This concise introductory text provides a complete overview of biodiversity – what it is, how it arose, its distribution, why it is important, human impact upon it, and what should be done to maintain it.
* Timely overview of the serious attempts made to quantify and describe biodiversity in a scientific way
* Acts as an easy entry point into the primary literature
* Provides real-world examples of key issues, including illustrations of major temporal and spatial patterns in biodiversity
* Designed primarily with undergraduate students and course lecturers in mind, it will also be of interest to anyone who requires an overview of, and entry to, the vast literature on these topics.
* All the figures included in the book are downloadable from the Blackwell Publishing website
Table of Content
Preface.
Acknowledgements.
1. What Is Biodiversity?.
Marion Island.
What Is Biodiversity?.
Elements Of Biodiversity.
Measuring Biodiversity.
Summary.
Further Reading.
2. Biodiversity Through Time:.
Introduction.
Sources Of Information.
A Brief History Of Biodiversity.
How Many Extant Species Are There?.
Summary.
Further Reading.
3. Mapping Biodiversity:.
Introduction.
Issues Of Scale.
Extremes Of High And Low Diversity.
Gradients In Biodiversity.
Congruence.
Summary.
Further Reading.
4. Does Biodiversity Matter?.
Introduction.
Direct Use Value.
Indirect Use Value.
Non-Use Value.
Summary.
Further Reading.
5. Human Impacts:.
Introduction.
Species Extinctions.
Populations, Individuals And Genetic Diversity.
Threats To Biodiversity.
The Scale Of The Human Enterprise.
Summary.
Further Reading.
6. Maintaining Biodiversity:.
Introduction.
Objectives Of The Convention.
General Measures For Conservation And Sustainable Use.
Identification And Monitoring.
In-Situ Conservation.
Ex-Situ Conservation.
Sustainable Use Of Components Of Biological Diversity.
Incentive Measures.
Reponses To The Convention.
Summary.
Further Reading.
References.
Index
About the author
Kevin J. Gaston is Professor of Biodiversity and
Conservation at the University of Sheffield. He has broad research
interests in the fields of biodiversity, macroecology and
conservation biology.
John I. Spicer is a Reader in Marine Biology at the
University of Plymouth. His research interests range from the
ecophysiology of marine animals through to the functional
biodiversity of marine systems.
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