A new edition of one of the most practical and authoritative botanical dictionaries available.

The Encyclopedia of Soil Science provides a comprehensive, alphabetical treatment of basic soil science in a single volume. It constitutes a wide ranging and authorative collection of some 160 academic articles covering the salient aspects of soil physics, chemistry, biology, fertility, technology, genesis, morphology, classification and geomorphology. With increased usage of soil for world food production, building materials, and waste repositories, demand has grown for a better global understanding of soil and its processes. longer articles by leading authorities from around the world are supplemented by some 430 definitions of common terms in soil sciences.

This book provides keys, descriptions and illustrations for about 850 species of liverworts and hornworts, in 148 genera and 47 families, of Colombia and Ecuador. The largest genera are Lejeunea (66 spp.), Plagiochila (65), Frullania (54), Radula (33), Metzgeria (33), Cololejeunea (32), Cheilolejeunea (30), Bazzania (26), Drepanolejeunea (25), Ceratolejeunea (18), Diplasiolejeunea (18), and Syzygiella (18). Species descriptions include brief morphological characterization and discussion with emphasis on characters for identification, world range as well as distribution and habitat in Colombia and Ecuador. Classes, orders, families and genera are also described and the main features for recognition of the genera are briefly discussed. The introduction includes chapters on history of exploration, diversity and endemism, and classification. A glossary, bibliography and index to scientific names are also provided.

Written by leading experts in the field, Cyanobacteria: An Economic Perspective is a comprehensive edited volume covering all areas of an important field and its application to energy, medicine and agriculture. Issues related to environment, food and energy have presented serious challenge to the stability of nation-states. Increasing global population, dwindling agriculture and industrial production, and inequitable distribution of resources and technologies have further aggravated the problem. The burden placed by increasing population on environment and especially on agricultural productivity is phenomenal. To provide food and fuel to such a massive population, it becomes imperative to find new ways and means to increase the production giving due consideration to biosphere’s ability to regenerate resources and provide ecological services. Cyanobacteria are environment friendly resource for commercial production of active biochemicals, drugs and future energy (biodiesel, bioethanol and hydrogen). Topics on isolation, identification and classification of cyanobacteria are discussed, as well as further sections on: summarizing a range of useful products synthesized by cyanobacteria, ecological services provided by cyanobacteria including their harmful effect in water bodies and associated flora and fauna. Chapter on tools, techniques, and patents also focus on the economic importance of the group. This book also provides an insight for future perspectives in each particular field and an extensive bibliography. This book will be a highly useful resource for students, researchers and professionals in academics in the life sciences including microbiology and biotechnology.

The LNCS journal Transactions on Rough Sets is devoted to the entire spectrum of rough sets related issues, from logical and mathematical foundations, through all aspects of rough set theory and its applications, such as data mining, knowledge discovery, and intelligent information processing, to relations between rough sets and other approaches to uncertainty, vagueness, and incompleteness, such as fuzzy sets and theory of evidence. Volume XVI includes extensions of papers from the Rough Sets and Knowledge Technology Conference which was held in Banff, Canada, in October 2011. In addition this book contains a long paper based on a PhD thesis. The papers cover both theory and applications of rough, fuzzy and near sets. They offer a continuation of a number of research streams which have grown out of the seminal work by Zdzislaw Pawlak during the first decade of the 21st century.

Handbook of Goldenberry (Physalis peruviana): Cultivation, Processing, Chemistry, and Functionality presents multidisciplinary coverage of P. peruviana and its role as in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products. Broken into three sections, the book addresses the cultivation, species, and cultivars of Physalis peruviana, along with its chemistry, functionality, health-promoting properties, technologies, processing, and applications. Written for nutrition researchers, food scientists, food chemists, food technologists, nutritionists, and those studying related field, this book is a timely reference for those who wish to learn more about this functional food. - Presents the chemistry and functionality of Physalis peruviana - Discusses the processing, technology, and functional applications of Physalis peruviana - Explores Physalis peruviana phytochemicals and its health-promoting effects

Results of regular monitoring of the species diversity and structure of plant communities is used by conservation biologists to help understand impacts of perturbations caused by humans and other environmental factors on ecosystems worldwide. Changes in plant communities can, for example, be a reflection of increased levels of pollution, a response to long-term climate change, or the result of shifts in land-use practices by the human population. This book presents a series of essays on the application of plant biodiversity monitoring and assessment to help prevent species extinction, ecosystem collapse, and solve problems in biodiversity conservation. It has been written by a large international team of researchers and uses case studies and examples from all over the world, and from a broad range of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The book is aimed at any graduate students and researchers with a strong interest in plant biodiversity monitoring and assessment, plant community ecology, biodiversity conservation, and the environmental impacts of human activities on ecosystems.