Current Ornithology Volume 17

Current Ornithology Volume 17
Author: Charles F. Thompson
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2010-09-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1441964215

Current Ornithology publishes authoritative, up-to-date, scholarly reviews of topics selected from the full range of current research in avian biology. Topics cover the spectrum from the molecular level of organization to population biology and community ecology. The series seeks especially to review (1) fields in which an abundant recent literature will benefit from synthesis and organization, or (2) newly emerging fields that are gaining recognition as the result of recent discoveries or shifts in perspective, or (3) fields in which students of vertebrates may benefit from comparisons of birds with other classes. All chapters are invited, and authors are chosen for their leadership in the subjects under review.

Public Health Significance of Urban Pests

Public Health Significance of Urban Pests
Author: Xavier Bonnefoy
Publisher: World Health Organization
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2008
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9289071885

The second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century witnessed important changes in ecology, climate and human behaviour that favoured the development of urban pests. Most alarmingly, urban planners now face the dramatic expansion of urban sprawl, in which city suburbs are growing into the natural habitats of ticks, rodents and other pests. Also, many city managers now erroneously assume that pest-borne diseases are relics of the past. All these changes make timely a new analysis of the direct and indirect effects of present-day urban pests on health. Such an analysis should lead to the development of strategies to manage them and reduce the risk of exposure. To this end, WHO invited international experts in various fields - pests, pest-related diseases and pest management - to provide evidence on which to base policies. These experts identified the public health risk posed by various pests and appropriate measures to prevent and control them. This book presents their conclusions and formulates policy options for all levels of decision-making to manage pests and pest-related diseases in the future. [Ed.]

The Flexible Phenotype

The Flexible Phenotype
Author: Theunis Piersma
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 249
Release: 2011
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0199233721

In essence, the authors argue for the existence of direct, measurable, links between phenotype and ecology.

Bird Species

Bird Species
Author: Dieter Thomas Tietze
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2018-11-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319916890

The average person can name more bird species than they think, but do we really know what a bird “species” is? This open access book takes up several fascinating aspects of bird life to elucidate this basic concept in biology. From genetic and physiological basics to the phenomena of bird song and bird migration, it analyzes various interactions of birds – with their environment and other birds. Lastly, it shows imminent threats to birds in the Anthropocene, the era of global human impact. Although it seemed to be easy to define bird species, the advent of modern methods has challenged species definition and led to a multidisciplinary approach to classifying birds. One outstanding new toolbox comes with the more and more reasonably priced acquisition of whole-genome sequences that allow causative analyses of how bird species diversify. Speciation has reached a final stage when daughter species are reproductively isolated, but this stage is not easily detectable from the phenotype we observe. Culturally transmitted traits such as bird song seem to speed up speciation processes, while another behavioral trait, migration, helps birds to find food resources, and also coincides with higher chances of reaching new, inhabitable areas. In general, distribution is a major key to understanding speciation in birds. Examples of ecological speciation can be found in birds, and the constant interaction of birds with their biotic environment also contributes to evolutionary changes. In the Anthropocene, birds are confronted with rapid changes that are highly threatening for some species. Climate change forces birds to move their ranges, but may also disrupt well-established interactions between climate, vegetation, and food sources. This book brings together various disciplines involved in observing bird species come into existence, modify, and vanish. It is a rich resource for bird enthusiasts who want to understand various processes at the cutting edge of current research in more detail. At the same time it offers students the opportunity to see primarily unconnected, but booming big-data approaches such as genomics and biogeography meet in a topic of broad interest. Lastly, the book enables conservationists to better understand the uncertainties surrounding “species” as entities of protection.

Birds and Climate Change

Birds and Climate Change
Author: James W. Pearce-Higgins
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 481
Release: 2014-06-12
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0521114284

A critical synthesis of the impacts of climate change on birds, examining potential future effects and conservation responses.

Mammals and Birds as Bioindicators of Trace Element Contaminations in Terrestrial Environments

Mammals and Birds as Bioindicators of Trace Element Contaminations in Terrestrial Environments
Author: Elżbieta Kalisińska
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 707
Release: 2019-03-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030001210

The population explosion that began in the 1960s has been accompanied by a decrease in the quality of the natural environment, e.g. pollution of the air, water and soil with essential and toxic trace elements. Numerous poisonings of people and animals with highly toxic anthropogenic Hg and Cd in the 20th century prompted the creation of the abiotic environment, mainly in developed countries. However, the system is insufficient for long-term exposure to low concentrations of various substances that are mainly ingested through food and water. This problem could be addressed by the monitoring of sentinels – organisms that accumulate trace elements and as such reflect the rate and degree of environmental pollution. Usually these are long-lived vertebrates – herbivorous, omnivorous and carnivorous birds and mammals, especially game species. This book describes the responses of the sentinels most commonly used in ecotoxicological studies to 17 trace elements.

Effects of Climate Change on Birds

Effects of Climate Change on Birds
Author: Anders Pape Møller
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2010-08-12
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0199569746

"Effects of Climate Change on Birds provides an exhaustive and up-to-date synthesis of the science of climate change as it relates to birds." -- Back cover.