Biological Invasions in South Africa

Biological Invasions in South Africa
Author: Brian W. van Wilgen
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 972
Release: 2020-03-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030323943

This open access volume presents a comprehensive account of all aspects of biological invasions in South Africa, where research has been conducted over more than three decades, and where bold initiatives have been implemented in attempts to control invasions and to reduce their ecological, economic and social effects. It covers a broad range of themes, including history, policy development and implementation, the status of invasions of animals and plants in terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments, the development of a robust ecological theory around biological invasions, the effectiveness of management interventions, and scenarios for the future. The South African situation stands out because of the remarkable diversity of the country, and the wide range of problems encountered in its varied ecosystems, which has resulted in a disproportionate investment into both research and management. The South African experience holds many lessons for other parts of the world, and this book should be of immense value to researchers, students, managers, and policy-makers who deal with biological invasions and ecosystem management and conservation in most other regions.

Biogeography and Ecology of Southern Africa

Biogeography and Ecology of Southern Africa
Author: Marinus J.A. Werger
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 1402
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9400999518

Southern Africa is certainly not a naturally bounded area so that there are several possibilities for delineating it and concepts about its extent. Wellington* discussed the various possibilities for delineation and suggested that one line stands out more clearly and definitely as a physical boundary than any other, namely the South Equatorial Divide, the watershed between the ZaIre, Cuanza and Rufiji Rivers on the one hand and the Z ambezi, Cunene and Rovuma Rivers on the other. This South Equatorial Divide is indeed a major line of separation for some organisms and is also applicable in a certain geographical sense, though it does not possess the slightest significance for many other groups of organisms, ecosystems or geographical and physical features of Africa. The placing of the northern boundary of southern Africa differs in fact strongly per scientific dis cipline and is also influenced by practical considerations regarding the possibilities of scientific work as subordinate to certain political realities and historically grown traditions. This is illustrated, for example, in such works as the Flora of Southern Africa, where the northern boundary of the area is conceived as the northern and eastern political boundaries of South West Africa, South Africa and Swaziland. Botswana, traditionally included in the area covered by the Flora Zambesiaca, thus forms a large wedge in 'Southern Africa'.

Conservation Biology in Sub-Saharan Africa

Conservation Biology in Sub-Saharan Africa
Author: Richard Primack
Publisher: Open Book Publishers
Total Pages: 712
Release: 2019-09-10
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1783747536

Conservation Biology in Sub-Saharan Africa comprehensively explores the challenges and potential solutions to key conservation issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. Easy to read, this lucid and accessible textbook includes fifteen chapters that cover a full range of conservation topics, including threats to biodiversity, environmental laws, and protected areas management, as well as related topics such as sustainability, poverty, and human-wildlife conflict. This rich resource also includes a background discussion of what conservation biology is, a wide range of theoretical approaches to the subject, and concrete examples of conservation practice in specific African contexts. Strategies are outlined to protect biodiversity whilst promoting economic development in the region. Boxes covering specific themes written by scientists who live and work throughout the region are included in each chapter, together with recommended readings and suggested discussion topics. Each chapter also includes an extensive bibliography. Conservation Biology in Sub-Saharan Africa provides the most up-to-date study in the field. It is an essential resource, available on-line without charge, for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as a handy guide for professionals working to stop the rapid loss of biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere.

Plant Invasions

Plant Invasions
Author: Anna Traveset
Publisher: CABI
Total Pages: 481
Release: 2020-11-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1789242177

There are many books on aspects of plant invasions, but none that focus on the key role of species interactions in mediating invasions. This book reviews exciting new findings and explores how new methods and tools are shedding new light on crucial processes in plant invasions. This book will be of interest to academics and students of ecology, researchers engaged in developing management solutions, scientific managers of natural ecosystems, and policy-makers.

Open Ecosystems

Open Ecosystems
Author: William J. Bond
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2019
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0198812450

Explores the geography, ecology, and antiquity of 'open ecosystems' which include grasslands, savannas, and shrublands.

The Ecology of Fynbos

The Ecology of Fynbos
Author: Richard M. Cowling
Publisher:
Total Pages: 448
Release: 1992
Genre: Science
ISBN:

South Africa's Cape Floristic Region includes approximately 8,500 plant species. Most of this biodiversity is concentrated in fynbos, a fire-prone shrubland occurring on the sandy, infertile soils which predominate in this region.This book reviews a decade of rigorous research into the biogeography, ecology and management of fynbos, carried out under the auspices of the Fynbos Biome Project.

Biogeography of Mediterranean Invasions

Biogeography of Mediterranean Invasions
Author: R. H. Groves
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 512
Release: 1991-11-07
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780521360401

This book is an initiative of a subcommittee of SCOPE (Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment) which realized that the integrity of many natural ecosystems was being threatened by the ingress of invasive species.

The SAGE Handbook of Biogeography

The SAGE Handbook of Biogeography
Author: Andrew Millington
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 626
Release: 2011-09-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1446254453

A superb resource for understanding the diversity of the modern discipline of biogeography, and its history and future, especially within geography departments. I expect to refer to it often. - Professor Sally Horn, University of Tennessee "As you browse through this fine book you will be struck by the diverse topics that biogeographers investigate and the many research methods they use.... Biogeography is interdisciplinary, and a commonly-voiced concern is that one biogeographer may not readily understand another′s research findings. A handbook like this is important for synthesising, situating, explaining and evaluating a large literature, and pointing the reader to informative publications." - Geographical Research "A valuable contribution in both a research and teaching context. If you are biologically trained, it provides an extensive look into the geographical tradition of biogeography, covering some topics that may be less familiar to those with an evolution/ecology background. Alternatively, if you are a geography student, researcher, or lecturer, it will provide a useful reference and will be invaluable to the non-biogeographer who suddenly has the teaching of an introductory biogeography course thrust upon them." - Adam C. Algar, Frontiers of Biogeography The SAGE Handbook of Biogeography is a manual for scoping the past, present and future of biogeography that enable readers to consider, where relevant, how similar biogeographical issues are tackled by researchers in different ′schools′. In line with the concept of all SAGE Handbooks, this is a retrospective and prospective overview of biogeography that will: Consider the main areas of biogeography researched by geographers Detail a global perspective by incorporating the work of different schools of biogeographers Ecplore the divergent evolution of biogeography as a discipline and consider how this diversity can be harnessed Examine the interdisciplinary debates that biogeographers are contributing to within geography and the biological sciences. Aimed at an international audience of research students, academics, researchers and practitioners in biogeography, the text will attract interest from environmental scientists, ecologists, biologists and geographers alike.