Animal Biodiversity : Patterns and Processes
Contents: Preface. 1. Biodiversity: dimensions and implications. 2. Biodiversity: values, generation and maintenance. 3. Patterns of biodiversity. 4. Functional aspects of biodiversity. 5. Genetic diversity and phenotypic plasticity. 6. Nutrient cycles and soil/litter biodiversity. 7. Host-parasite-vector biodiversity. 8. Insect biodiversity and nature of insect-plant interactions. 9. Biodiversity in agroecosystems. 10. The tropical forest scenario. 11. Marine biodiversity. 12. Fresh water biodiversity. 13. Island biodiversity. 14. Taxonomy and biodiversity. 15. Biodiversity and biotechnology. 16. Remote sensing and biodiversity. 17. Conservation and management of biodiversity. 18. Intellectual property rights. 19. Biodiversity: the future scenario. Reference. Glossary. Index.
"India being one of the top twelve mega biodiversity countries in the world, the increasing rate of erosion of biodiversity has been causing great concern. Because of socio-economic changes, biological diversity has to come to occupying the central stage as it holds the 'key to the maintenance of the world'. Biodiversity is a multifaceted science bringing the ecologist and environmentalist together resulting in an interdisciplinary subject. Issues like ecosystem dynamics, global changes and impact of the loss of biodiversity at various levels such as local, national and global levels have become important. As a result of the loss of genes, species and ecosystems, the need for conservation of biological systems has come to be increasingly recognised. The need to understand traditional ecological knowledge for managing biodiversity by the local people has also come to be appreciated. The book therefore, attempts to provide an overall emphasis of diverse aspects of animal biodiversity, including soil, vectors of animal and plant diseases, agroecosystem diversity, forest biodiversity, marine, fresh water and island biodiversity. The impact of taxonomy, biotechnology and remote sensing, besides the conservation and management of biodiversity has also been briefly discussed."
