ecosystems are estimated to receive, process and transport nearly 1.9 Pg of terrestrial carbon per year globally, highlighting the focus many freshwater ecologists have on the factors that explain decomposition rates of senesced plant material. Since Webster and Benfield offered the first comprehensive review of these factors in 1986, there has been an explosion of research addressing key questions about the ecological interactions at play. Ecologists have developed field and laboratory techniques, as well as created global scale collaborations to disentangle the many drivers involved in the decomposition process. This book encapsulates these 30+ years of research, describing the state of knowledge on the ecology of plant litter decomposition in stream ecosystems in 22 chapters written by internationally renowned experts on the subject.




Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates


Book Description

Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates: Keys to Palaearctic Fauna, Fourth Edition, is part of a multivolume series covering inland water invertebrates of the world that began with Vol. I: Ecology and General Biology (2015), then Vol. II (2016) Keys to Nearctic Fauna, and finally in Vol. III (2018) Keys to Neotropical Hexapoda (insects and springtails). It now continues with identification keys for Palearctic invertebrates in Vol. IV. Two other volumes currently in development focus on general invertebrates of the Neotropical/Antarctic, and Australasian Bioregions. Other volumes in the early planning stages include Afrotropical and Oriental/Oceanic Bioregions. All volumes are designed for multiple uses and levels of expertise by professionals in universities, government agencies and private companies, as well as by graduate and undergraduate students. - Provides identification keys for inland water (fresh to saline) invertebrates of the Palearctic Zoogeographic Region, from Iceland to Russia, and from the northern Pole region to Saharan Africa in the west, through the Middle East, and to the central China and Japan in the east - Presents identification keys for aquatic invertebrates to the genus or species level for many groups and to family for Hexapoda, with the keys progressing from higher to lower taxonomic levels - Includes a general introduction and sections on limitations, terminology and morphology, material preparation and preservation and references







The Nile


Book Description

What have we learnt about the Nile since the mid-1970s, the moment when Julian Rzóska decided that the time had come to publish a comprehensive volume about the biology, and the geological and cultural history of that great river? And what changes have meanwhile occurred in the basin? The human popu- tion has more than doubled, especially in Egypt, but also in East Africa. Locally, industrial development has taken place, and the Aswan High Dam was clearly not the last major infrastructure work that was carried out. More dams have been built, and some water diversions, like the Toshka lakes, have created new expanses of water in the middle of the Sahara desert. What are the effects of all this on the ec- ogy and economy of the Basin? That is what the present book sets out to explore, 33 years after the publi- tion of “The Nile: Biology of an Ancient River”. Thirty-seven authors have taken up the challenge, and have written the “new” book. They come from 13 different countries, and 15 among them represent the largest Nilotic states (Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya). Julian Rzóska died in 1984, and most of the - authors of his book have now either disappeared or retired from research. Only Jack Talling and Samir Ghabbour were still available to participate again.