Ecology 1 (Hubbard)

With a passion that gives this exploration of colony collapse disorder real buzz, Jacobsen (A Geography of Oysters) investigates why 30 billion honeybees—one-quarter of the northern hemisphere's population—vanished by the spring of 2007. He identifies the convergence of culprits—blood-sucking mites, pesticide buildup, viral infections, overused antibiotics, urbanization and climate change—that have led to habitat loss and the destruction of the beautiful mathematics of the hive. Honeybees are undergoing something akin to a nervous breakdown; they aren't pollinating crops as effectively, and production of commercial American honey, ...

"In fall of 1980, an older husband and wife team unexpectedly arrived in my marine invertebrate zoology class. This was my introduction to Drs. Lovell and Libby Langstroth, and it led to a friendship that has grown through 20 years. In that time, beginning with their 'retirement,' the Langstroths took up SCUBA diving and underwater photography. They became outstanding photographers of marine life. Moreover, with their insatiable desire to learn from all the marine biologists in the Monterey Bay area, they became experts in their own right. Their quest has culminated in this book, a unique combination of outstanding color photography and the most recent scientific information, presented in language that can be understood by anyone. This series of 'short stories' about some of the fascinating organisms that live in the Monterey Bay can be read and enjoyed by anyone interested in marine life."--James W. Nybakken, author of Marine Biology: An Ecological Approach

"Today the Monterey Bay Aquarium publicly embraces both fish and tourism within the confines of an old cannery. The two histories have co-existed for years, and they spawned a diverse and divided society. Therein lies Connie Chiang's fascinating and revealing story of the people of Monterey and the sea that gave them life." Richard White, Stanford University "A compelling narrative that is, at once, a social history of Monterey and an environmental history of the region that begins at the turn of the century and ends in the present day."

In 2006, commercial migratory beekeepers along the East Coast of the United States began reporting sharp declines in their honey bee colonies. Because of the severity and unusual circumstances of these colony declines, scientists have named this phenomenon Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Reports indicate that beekeepers in 35 states have been affected. Overall, bee colony losses averaged about 30 per cent in 2007. Reports for 2008 show continued declines with estimated average annual losses nation-wide approaching 35 per cent. Honey bees are the most economically valuable pollinators of agricultural crops world-wide. Many scientists at universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) frequently assert that bee pollination is involved in about one-third of the U.S. diet...

In the life sciences, there is wide-ranging debate about biodiversity. While nearly everyone is in favor of biodiversity and its conservation, methods for its assessment vary enormously. So what exactly is biodiversity? Most theoretical work on the subject assumes it has something to do with species richness—with the number of species in a particular region—but in reality, it is much more than that. Arguing that we cannot make rational decisions about what it is to be protected without knowing what biodiversity is, James Maclaurin and Kim Sterelny offer in What Is Biodiversity? a theoretical and conceptual exploration of the biological world and how diversity is valued.

Global change stressors, including climate change and variability and changes in land use, are major drivers of ecosystem alterations. Invasive species, which are non-native species that cause environmental or economic damages or human-health impacts, also contribute to ecosystem changes. Invasive species are a major issue both ecologically and economically, and threaten native species, sometimes to the point of extinction. The interactions between stressors and invasive species, although not well understood, may exacerbate the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, and likewise, climate change may enable further invasions. This book reviews available literature on climate-change effects on aquatic invasive species (AIS) and examines state-level AIS management activities.