Ecology and Sustainable Development, Vols. I and II

Contents: Vol. I. Preface. I. Introduction to ecosystems: 1. Introduction. 2. Climate factors. 3. Ecological adaptations. II. Community and ecology: 4. Community ecology. 5. Community dynamics. 6. Ecosystem ecology. 7. Biotic diversity and community stability. 8. Interface between climate and vegetation. 9. Resource acquisition and allocation. III. Population: 10. Individual. 11. Population ecology and population dynamics. 12. Interactions between populations. 13. Population regulation. 14. Habitats and niches. 15. Trophic levels. IV. Biodiversity: 16. Biological diversity. 17. Creation of biodiversity. 18. Types of biodiversity. 19. Soils. 20. Succession. 21. Biomes. References. Index.

Vol. II. Preface. I. Threats of ecology: 1. Toxicology and ecotoxicology. 2. Extinction and economics. 3. Threats to biological diversity. 4. Habitat destruction, fragmentation and degradation. 5. Exotic species introductions, disease and overexploitation. II. Conservation: 6. Conservation principles. 7. Conservation at the population and species levels. 8. Conserving biological communities. 9. Conservation and sustainable development. 10. Ecosystem management. III. Restorations: 11. Restoration of dry grasslands and heathlands. 12. Restoration of mires and wet grasslands. 13. Restoration of forests. 14. Restoration of rivers and floodplains. 15. Restoration of freshwater lakes. 16. Restoration of intertidal flats and tidal salt marshes. IV. Industrial ecology and greening of ecosystems: 17. Industrial ecology. 18. Energy industrial ecology. 19. Industrial ecology: the role of government. 20. Resource efficiency and product-life extension. 21. Implications of industrial ecology for firms. 22. Changing perspectives in design for environment. 23. Industrial ecology and design for environment: the role of universities. 24. International environmental laws and industrial ecology. Glossary. References. Index.

"Ecology is the study of organisms in relation to their surroundings called the environment of the organism. This environment is made up of different components, including other living organisms and their interrelationships, and purely physical features such as the type of climate and soil.

Rapid industrial development and urbanisation taking place in all parts of the globe are adversely impacting the environment. Human activities are drastically changing the ecological balance of practically every component of the environment, namely atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. Efforts are underway on a global level for environmental management, identifying environmental concerns and planning strategies suitable for a particular nation.

This comprehensive textbook presents the significant concepts of modern ecology in an easy-to-understand manner. It exposes the reader to different frontiers of ecology and evolution through a critical analysis of different eco-compartments.

The first volume of the textbook Ecology and Sustainable Development is divided into four sections. Section I deals with basic concepts of ecosystems which can be defined as functional units of ecology where the biotic and abiotic factors interact with each other.

Section II focuses on community and ecology and covers pertinent topics like community dynamics/ecology succession; ecosystem ecology; energy flow in ecosystem and various atmospheric and nutrient cycles; biotic diversity and community stability; interface between climate and vegetation; and resource acquisition and allocation.

Section III deals with population and includes topics such as population ecology and population dynamics; interactions between population; and population growth and its consequences.

Section IV deals with biological diversity, a term encompassing a variety of organisms at all levels--from genetic variants belonging to the same species--to species diversity including the variety of ecosystems. The conservation of biodiversity includes the preservation of genetic variation, the diversity of species and population and also life support properties of ecosystem.

The second volume of the textbook Ecology and Sustainable Development is divided into four sections. Section I focuses on threats to ecology and includes pertinent topics like toxicology and ecotoxicology; extinction of certain species; habitat destruction, fragmentation and degradation; and disease and overexploitation.

Section II deals with conservation biology which has emerged during the last ten years as a major new synthetic discipline addressing the problem of alarming loss of biological diversity throughout the world. It represents a fusion of theory, basic research, applied research and public education that is evolving in the present times.

Section III focuses on restorations of dry grasslands, heathlands, natural mire, ecosystems, forests, rivers, flood plains and freshwater biomes like lakes, marshes and catchment areas.

Section IV deals with ecology and greening of eco-systems, suggesting a combination of industrial ecology and structural economics, which can be used to provide a realistic basis for pollution reduction.

The book will be highly useful to the students of undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate courses in ecology, environmental biology, environmental sciences, life sciences, botany, zoology, forestry , agriculture, toxicology and to those working in these fields." (jacket)