Environmental Biology – Michael Calver

In modern societies, domestic, industrial and agricultural wastes are discharged in vast quantities into waterways and coastal regions. The main pollutants and the problems they cause are: • inorganic nutrients. Nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants from sewage and fertiliser run-off stimulate abundant growth of plants and algae. When these organisms die, bacteria decompose their bodies and in the process create an oxygen-depleted or hypoxic dead zone from the ocean bed upward to within a few metres of the surface. Free-swimming marine animals avoid these areas, but bottom-dwelling animals are killed.

About 60 large coastal areas around the world are recognised as dead zones, including an area of about 17 000 km2 in the Gulf of Mexico, into which pollutants are drained from the Mississippi River. • organic compounds. These are chemicals that contain carbon atoms. Some, such as pesticides or herbicides, are toxic in their own right, whereas others may mimic the actions of natural hormones. The free-living embryonic and larval stages of many marine animals may be especially vulnerable because their small surface area to volume ratios facilitate uptake of pollutants and they are undergoing critical developmental processes that may be disrupted by organic pollutants.

• inorganic chemicals. These chemicals do not contain carbon. They do not degrade easily, so they may persist in the environment for long periods or accumulate in organisms. Many, such as lead and mercury, are toxic. • radioactive materials. When unstable isotopes of some elements decay, they spontaneously emit energy either as rays or as subatomic particles. While all living things are exposed to background radiation normally, signifi cant increases in this from exposure to radioactive materials may cause genetic damage.

• sediments. Suspended soil sediments from stormwater drains or agricultural run-off may enter waterways and be carried some distance before fi nally settling. In large quantities they may smother bottom-dwelling aquatic life, while even smaller quantities may clog gills or interfere with suspension-feeding. • heated water. Many industries use water as a coolant and when this has been heated it is often discharged into waterways, raising local water temperatures.

The increased temperature may interfere with reproductive cycles and oxygen availability (less oxygen dissolves in warm water than cool water) and alter metabolic processes. The effect of pollution on aquatic environments Freshwater animals are much less likely than marine animals to produce free-fl oating eggs, because they can be swept away by rapid currents.

Instead, eggs are usually retained by the parent until they hatch, or attached fi rmly to the substrate.

Environmental Biology offers a fresh, problem-solving treatment of the topic for students requiring a biology background before further study in environmental science, sustainable development or environmental engineering. The text begins with an environmental theme that carries throughout, using three major case studies with a regional focus. Key foundational knowledge in biology is introduced and developed as the text progresses, with students encouraged to integrate their accumulating learning to reach solutions. A comprehensive coverage of scientifi c method, including fi eld experimentation and fi eld techniques, is an important part of the approach.

While emphasising the environmental theme, the book introduces all facets of the discipline of biology, including cell biology, evolution, ecology, conservation and restoration. With over 500 line drawings, diagrams and photos throughout, including full-colour sections, each chapter includes: • chapter summaries • comprehension questions • activities that reinforce learning and encourage scientifi c analysis • topics for debate with other students • lists of further reading.

An online Instructors’ Resource offers multiple-choice questions, ‘Test your knowledge’ solutions, video footage, a full repository of text-based and supplementary photos, and a vast list of relevant journal articles. Mike Calver is Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology at Murdoch University. Alan Lymbery is Associate Professor of Parasitology in the School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at Murdoch University. Jen McComb is Emeritus Professor in the School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology at Murdoch University. Mike Bamford is Consulting Ecologist at Bamford Consulting.

Environmental Biology Edited by Mike Calver Alan Lymbery Jen McComb Mike Bamford Illustrated by Belinda Cale and Mike Bamford CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi Cambridge University Press 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia www.cambridge.edu.au Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521679824 © Michael Calver, Alan Lymbery, Jennifer McComb & Michael Bamford 2009 First published 2009 Designed by Pier Vido Typeset by Aptara Corp Printed in China by Printplus National Library of Australia Cataloguing in Publication data Calver, Michael Environmental Biology / Michael Calver …

[et al.] 9780521679824 (pbk.) Includes index.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 7f2e75e3192a15eb
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 17,360,376 bytes (16.556 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9780521679824
• Pages: 691
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 1260.16 minutes
• Total Words: 252,032
• Total Characters: 1,644,795
• Average Words per Page: 364.74
• Average Characters per Page: 2380.31

Most Frequent Words

species (1394), water (1213), plants (813), environmental (619), animals (579), cells (548), figure (526), many (525), cell (525), organisms (521), biology (515), also (503), one (479), australia (448), life (426), between (417), two (416), plant (402), different (389), population (382), conservation (359), energy (337), body (334), new (331), land (326), environment (325), form (322), years (318), within (312), chapter (310), source (302), marine (301), areas (300), example (293), large (292), dna (288), called (286), food (285), australian (279), important (274), populations (273), often (272), diversity (271), box (271), small (268), animal (258), oxygen (252), human (243), use (238), growth (234), genetic (232), nutrients (228), surface (227), living (224), number (224), cation (223), aquatic (222), however (217), high (216), used (212), time (208), ecosystems (207), habitat (203), see (201), occur (201), natural (200), environments (198), although (196), communities (194), temperature (193), size (188), soil (183), structure (183), groups (183), light (183), usually (182), leaves (181), development (179), area (179), rst (178), system (177), organic (174), south (173), systems (172), including (170), range (169), biodiversity (168), group (168), plate (168), using (164), cycle (163), ecosystem (163), low (163), common (161), reproduction (160), management (160), sea (159), molecules (159), change (158), occurs (158).

PDF Download