Vegetation of the Canary Islands

Vegetation of the Canary Islands
Author: Marcelino J. del Arco Aguilar
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 437
Release: 2018-07-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319772554

The volcanic and oceanic nature of the Canary Islands, its rich plant biodiversity and high rate of endemism, as well as the relict character of some of its plant communities make it a territory of great biological interest. The main geographic, climatic, bioclimatic, biogeographic and floristic features of the Islands are shown and related to the distributional pattern of potential communities along an altitudinal gradient. Current vegetation units and their ecology are described and illustrated with numerous pictures. Potential vegetation units are summarized and comprehensive maps of the potential natural vegetation for each island are given. Human impact on the natural landscape, the occurrence of invasive plants, and the probable impact of climate change on the flora and vegetation are discussed. The conservation status of flora and vegetation are assessed. Four appendixes include a syntaxonomical scheme, a brief history of botanical studies and explorations in the Islands, ethnobotanical notes, and a list of selected literature.

Migratory Fishes of South America

Migratory Fishes of South America
Author: Joachim Carolsfeld
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2003
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1552501140

Fish species that migrate within the great rivers of South America support important local fisheries but are little known outside their native range. This book represents the first collection of the work of local scientific experts on these remarkable fish. The authors cover the Upper Parani, Paraguay-Parani, Uruguay and Suo Francisco basins in Brazil, as well as the Brazilian and Colombian Amazon. They discuss not only the principal migratory species and their fascinating relationship with the water cycle in the rivers and wetlands, but also the fisheries they support, and their often precarious conservation status."

Salinity Responses and Tolerance in Plants, Volume 2

Salinity Responses and Tolerance in Plants, Volume 2
Author: Vinay Kumar
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2018-06-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319903187

Soil salinity is a key abiotic-stress and poses serious threats to crop yields and quality of produce. Owing to the underlying complexity, conventional breeding programs have met with limited success. Even genetic engineering approaches, via transferring/overexpressing a single ‘direct action gene’ per event did not yield optimal results. Nevertheless, the biotechnological advents in last decade coupled with the availability of genomic sequences of major crops and model plants have opened new vistas for understanding salinity-responses and improving salinity tolerance in important glycophytic crops. Our goal is to summarize these findings for those who wish to understand and target the molecular mechanisms for producing salt-tolerant and high-yielding crops. Through this 2-volume book series, we critically assess the potential venues for imparting salt stress tolerance to major crops in the post-genomic era. Accordingly, perspectives on improving crop salinity tolerance by targeting the sensory, ion-transport and signaling mechanisms were presented in Volume 1. Volume 2 now focuses on the potency of post-genomic era tools that include RNAi, genomic intervention, genome editing and systems biology approaches for producing salt tolerant crops.

The African Roots of Marijuana

The African Roots of Marijuana
Author: Chris S. Duvall
Publisher: Duke University Press
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2019-05-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 1478004533

After arriving from South Asia approximately a thousand years ago, cannabis quickly spread throughout the African continent. European accounts of cannabis in Africa—often fictionalized and reliant upon racial stereotypes—shaped widespread myths about the plant and were used to depict the continent as a cultural backwater and Africans as predisposed to drug use. These myths continue to influence contemporary thinking about cannabis. In The African Roots of Marijuana, Chris S. Duvall corrects common misconceptions while providing an authoritative history of cannabis as it flowed into, throughout, and out of Africa. Duvall shows how preexisting smoking cultures in Africa transformed the plant into a fast-acting and easily dosed drug and how it later became linked with global capitalism and the slave trade. People often used cannabis to cope with oppressive working conditions under colonialism, as a recreational drug, and in religious and political movements. This expansive look at Africa's importance to the development of human knowledge about marijuana will challenge everything readers thought they knew about one of the world's most ubiquitous plants.

Introduction to Ethnobiology

Introduction to Ethnobiology
Author: Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 302
Release: 2016-03-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319281550

This textbook provides a basic introduction to ethnobiology with key concepts for beginners. It is also written for those who teach ethnobiology or related fields. The core issues and concepts, as well as approaches and theoretical positions are fully covered.