Ecological Applications Toward a Sustainable World

by Townsend, Colin R.

• ISBN13: 9781405136983
• ISBN10: 1405136987
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-09-24
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Ecological Applications presents a broad range of methods and techniques for managing environmental sustainability. This book examines ecological theory at the individual, populations, and community levels, and is an excellent resource for anyone looking to improve the health of their local ecosystems. Presents a broad range of methods and techniques for managing environmental sustainability Focuses on ecological applications for sustainability including restoration, conservation, biosecurity, pest control, harvest management, and the design of reserves Examines ecological theory at the individual, population and community levels Considers economic and socio-political aspects

Author Biography

Colin Townsend obtained his DPhil at Sussex before taking up teaching positions at Oxford University and the University of East Anglia. In 1989 he moved from the UK to New Zealand, where he was appointed Chair of Zoology at the University of Otago; he is now Director of the Ecology, Conservation and Biodiversity Research Group at Otago.

Table of Contents

List of Plates

List of Boxes

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction – Humans, Nature, and Human Nature

Homo not-so-sapiens?

Homo sapiens – Just Another Species?

Human Population Density and Technology Underlie Environmental Impact

A Biodiversity Crisis

The Scale of the Biodiversity Problem

Biodiversity, Ecosystem Function and Ecosystem Services

Drivers of Biodiversity Loss – The Extinction Vortex

Habitat Loss – Driven from House and Home

Invaders – Unwanted Biodiversity

Overexploitation – Too Much of a Good Thing

Habitat degradation – Laying Waste

Global climate change – Life in the Greenhouse

Toward a Sustainable Future?

Ecological Applications – to Conserve, Restore, and Sustain Biodiversity

From an Economic Perspective – Putting a Value on Nature

The Sociopolitical Dimension

Ecological Applications At The Level Of Individual Organisms

Ecological Applications of Niche Theory

Introduction

Unwanted Aliens – Lessons from Niche Theory

Ecological Niche Modeling – Predicting Where Invaders will Succeed

Are we Modeling Fundamental or Realized Niches?

When Humans Disrupt Ecosystems and Make it Easy for Invaders

Conservation of Endangered Species – Each to Its Own Niche

Monarch’s Winter Palace Under Siege

A Species off the Rails – Translocation of the Takahe

Restoration of Habitats Impacted by Human Activities

Land Reclamation – Prospecting for Species to Restore Mined Sites

Agricultural Intensification – Risks to Biodiversity

How Much Does it Cost to Restore a Species?

River Restoration – Going with the Flow

Life-history Theory and Management

Introduction – Using Life-history Traits to Make Management Decisions

Species Traits as Predictors for Effective Restoration

Restoring Grassland Plants – A Pastoral Duty

Restoring Tropical Forest – Abandoned Farmland Reclaimed for Nature

Species Traits as Predictors of Invasion Success

Species Traits Predict Invasive Conifers

Invasion Success – The Importance of Flexibility

Separating Invasions into Sequential Stages – Different Traits for Each?

What We Know and Don’t Know About Invader Traits

Species Traits as Predictors of Extinction Risk

Niche Breadth and Flexibility – Freshwater and Forest at Risk

When Big isn’t Best – r/K Theory, Harvesting, Grazing and Pollution

When Competitiveness Matters – CSR Theory, Grazing and Habitat Fragmentation

Dispersal, Migration and Management

Introduction – Why Species Mobility Matters

Migration and Dispersal – Lessons for Conservation

For Whom the Bell Tolls – The Surprising Story of a South American Bird

The Ups and Downs of Panda Conservation

Dispersal of a Vulnerable Aquatic Insect – A Damsel in Distress

Designing Marine Reserves

Restoration and Species Mobility

Behavior Management

Bog Restoration 

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