With the second volume of 'Bryophyte locality data from the Near and Middle East', (Amblystegiaceae till Brachytheciaceae; families in alphabetical order) consequently all published data of mosses are presented to provide a complete data base and background for the whole area. Starting with the beginning of the collection activities (e.g., Forsskål 1775) it covers the whole period till the end of 2019 and is the first comprehensive catalogue for these organisms including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sinai Peninsula, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen (incl. Socotra). With the second volume, the catalogue of 'Bryophyte locality data from the Near and Middle East' allows an easy access to what is recorded and known from the different countries of the Near and Middle East. It is a further step to integrate this large area into the Global Network of floristic knowledge and the tools of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.

With the third volume of 'Bryophyte locality data from the Near and Middle East' (Bruchiaceae till Funariaceae; families in alphabetical order), consequently all published data of mosses between are presented to provide ‒ in addition to volume 2 (Amblystegiaceae till Brachytheciaceae) ‒ a complete data base and background for the whole area. Starting with the beginning of the collection activities (e.g., Forsskål 1775) it covers the whole period till the end of 2019 and is the first comprehensive catalogue for these organisms including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sinai Peninsula, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen (incl. Socotra). With the third volume, the catalogue of 'Bryophyte locality data from the Near and Middle East' allows an easy access to what is recorded and known from the different countries of the Near and Middle East.

With the sixth volume of 'Bryophyte locality data from the Near and Middle East' (Pottiaceae “Eucladium – Z” till Trachypodaceae ; families in alphabetical order), consequently all published data of mosses between are presented to provide ‒ in addition to volume 5 (Neckeraceae till Pottiaceae “A – Didymodon”) ‒ a complete data base and background for the whole area. Starting with the beginning of the collection activities (e.g., Forsskål 1775) it covers the whole period till the end of 2019 and is the first comprehensive catalogue for these organisms including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sinai Peninsula, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen (incl. Socotra). With the sixth volume, the catalogue of 'Bryophyte locality data from the Near and Middle East' allows an easy access to what is recorded and known from the different countries of the Near and Middle East.

The Arabian Seas Marine Region encompasses marine areas from Djibouti to Pakistan, including the northern part of Somalia, the Red Sea, the Arabian/Persian Gulf, and parts of the Arabian Sea. Human pressures on the coastal and marine environments are evident throughout the region, and have resulted in harmful environmental effects. Oil and domestic, urban and industrial pollutants in several areas of this part of the world have caused local habitat degradation, eutrophication and algal blooms. Further, coastal landfill, dredging, and sedimentation, as well as nutrient and sediment runoff from phosphate mining, agriculture and grazing, and reduction in freshwater seepage due to groundwater extraction are all contributing to the degradation of coastal environments. This book discusses aspects not covered in other books on the region, which largely focus on marine biodiversity, and examines several environmental challenges that are often ignored, but which have a significant impact on the environment. Evaluating the status quo, it also recommends conservation measures and examines the abiotic factors that play a major main role in the environmental changes. Lastly, the book addresses the biodiversity of the area, providing a general context for the conservation and management measures discussed.

In the southern summer of 1972/73, the Glomar Challenger was the first vessel of the international Deep Sea Drilling Project to venture into the seas surrounding Antarctica, confronting severe weather and ever-present icebergs. A Memory of Ice presents the science and the excitement of that voyage in a manner readable for non-scientists. Woven into the modern story is the history of early explorers, scientists and navigators who had gone before into the Southern Ocean. The departure of the Glomar Challenger from Fremantle took place 100 years after the HMS Challenger weighed anchor from Portsmouth, England, at the start of its four-year voyage, sampling and dredging the world’s oceans. Sailing south, the Glomar Challenger crossed the path of James Cook’s HMS Resolution, then on its circumnavigation of Antarctica in search of the Great South Land. Encounters with Lieutenant Charles Wilkes of the US Exploring Expedition and Douglas Mawson of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition followed. In the Ross Sea, the voyages of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror under James Clark Ross, with the young Joseph Hooker as botanist, were ever present. The story of the Glomar Challenger’s iconic voyage is largely told through the diaries of the author, then a young scientist experiencing science at sea for the first time. It weaves together the physical history of Antarctica with how we have come to our current knowledge of the polar continent. This is an attractive, lavishly illustrated and curiosity-satisfying read for the general public as well as for scholars of science.

Over the course of evolution, several plant lineages have found ways to obtain water, minerals, and carbohydrates from fungi. Some plants are able exploit fungi to such an extent that they lose the need for photosynthesis. The ability of a plant to live on fungal carbon is known as mycoheterotrophy. This intriguing process has fascinated botanists for centuries, yet many aspects of mycoheterotrophy have remained elusive for a long time. Mycoheterotrophy: The Biology of Plants Living on Fungi explores the biology of mycoheterotrophs, offering general insights into their ecology, diversity, and evolution. Written by renowned experts in the field and bolstered with lavish illustrations and photographs, this volume provides a thematic overview of different aspects of mycoheterotrophy. Comprehensive and readily accessible, Mycoheterotrophy: The Biology of Plants Living on Fungi is a valuable resource for researchers and students who are interested in the process of mycoheterotrophy.

The Peninsula Watershed has been integral to the story of San Francisco's growth ever since the Gold Rush. The rapid influx of settlers to San Francisco during the Gold Rush spurred a sudden demand for a reliable water source, which led to the formation of the Spring Valley Water Works (later purchased by the Spring Valley Water Company [SVWC]) in 1858 (Hanson 2005 ). Over the subsequent 70 years, SVWC bought up large swaths of land on the Peninsula, and constructed a complex system of dams, tunnels, and pipes to capture and transport water to San Francisco. Within the Peninsula Watershed, this system includes the Crystal Springs and San Andreas reservoirs, located in the San Andreas Creek, Laguna Creek, and Upper San Mateo Creek basins along the San Andreas Fau The City of San Francisco purchased SVWC in 1930, and today the Peninsula Watershed, managed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), continues to be a key source of water for San Francisco and for other communities in the South and East Bay. Despite the past 150 years of reservoir construction and other hydrologic modifications, the construction of transportation and utility corridors, and the large-scale suburban development that has occurred to the east, the Peninsula Watershed has remained largely undeveloped and is managed to protect water quality, water supply, wildlife habitat, and a range of other natural and cultural resources. The watershed supports some of the largest intact remnants of contiguous habitat in the region, including extensive oak woodlands, old-growth Douglas-fir forests, serpentine grasslands, chaparral, and coastal scrub. Over the past 250 years since Spanish explorers first set foot on the watershed, however, changes in disturbance regimes and other large-scale anthropogenic modifications, including fire suppression, homesteading, livestock grazing, agriculture, tree planting, introduction of plant pathogens, spread of invasive species, and climate change, have altered vegetation dynamics and changed the distribution and structure of vegetation communities throughout the watershed. The changes have raised many questions about the historical ecology of the watershed: What was the extent, distribution, and composition of terrestrial, riparian, and wetland habitats prior to Euro-American modification? How have vegetation distributions changed over the past two centuries, and what are the implications of those changes for species support? Are there remnant patches of relatively unmodified habitat present in the watershed, or areas that are currently in a state of recovery? Where are current habitat characteristics most similar to or different from historically documented conditions? How have key natural and anthropogenic disturbance regimes and processes changed over time? The Peninsula Watershed Historical Ecology Study aims to advance understanding of landscape conditions of the Peninsula Watershed prior to major Euro-American modification, and to provide insights into the nature and drivers of vegetation change since the first Spanish explorers set foot in the watershed 250 years ago. The primary goal of the research was to examine the historical extent, distribution, and composition of terrestrial vegetation types and their trajectories of change within the watershed. To the extent possible, research also addressed historical riparian, wetland, and estuarine habitats; hydrology and sediment dynamics; wildlife support; land use history; and a range of other topics.