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Genetics and the conservation of invertebrates
Biological Conservation 68 (1994) 81-87
SELECTED ABSTRACTS The abstracts reproduced here have been selected from the coverage of Ecological
Abstracts. Further information on Ecological Abstracts, and the associated online database GEOBASE is available from Elsevier/Geo Abstracts, Regency House, 34 Duke Street, Norwich, U'K,NR3 3AP.
937400003 Rates of loss of biological diversity: a glo. bal view G.T. Prance, in: The scientific management of temperate
NATURE CONSERVATION
communities for conservation. 31st symposium of the British Ecological Society, Southampton, 1989, ed I.F.
General
Spellerberg & others, (Black-weB Scientific, for BES), 1991, pp 27-44. Conservation planning must always involve ways to preserve beth species and their genetic diversity. Some 25 000 plant species 0 0 % of estimated global numbers) are threatened with extinction, with the flora of some regions being particularly vulnerable. Estimates suggest that we may lose 25-50% of living species, with troptcal rain forest (containing >50% of the world s species) b e i n g the most threatened biome. This chapter outlines the problems facing crisis areas (W Ecuador, Atlantic coastal forests and Rondonla in Brazil, Madagascar), and notes some of the reasons for rain forest extinctions (the florialic diversity itself, endemism, exploitation, breakdown of biological interactions). -PJ. Jarvis
The scientific management of temperate coramunities for conservation. The 31st sympnsmm of the British Ecological Society, Southampton, 1989 93Z/00001
I. F. Spellerberg, F. B. Goldsmith & M. G. Morris, (Blackwell Scientific, for British Ecological Society), ISBN (hardback) 0 632 02976 5, (paperback) 0 632 03186 7, price £45.00, £26.50, 1991, 566 pp, indexes. The 21 contributions, all abstracted separately, represent the proceedings of the 31st symposium of the British Ecological Society. Major themes concerned biodiversity and conservation practice; conservation ofpopulatinns; conservation of piotected areas; creative conservation; and recording and prediction. The last couple of decades have seen tremendous pro~ress in the development of ideas about wildlife and habitat management, andwe also have a much larger (though still very incomplete) data base of ecological and environmental information upon which to make judgements and decisions. The conservation practitioner increasingly has to set scientific work into an appropriate social, political context. Emphasis in the book s on Western Europe, especially the UK, but other regions and global perspecUv" es are included. -P.J.Jarvis
937400004 Genetics and the conservation of invertebrates P. M. Brake field, in: The scientific management of
temperate communities for conservation. 31st symposium of the British Ecological Society, Southampton, 1989, ed I.F. Speilerberg & others, (Black-well Scientific, for BES), 1991, pp 45-79. Examines the relevance of this development of an understanding of the genetics of natural i~..pulations to problems in the management and conservauon of populations of invertebrates. Emphasis is on the effects of genetic drift, examining the problem of how much emphasis need be placed in a management pro .l~ra.n.mle " on maintaining subs.tantial population sizes to mmlmi~,~e loss of genetic varianon. Atten,Uon xs also given to features applying to systems ot m.temctmg Ioc.al populattons or metapopulations. Cited popula,uon studies mostly concern species of terrestrial mverteorates, especially insects. -from Author
93Z/00002 Conservation in a world context M. W. Holdgate, in: The scienn'fic management of
temp.erate communities for conservation. 31st symposium of the British Ecological Society, Southampton, 1989, ed I.F. Spellerberg & others, (Blackwell Scientific, for BES), 1991, pp 1-26. Conservation involves sustainable management of renewal natural resources as an essential foundation for the future. Nature conservation should be incorporated into this wider endeavour, not necessarily as a dominant part. The author reviews the changing perception of conservation in the ]~ostwar period, and identifies a set of underlying concepts. ~ome of these are ecological: natural processes determine the capacity of the planet to support life; there are limits to the primary and secondary production of any ecosystem; one can increase productivi~ by injecting energy or nutrients, or enchanging biologmal efficiency, but there is a limit to the transformability of ecosystems if they are to remain within the envelope of sustainability; humans must be treated as a component of the world's ecosystems; biodiversity plays a vltal role in the Earth's environmental processes; functional processes are self-regulatory; and all ecological systems exhibit variation and change. There are also sets of human ecological, social and ethical considerations. Problems of managing environmental systems for conservation are outlined. Ecology should respond to its challenges by providing knowledge, applying this ~nowledge in conservation strale~ies and methodologies, and combining these with econonnc and social sciences to promote a broader insight and a sounder policy base. -P.J.Jarvis
937400005 The management of populations of large mammals S. E. Van Wieren, in: The scientific management of
temperate communities for conservation. 31st symposium of the British Ecological Society, Southampton, 1989, ed I.F. Spellerberg & others, (Blackwell Scientific, for BES), 1991, pp 103-127. The possible role of large herbivores under natural conditions in Western Europe is indicated; a number of effects of grazing on vegetation (forests, wood pastures, heathlands and grasslands.) and ,f~mna (invertebrates, birds, other mammals) ate m vie.wed.; and a perspective is offered on how namrm S.elt-mamtaining populations of large herbivores may receive a proper place in conservation thinking. A case study is dratm f~om the Grevelingen estuary, SW Netherlands. -from Author
Biological Conservation 0006-3207/94/$07.00 © 1994 Elsevier Science Limited.
81
SELECTED ABSTRACTS The abstracts reproduced here have been selected from the coverage of Ecological
Abstracts. Further information on Ecological Abstracts, and the associated online database GEOBASE is available from Elsevier/Geo Abstracts, Regency House, 34 Duke Street, Norwich, U'K,NR3 3AP.
937400003 Rates of loss of biological diversity: a glo. bal view G.T. Prance, in: The scientific management of temperate
NATURE CONSERVATION
communities for conservation. 31st symposium of the British Ecological Society, Southampton, 1989, ed I.F.
General
Spellerberg & others, (Black-weB Scientific, for BES), 1991, pp 27-44. Conservation planning must always involve ways to preserve beth species and their genetic diversity. Some 25 000 plant species 0 0 % of estimated global numbers) are threatened with extinction, with the flora of some regions being particularly vulnerable. Estimates suggest that we may lose 25-50% of living species, with troptcal rain forest (containing >50% of the world s species) b e i n g the most threatened biome. This chapter outlines the problems facing crisis areas (W Ecuador, Atlantic coastal forests and Rondonla in Brazil, Madagascar), and notes some of the reasons for rain forest extinctions (the florialic diversity itself, endemism, exploitation, breakdown of biological interactions). -PJ. Jarvis
The scientific management of temperate coramunities for conservation. The 31st sympnsmm of the British Ecological Society, Southampton, 1989 93Z/00001
I. F. Spellerberg, F. B. Goldsmith & M. G. Morris, (Blackwell Scientific, for British Ecological Society), ISBN (hardback) 0 632 02976 5, (paperback) 0 632 03186 7, price £45.00, £26.50, 1991, 566 pp, indexes. The 21 contributions, all abstracted separately, represent the proceedings of the 31st symposium of the British Ecological Society. Major themes concerned biodiversity and conservation practice; conservation ofpopulatinns; conservation of piotected areas; creative conservation; and recording and prediction. The last couple of decades have seen tremendous pro~ress in the development of ideas about wildlife and habitat management, andwe also have a much larger (though still very incomplete) data base of ecological and environmental information upon which to make judgements and decisions. The conservation practitioner increasingly has to set scientific work into an appropriate social, political context. Emphasis in the book s on Western Europe, especially the UK, but other regions and global perspecUv" es are included. -P.J.Jarvis
937400004 Genetics and the conservation of invertebrates P. M. Brake field, in: The scientific management of
temperate communities for conservation. 31st symposium of the British Ecological Society, Southampton, 1989, ed I.F. Speilerberg & others, (Black-well Scientific, for BES), 1991, pp 45-79. Examines the relevance of this development of an understanding of the genetics of natural i~..pulations to problems in the management and conservauon of populations of invertebrates. Emphasis is on the effects of genetic drift, examining the problem of how much emphasis need be placed in a management pro .l~ra.n.mle " on maintaining subs.tantial population sizes to mmlmi~,~e loss of genetic varianon. Atten,Uon xs also given to features applying to systems ot m.temctmg Ioc.al populattons or metapopulations. Cited popula,uon studies mostly concern species of terrestrial mverteorates, especially insects. -from Author
93Z/00002 Conservation in a world context M. W. Holdgate, in: The scienn'fic management of
temp.erate communities for conservation. 31st symposium of the British Ecological Society, Southampton, 1989, ed I.F. Spellerberg & others, (Blackwell Scientific, for BES), 1991, pp 1-26. Conservation involves sustainable management of renewal natural resources as an essential foundation for the future. Nature conservation should be incorporated into this wider endeavour, not necessarily as a dominant part. The author reviews the changing perception of conservation in the ]~ostwar period, and identifies a set of underlying concepts. ~ome of these are ecological: natural processes determine the capacity of the planet to support life; there are limits to the primary and secondary production of any ecosystem; one can increase productivi~ by injecting energy or nutrients, or enchanging biologmal efficiency, but there is a limit to the transformability of ecosystems if they are to remain within the envelope of sustainability; humans must be treated as a component of the world's ecosystems; biodiversity plays a vltal role in the Earth's environmental processes; functional processes are self-regulatory; and all ecological systems exhibit variation and change. There are also sets of human ecological, social and ethical considerations. Problems of managing environmental systems for conservation are outlined. Ecology should respond to its challenges by providing knowledge, applying this ~nowledge in conservation strale~ies and methodologies, and combining these with econonnc and social sciences to promote a broader insight and a sounder policy base. -P.J.Jarvis
937400005 The management of populations of large mammals S. E. Van Wieren, in: The scientific management of
temperate communities for conservation. 31st symposium of the British Ecological Society, Southampton, 1989, ed I.F. Spellerberg & others, (Blackwell Scientific, for BES), 1991, pp 103-127. The possible role of large herbivores under natural conditions in Western Europe is indicated; a number of effects of grazing on vegetation (forests, wood pastures, heathlands and grasslands.) and ,f~mna (invertebrates, birds, other mammals) ate m vie.wed.; and a perspective is offered on how namrm S.elt-mamtaining populations of large herbivores may receive a proper place in conservation thinking. A case study is dratm f~om the Grevelingen estuary, SW Netherlands. -from Author
Biological Conservation 0006-3207/94/$07.00 © 1994 Elsevier Science Limited.
81