There is an increased awareness of the importance of polar regions, and their vulnerability to anthropogenic derived change. This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to polar ecology. The emphasis is on the organisms that dominate these environments although pollution, conservation and experimental aspects are also considered.

NEW SERIES Biology of Habitats Series editors: Professor Michael Crawley, Dr Colin Little, Sir Richard Southwood, and Professor Staffan Ulfstrand This exciting new series of textbooks will give an integrated overview of the design, physiology, ecology, and behaviour of the organisms in different habitats. Each book will provide information about the habitat and the types of organisms present, on practical aspects of working within thehabitats and the sorts of studies which are possible, and will include a discussion of biodiversity and conservation needs. Further Reading Sections will lead the reader to key papers, review articles, and books in which the subject may be explored at greater depth. This book gives a readable overview of polar habitats, from ice caps to tundra and open ocean. It describes their physical characteristics, the communities of microorganisms, plants, and animals inhabiting them, and their interactions with the global environment. It reviews the origins of thehabitats and their subsequent colonization and population dynamics, and considers the future changes which may result from global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, and human activities. The book is unusual in that it describes and compares the two polar regions, rather than focusing on onlyone of them.

Providing a global summary of the biology of disturbance ecology, this text offers both the conceptual underpinnings and practical advice required to comprehend and address the unprecedented environmental challenges facing humans. It examines both natural and anthropogenic disturbances in aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

This book is unique in providing a global overview of alpine (high mountain) habitats that occur above the natural (cold-limited) tree line, describing the factors that have shaped them over both ecological and evolutionary timescales. The broad geographic coverage helps synthesise common features whilst revealing differences in the world's major alpine systems from the Arctic to the Tropics. The words "barren" and "wasteland" have often been applied to describe landscapes beyond the treeline. However, a closer look reveals a large diversity of habitats, assemblages and individual taxa, largely connected to topographic diversity within individual alpine regions. The book considers habitat-forming factors (landforms, energy and climate, hydrology, soils, and vegetation) individually, as well as their composite impacts on habitat characteristics. Evolution and population processes are examined in the context of the responsiveness / resilience of alpine habitats to global change. Finally, a critical assessment of the potential impacts of climate change, atmospheric pollutants and land use is made and related to the management and conservation options available for these unique habitats.

Caves and other subterranean habitats with their often strange (even bizarre) inhabitants have long been objects of fascination, curiosity, and debate. The question of how such organisms have evolved, and the relative roles of natural selection and genetic drift, has engaged subterranean biologists for decades. Indeed, these studies continue to inform the more general question of adaptation and evolution. However, interest in subterranean biology is not limited to questions of evolutionary biology. Both the distribution and the apparent ancient age of many subterranean species continue to be of significant interest to biogeographers. Subterranean ecosystems generally exhibit little or no primary productivity and, as "extreme" ecosystems, provide general insights into ecosystem function. Furthermore, the simplicity of subterranean communities relative to most surface-dwelling communities makes them useful model systems for the study of species interactions such as competition and predation, as well as more general principles of ecosystem function. The rarity of many cave species makes them of special interest in conservation biology. The Biology of Caves and other Subterranean Habitats offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to cave ecology. Whilst there is an emphasis on the organisms that dominate this unique environment, conservation and management aspects are also considered. The book includes a global range of examples and case studies from both caves and non-cave subterranean habitats; it also provides a clear explanation of specialized terms used by speleologists. This accessible text will appeal to researchers new to the field and to the many professional ecologists and conservation practitioners requiring a concise but authoritative overview. Its engaging style will also make it suitable for senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in cave and subterranean biology.

"This accessible text is suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in desert ecology. It will also appeal to researchers new to the field and to the many professional ecologists and conservation practitioners requiring a concise but authoritative overview of this fascinating habitat."--BOOK JACKET.

Scientific research on cold-adapted microorganisms (specifically polar microbes) is of great interest, since Arctic and Antarctic regions harbor diverse and active populations of microorganisms. However, these microorganisms are subject to impacts of environmental perturbations. For example, climate change will modulate the distribution and activity of many cyanobacteria and algal species in polar environments that contribute significantly to global carbon fixation and oxygen production. Moreover, many microorganisms that have remained frozen for thousands of years can revive their metabolic activity and re-join the modern microbial community. For survival in freezing environments, polar microorganisms have established specific regulatory mechanisms which are now being challenged by new, rapidly changing environmental conditions. Remarkable progress has been made to uncover microbial adaptation to anthropogenic activities such as high irradiance, nutritional deprivation, UV-B radiation, heat, cold, desiccation, and heavy metals. Studies have enabled a basic understanding of gene regulatory pathways for morphological, physiological, metabolic, and genetic adaptations to various environmental stresses. To further elucidate physiological adaptation mechanisms and molecular diversity in polar regions, this Research Topic is focused on microbes in polar regions, looking at their biodiversity, ecological adaptations, the impact of climate change on their lifestyles, and biotechnological application of microbes for a sustainable future.

The sounds produced by geophonic, biophonic and technophonic sources are relevant to the function of natural and human modified ecosystems. Passive recording is one of the most non-invasive technologies as its use avoids human intrusion during acoustic surveys and facilitates the accumulation of huge amounts of acoustical data. For the first time, this book collates and reviews the science behind ecoaucostics; illustrating the principles, methods and applications of this exciting new field. Topics covered in this comprehensive volume include; the assessment of biodiversity based on sounds emanating from a variety of environments the best technologies and methods necessary to investigate environmental sounds implications for climate change and urban systems the relationship between landscape ecology and ecoacoustics the conservation of soundscapes and the social value of ecoacoustics areas of potential future research. An invaluable resource for scholars, researchers and students, Ecoacoustics: The Ecological Role of Sounds provides an unrivalled set of ideas, tools and references based on the current state of the field.

There is now an increased awareness of the importance of polar regions in the Earth system, as well as their vulnerability to anthropogenic derived change, including of course global climate change. This new edition offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to polar ecology and has been thoroughly revised and updated throughout, providing expanded coverage of marine ecosystems and the impact of humans. It incorporates a detailed comparison of the Arctic and Antarctic systems, with a particular emphasis on the effects of climate change, and describes marine, freshwater, glacial, and terrestrial habitats. This breadth of coverage is unique in the polar biology literature. As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, particular emphasis is placed on the organisms that dominate these extreme environments although pollution, conservation and experimental aspects are also considered. This accessible text is suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in polar ecology, often as part of a wider marine biology degree programme. It will also be of value and use to the many professional ecologists and conservation biologists requiring a concise overview of the topic.