Biodiversity

Front Cover
John Wiley & Sons, 2004 M04 21 - 296 pages
The title provides an overview of the current knowledge about the diversity of the living world and the various problems associated with its conservation and sustainable use. Covering both the fundamentals of the subject, along with the latest research, Biodiversity presents key conservation issues within a framework of global case studies.

Starting with a summary of the concept of biodiversity, the text then explores such subjects as species richness, ecological systems, the consequences of human activities, diversity and human health, genetic resources, biotechnology and conservation.

  • Comprehensive introduction to key issues surrounding the study of biodiversity.
  • Extensive bibliography and references to numerous relevant websites.
  • Introduces current research in the field within a framework of useful case studies.

From inside the book

Contents

1 Brief history of a concept why be concerned by biological diversity?
5
2 Biological diversity what do we know?
13
3 The mechanisms at work in the diversification of life
39
4 The species richness of natural communities as a result of equilibriumnonequilibrium processes
73
5 Biological diversity and the functioning of ecological systems
97
6 The dynamics of biological diversity and the consequences of human activities
131
7 The dynamics of biological diversity and implications for human health
165
8 Genetic resources and biotechnology
185
9 Useful nature the value and use of biological diversity
207
10 The conservation of biodiversity
225
A conclusion of sorts
267
On the Web
269
References and further reading
275
Index
281
Copyright

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About the author (2004)

Christian Lévêque is the author of Biodiversity, published by Wiley.

Jean-Claude Mounolou is the author of Biodiversity, published by Wiley.

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