The diversity of the earth's climates superimposed upon a complex configuration of physical features has provided the conditions for the evolution of a remarkable array of living things which are linked together into complex ecosystems. The kinds of organisms comprising the ecosystems of the world, and the nature of their interactions, have constantly changed through time due to coevolutionary interactions along with the effects of a continually changing physical environ ment. In recent evolutionary time there has been a dramatic and ever-accelerating rate of change in the configuration of these ecosystems because of the increasing influence of human beings. These changes range from subtle modifications caused by anthropogenically induced alterations in atmospheric properties to the total destruction of ecosystems. Many of these modifications have provided the fuel, food, and fiber which have allowed the expansion of human populations. Unfortunately, there have been many unanticipated changes which accompanied these modifications which have had effects detrimental to human welfare in cluding substantial changes in water and air quality. For example, the use of high-sulfur coal to produce energy in parts of North America is altering the properties of freshwater lakes and forests because of acidification.

In Alien Species and Evolution, biologist George W. Cox reviews and synthesizes emerging information on the evolutionary changes that occur in plants, animals, and microbial organisms when they colonize new geographical areas, and on the evolutionary responses of the native species with which alien species interact. The book is broad in scope, exploring information across a wide variety of taxonomic groups, trophic levels, and geographic areas. It examines theoretical topics related to rapid evolutionary change and supports the emerging concept that species introduced to new physical and biotic environments are particularly prone to rapid evolution. The author draws on examples from all parts of the world and all major ecosystem types, and the variety of examples used gives considerable insight into the patterns of evolution that are likely to result from the massive introduction of species to new geographic regions that is currently occurring around the globe. Alien Species and Evolution is the only state-of-the-art review and synthesis available of this critically important topic, and is an essential work for anyone concerned with the new science of invasion biology or the threats posed by invasive species.

The results of a probe initiated by the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) into the ecological implications of invasions of animals, plants and micro-organisms, focusing primarily on those species which have been successful invaders of non-agricultural regions.

This pioneering encyclopedia illuminates a topic at the forefront of global ecology—biological invasions, or organisms that come to live in the wrong place. Written by leading scientists from around the world, Encyclopedia of Biological Invasions addresses all aspects of this subject at a global level—including invasions by animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria—in succinct, alphabetically arranged articles. Scientifically uncompromising, yet clearly written and free of jargon, the volume encompasses fields of study including biology, demography, geography, ecology, evolution, sociology, and natural history. Featuring many cross-references, suggestions for further reading, illustrations, an appendix of the world’s worst 100 invasive species, a glossary, and more, this is an essential reference for anyone who needs up-to-date information on this important topic. Encyclopedia of Biological Invasions features articles on: • Well-known invasive species such the zebra mussel, chestnut blight, cheatgrass, gypsy moth, Nile perch, giant African snail, and Norway rat • Regions with especially large numbers of introduced species including the Great Lakes, Mediterranean Sea, Hawaiian Islands, Australia, and New Zealand. • Conservation, ecological, economic, and human and animal health impacts of invasions around the world • The processes and pathways involved in invasion • Management of introduced species

Oceanic islands represent a set of systems in which biological diversity varies as a consequence of remoteness or size, not environment; they are also generally simpler than continental ecosystems. Islands therefore provide an opportunity to determine the direct effects of biological diversity on ecosystem function. The volume addresses the components of biological diversity on islands and their patterns of variation; the modern threats to the maintenance of biological diversity on islands; the consequences of island biology and its modification by humanity regarding aspects of ecosystem function; the global implications of islands for conservation; and how islands can help one to understand the processes inducing changes throughout the world.

Conservation biology is fast emerging as a major new discipline, which incorporates biological principles in the design of effective strategies for the sustainable management of populations, species and entire ecosystems. This beautifully illustrated textbook introduces students to conservation biology, the science of preserving biodiversity. It begins by taking the reader on a tour of the many and varied ecosystems of our planet, providing a setting in which to explore the factors that have led to the alarming loss of biodiversity that we now see. In particular the fundamental problems of habitat loss and fragmentation, habitat disturbance and the non-sustainable exploitation of species in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are explored. The methods that have been developed to address these problems, from the most traditional forms of conservation, to new approaches at genetic to landscape scales are then discussed, showing how the science can be put into practice.

A wide-ranging, interdisciplinary exploration of key topics that interrelate pest management, public health and the environment This book takes a unique, multidimensional approach to addressing the complex issues surrounding pest management activities and their impacts on the environment and human health, and environmental effects on plant protection practices. It features contributions by a distinguished group of authors from ten countries, representing an array of disciplines. They include plant protection scientists and officers, economists, agronomists, ecologists, environmental and public health scientists and government policymakers. Over the course of eighteen chapters, those experts share their insights into and analyses of an array of issues of vital concern to everyone with a professional interest in this important subject. The adverse effects of pest control have become a subject of great concern worldwide, and researchers and enlightened policymakers have at last begun to appreciate the impact of environmental factors on our ability to manage pest populations. Moreover, while issues such as pesticide toxicity have dominated the global conversation about pest management, economic and societal considerations have been largely neglected. Environmental Pest Management: Challenges for Agronomists, Ecologists, Economists and Policymakers is the first work to provide in-depth coverage of all of these pressing issues between the covers of one book. Offers a unique multi-dimensional perspective on the complex issues surrounding pest management activities and their effect on the environment and human health Addresses growing concerns about specific pest management strategies, including the use of transgenic crops and biological controls Analyses the influence of global processes, such as climate change, biological invasions and shifts in consumer demand, and ecosystem services and disservices on pest suppression efforts Explores public health concerns regarding biodiversity, pesticide use and food safety Identifies key economic drivers of pest suppression research, strategies and technologies Proposes new regulatory approaches to create sustainable and viable crop protection systems in the framework of agro-environmental schemes Offering a timely and comprehensively-unique treatment of pest management and its environmental impacts in a single, inter-disciplinary volume, this book is a valuable resource for scientists in an array of disciplines, as well as government officials and policymakers. Also, teachers of undergraduate and graduate level courses in a variety of fields are sure to find it a highly useful teaching resource.

In view of the massive change in the area of distribution of many world biota across classical biogeographical realms, and of the drastic restructuring of the biotic components of numerous ecosystems, the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) decided at its general Assembly in Ottawa, Canada, in 1982 to launch a project on the 'Ecology of Biological Invasions'. Several regional meetings were subsequently organized within the framework of SCOPE, in order to single out the peculiarities of the invasions that took place in each region, the behaviour of their invasive species and the invasibility of their ecosystems. Most noteworthy among such workshops were one in Australia in August 1984, one concerning North America and Hawaii in October 1984, and one dealing with southern Africa in November 1985. A leitmotiv of these workshops was that most of the invasive species to those regions were emanating from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, inadvertently or intentionally introduced by man. It was therefore considered as a timely endeavour to organize the next regional meeting in relation to this region. The workshop on 'Biological Invasions in Europe and the Mediterranean Basin' was held in Montpellier, France, 21 to 23 May 1986, thanks to the financial support of SCOPE and of the A.W. Mellon Foundation, and the logistic facilities of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (C.N .R.S.).