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The number of currently known, described and accepted plant species is ca 374,000, of which approximately 295,00 (79%) are angiosperms. Almost 90% of this huge number of flowering plants is pollinated by animals (mostly insects) via nectar-mediated interactions. Notably, three-fourths of the leading global crop plants produce nectar and are animal pollinated, which is estimated to account for one-third of human food resources. Nectar can also be produced on tissues outside of flowers, by so-called extrafloral nectaries, and commonly mediate interactions with ‘body-guard’ ants and other pugnacious insects that defend the plant from herbivores. Extrafloral nectar is present in almost 4,000...
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Natural products present in the plant and animal kingdom offer a huge diversity of chemical structures which are the result of biosynthetic processes that have been modulated over the millennia through genetic effects. With the rapid developments in spectroscopic techniques and accompanying advances in high-throughput screening techniques, it has become possible to isolate, determine the structures and biological activity of natural products rapidly, thus opening up exciting new opportunities in the field of new drug development to the pharmaceutical industry. The present volume contains 22 articles written by leading experts in natural product chemistry on biologically active natural produc...
A compelling evolutionary narrative that reveals how human civilization follows the same ecological rules that shape all life on Earth Offering a bold new understanding of who we are, where we came from, and where we are going, noted ecologist Mark Bertness argues that human beings and their civilization are the products of the same self-organization, evolutionary adaptation, and natural selection processes that have created all other life on Earth. Bertness follows the evolutionary process from the primordial soup of two billion years ago through today, exploring the ways opposing forces of competition and cooperation have led to current assemblages of people, animals, and plants. Bertness’s thoughtful examination of human history from the perspective of natural history provides new insights about why and how civilization developed as it has and explores how humans, as a species, might have to consciously overrule our evolutionary drivers to survive future challenges.
Reviews recent advances in understanding pollination dynamics and the role of plant-pollinator relationships in agro-ecosystems Provides a comprehensive assessment of the major threats to economically important pollinators, including the impact of climate change and pest and disease threat Explores best practices for the protection of key pollinators and the ecosystem services they deliver
Drivers behind food security and crop protection issues vis-à-vis the food losses caused by pests include rapid human population increase, climate change, loss of beneficial on-farm biodiversity, reduction in per capita cropped land, water shortages, and pesticide withdrawals. Integrated pest management, therefore, becomes a compulsory strategy in agriculture, which offers a 'toolbox' of complementary crop- and region-specific crop protection solutions to address these rising pressures. IPM aims at more sustainable solutions by using complementary technologies and one of them is the use of biopesticides including genetically modified cropping systems. The aim is to reduce pests below econom...
A friendly, accessible guide into the weird, but wonderful world of bees in the gardens of the UK. From the common or garden bumblebees that nest in bird boxes, compost heaps, and old mouse holes making “Winnie the Pooh” style honey pots to feed their babes; to the quirky wool carder bee, a solitary bee that combs the fluff from garden plants to line her brood cells; and the amazing leaf cutter bee that carves chunks out of plant foliage to seal its egg chambers . . . This book will reveal the secrets and fascinating lives of the bees that live and breed in your garden, from buzz pollination, to the bee robbers that cheat the plants and steal nectar by stealth. With a chapter per season to explore what you are likely to see in your garden, great plants to grow to help them, plus other fascinating information on these secretive creatures, this book is designed to bring alive the world of garden before your very eyes. “The colorful narrative radiates the authors love for bees and is punctuated with heaps of beautiful photographs. Easily read from cover to cover or dipped in to when in need of bee identification.” —Sunday Express (UK)
Highlights the importance of translation for the global exchange of medical theories, practices, and materials in the premodern period. This volume of Osiris turns the analytical lens of translation onto medical knowledge and practices across the premodern world. Understandings of the human body, and of diseases and their cures, were influenced by a range of religious, cultural, environmental, and intellectual factors. As a result, complex systems of translation emerged as people crossed linguistic and territorial boundaries to share not only theories and concepts, but also materials, such as drugs, amulets, and surgical tools. The studies here reveal how instances of translation helped to s...
The debate that has arisen around the concept of the Anthropocene forms the basis of this book. It investigates certain forms of environmental interrelation and 'ecological' sensitivity in the Graeco-Roman world. The notions of environmental depletion, exploitation and loss of plant species, and the ancients' knowledge of species diversity are the main cores of the research. The aim is to interrogate historical sources and diverse evidence and to analyse political and socioeconomic structures, according to a reading focused on possible antecedents, cultural prodromes, alignments of thought or divergencies, with respect to major modern environmental problems and current ecological conceptuali...