Showing papers on "Aquatic biodiversity research published in 1994"
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: In this article, the significance of biodiversity in the functioning of a particular type of ecosystem is discussed, and the authors establish a context for considering the role and significance of diversity in agricultural systems.
Abstract: In this chapter we are concerned with the significance of biodiversity in the functioning of a particular type of ecosystem. In the broadest sense all the concepts and principles covered in the other chapters of this book are relevant to this discussion. Our main purpose is thus to establish a context for considering the role and significance of biodiversity in the functioning of agricultural systems.
294 citations
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss how and why a change in biodiversity might alter the functioning of ecosystems, i.e., the transfer of carbon, water, and nutrients, and the maintenance of ecosystem stability.
Abstract: In light of past and projected global changes in land use and climate, there has been increasing concern about the loss of genetic diversity in fragmented populations, the loss of species diversity through habitat destruction, and the role of landscape diversity in regional processes. However, it is unclear exactly how and why a change in biodiversity might alter the functioning of ecosystems, i.e., the transfer of carbon, water, and nutrients, and the maintenance of ecosystem stability. One reason for this is that we know too little about the population biology and functional properties of most species. Furthermore, we lack a full understanding about the mechanisms which underlie the self-assembly and organization of species in communities and about the effects of variations in the arrangement of components in such complex systems.
154 citations
Book•
19 Apr 1994
TL;DR: In this article, a new edition covers such topics as classification of particulate & dissolved matter, origin & formation of particles aquatic, and the classification of particles in aquatic environments. But, the authors do not cover the classification and formation of aquatic particles.
Abstract: Updated & extensively revised, this new edition covers such topics as classification of particulate & dissolved matter, origin & formation of particles aquatic ...
144 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The key issues in deciding the acceptability of this method of food production are scale, intensity of resource use, and net production of wastes, and it is argued that protection of biodiversity is essential from the aquaculturist's point of view.
Abstract: The impacts of aquaculture on biodiversity are rarely positive, sometimes neutral, but usually negative to some degree. Impacts arise from the consumption of resources, such as land (or space), water, seed and feed, their transformation into products valued by society and the production of wastes (uneaten food, faecal and urinary products, chemotheraputants, microorganisms and parasites and feral farmed organisms). Negative impacts may be direct, through the introduction of exotic genetic material into the environment for example, or indirect through loss of habitat and niche space. It is concluded that the key issues in deciding the acceptability of this method of food production are scale, intensity of resource use, and net production of wastes. It is also argued that protection of biodiversity is essential from the aquaculturist's point of view.
123 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The term 'biodiversity' should be used cautiously and carefully in management, and it is desirable to try to combine multiple-scale and multiple-level approaches simultaneously.
Abstract: 'Biodiversity' has become a popular term in conservation biology. We review the history of the term. It has several historical origins from ecology, genetics and evolutionary biology. The term 'biodiversity' refers to the fact that heterogeneity at different ecological levels is a fundamental property of natural systems. The term itself is abstract and descriptively complex, i.e., several alternative criteria can be used to operationalize the term. Consequently, the term is context-specific when used in conservation and management. The term 'biodiversity' should be used cautiously and carefully in management, and it is desirable to try to combine multiple-scale and multiple-level approaches simultaneously. Idiosyncrasies of particular systems and environments should be recognized and it seems unlikely that 'biodiversity' could be measured using a simple, single index.
105 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a five-tiered approach for aquatic conservation in California that should be applicable to other regions as well: (1) immediate listing of species likely to be extirpated in the next 20 years; (2) implementation of restoration-oriented management strategies for clusters of declining species that inhabit the same habitats or drainages; (3) creation of a system of drainages and habitats called Aquatic Diversity Management Areas that provides systematic, statewide protection of aquatic biodiversity; (4) designation of a key watersheds, starting with seven pilot watershed projects
Abstract: Aquatic biodiversity is being lost at an even more rapid rate than terrestrial biodiversity, especially in arid regions such as California. In the United States, it is increasingly obvious that the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) cannot adequately deal with this loss. To help solve this problem, we have developed a five-tiered approach for aquatic conservation in California that should be applicable to other regions as well: (1) immediate ESA listing of species likely to be extirpated in the next 20 years; (2) implementation of restoration-oriented management strategies for clusters of declining species that inhabit the same habitats or drainages; (3) creation of a system of drainages and habitats called Aquatic Diversity Management Areas that provides systematic, statewide protection of aquatic biodiversity; (4) designation of a system of key watersheds, starting with seven pilot watershed projects that represent a diversity of challenges; and (5) development of schemes for bioregional land...
97 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: The role of the International Council for Scientific Unions in biodiversity and global change research and the role of mammal biodiversity in the function of ecosystems are highlighted.
Abstract: 1: Introduction 2: The role of the International Council for Scientific Unions in biodiversity and global change research, J W M La Riviere 3: Towards biodiversity in politics, H Alders 4: Biodiversity: an introduction, O T Solbrig 5: Theoretical Considerations 6: Dynamical systems, biological complexity and global change, G Nicolis 7: Biodiversity at a molecular level, J C Mounolou 8: Genetic diversity and its role in the survival of species, W van Delden 9: The geophysical aspects of diversity, J E Lovelock 10: Biodiversity in space and time 11: Past efforts and future prospects towards understanding how many species there are, R M May 12: Biodiversity in microorganisms and its role in ecosystem function, D L Hawksworth 13: Molecular phylogeny of cellular systems: Comparisons of 5S ribosomal RNA sequences, H Hori 14: The role of biodiversity in marine ecosystems, P Lasserre 15: The role of mammal biodiversity in the function of ecosystems, V E Sokolov 16: The role of biodiversity in the function of Savanna ecosystems, E Medina and O Huber 17: Global change, shifting ranges, and biodiversity in plant ecosystems, T van der Hammen 18: Shifting ranges and biodiversity in animal ecosystems, J H Stock 19: Conservation of biodiversity: natural and human aspects 20: Life-history attributes and biodiversity, D L Urban et al. 21: Global change and alien invasions: implications for biodiversity and protected land area management, I A W Macdonald 22: Human aspects of biodiversity: an evolutionary perspective, R K Colwell
90 citations
TL;DR: The implications of the Biodiversity Convention of the UNCED Conference in Rio are discussed in terms of the obligations of participating states and the importance of biodiversity is outlined with special reference to wetland ecosystems.
Abstract: The implications of the Biodiversity Convention of the UNCED Conference in Rio are discussed in terms of the obligations of participating states. The importance of biodiversity is outlined with special reference to wetland ecosystems. The values of wetlands and wetland biodiversity are discussed and a possible classification strategy for their conservation and wise use is suggested.
77 citations
TL;DR: Biodiversity relates through services, individual species indicating environmental change or stress, insights into the life sciences and increasingly today, through wealth generated from biodiversity at the level of the molecule.
Abstract: Biodiversity relates to sustainable development through a series of direct and indirect uses. These include direct harvest, nature tourism, wild genes improving domestic crops, wild species contributing to crop productivity, pest management, sources of medicine and bioremediation (biologically based environmental clean-up). Biodiversity relates through services, individual species indicating environmental change or stress, insights into the life sciences and increasingly today, through wealth generated from biodiversity at the level of the molecule. Sustainable development relates to the quantification of biodiversity through organizing information to enable the foregoing activities. It also relates in little-explored ways to ecosystem function, stability and resilience. Biodiversity is already a proven indicator of environmental change in freshwater systems.
49 citations
Book•
31 Dec 1994
TL;DR: In this paper, a collection of individual papers surveying the existing knowledge of biodiversity in British Columbia is presented, with a focus on the diversity of species in the province of British Columbia.
Abstract: This book consists of a collection of individual papers surveying the existing knowledge of biodiversity in British Columbia. The first section contains papers that consider the importance of an ecosystem-centred approach to the conservation of biodiversity, explain the methods of classifying the status of rare species, and review the role of biosystematics and taxonomy in the study of biodiversity. The second section focuses on the diversity of species in British Columbia, with papers on specific species or groups such as lepidoptera, marine invertebrates, lichens, bryophytes, fish, fungi, mammals, birds, reptiles, and vascular plants. Part three summarises information on the diversity of the province`s ecosystems, with papers on such topics as forests, grasslands, marine areas, urban areas, and atmospheric change. The final section discusses ways of protecting biodiversity, concluding with a summary of recommendations for biodiversity conservation.
Journal Article•
Book•
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: Palaeoecology of marine systems Species richness in vegetation along river margins Patchiness, species interactions and disturbance in the stream benthos Community ecology and patchy freshwater habitats Disturbance, succession and ecosystem processes in streams: a case study from the desert Longitudinal patterns and processes along streams: modelling ecological responses to physical gradients The role of fluid motion in the dynamics of phytoplankton in lakes and rivers Spatial and temporal scaling and the organization of limnetic communities Aquatic community persistence and variability as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Palaeoecology of marine systems Species richness in vegetation along river margins Patchiness, species interactions and disturbance in the stream benthos Community ecology and patchy freshwater habitats Disturbance, succession and ecosystem processes in streams: a case study from the desert Longitudinal patterns and processes along streams: modelling ecological responses to physical gradients The role of fluid motion in the dynamics of phytoplankton in lakes and rivers Spatial and temporal scaling and the organization of limnetic communities Aquatic community persistence and variability: a palaeolimnological perspective Biodiversity and speciation of freshwater fishes with particular reference to African cichlids Community landscape: scale and stability in hard bottom marine communities Patchiness and disturbance in shallow water benthic assemblages Scale-determining biological-physical interactions Long-term, large-scale patterns in marine pelagic systems Scale-dependent patterns and species interactions in marine nekton Patch dynamics in the deep-sea benthos: the role of a heterogeneous supply of organic matter Notes from the abyss: the effects of a patchy supply of organic material and larvae on soft-sediment communities Biogeographic patterns in shallow-water systems and the controlling processes at different scales Pattern, process and scale in freshwater systems: some unifying thoughts Scale, pattern and process in marine ecosystems Scale, pattern and process in aquatic systems: concluding remarks
Book•
01 Jan 1994