International Biological Programme Synthesis Series – serie

This volume was first published in 1981. The history of man's use of arid lands is a sad record of deterioration of the natural resource base and of low and declining living standards for the 300 million people who live in them. One prerequisite to meeting the challenge of reversing the deterioration and of raising living standards is a sound knowledge of the natural ecosystems.

This book was first published in 1979. If we are to improve our control and conservation of the food resources of the oceans of the world it is particularly important to increase our understanding of the basic mechanisms that control the abundance, distribution and production of marine organisms. The Productivity Marine (PM) section of the IBP filled an important role in concentrating international effort on specific problems of production, ecosystem structure and function, aquaculture, and the effects of mankind upon the marine environment.

First published in 1980, this important book brings together the results of worldwide research (from the tropics to the Arctic) to determine the relative productivity of different freshwater environments, especially lakes. The investigations are presented in a comparative manner and the underlying causes considered. In addition this book is a useful summary of the extensive work done in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and it makes these results available to a wider audience. The many authors are internationally recognized authorities and their syntheses are based on special studies of over ninety sites around the world during the 10 years of the IBP investigations, as well as on published material.

Social insects are amongst the most successful species. This study concentrates on the production ecology of ants and termites. Ants and termites are highly socialised and their groupings in their most developed form enable them to function as large organisms comparable with the larger mammals in their influence in ecosystems. In spite of their social mode of life, quantitative investigations are not easy and this volume emphasises the importance of developing reliable techniques. The account deals critically with production, food and feeding habits, respiration and energy flow, nutrient dynamics and the role of ants and termites in ecosystems. The body of information is not only an invaluable summary and synthesis of work already done, but presents a concise statement of what now needs to be done and what means should be employed. The volume is for social insect ecologists and entomologists and for all who teach ecology, because it contains valuable data and ideas for the general ecologist.

The peoples of the high-altitude regions of the world have long fascinated both scientists and laymen from the lowlands. This book, while it draws heavily on the research conducted in the International Biological Programme, is a comprehensive review of our knowledge about the biology of the high-altitude peoples of the world. While several other accounts have considered the general problems of human populations living and working under the reduced oxygen pressure found at high altitude, this volume is the first attempt to analyse the total human biology of the peoples of the world living in extremely high mountain areas. The contributors are experts in a variety of topics within human biology. In addition, each has conducted personal research in the high-altitude areas such as the Andes, Ethiopian highlands, Himalayas or Tien Shan mountains. While the book is not designed for the layman, technical language has been reduced in an effort to make the various topics covered comprehensible to professionals working in any branch of the sciences concerned with man.

This volume, which is based upon years of research effort and numerous meetings by a large number of scientists throughout the world, brings together different 'schools' of ecological investigation of woodlands. After a description of the structure and floristic composition of the research sites, involving a comparison of boreal, temperate, Mediterranean and tropical forest, the study goes on to consider the dynamic aspects of the woodland formation. These include growth and succession, carbon dioxide balance, water relations, soil processes and chemical cycling. Further chapters discuss comparative productivity, biomass and carbon metabolism. Forest growth and water balance are investigated using complex ecosystem models and the predictive value of such models is tested against observations.

First published in 1977, this volume is a collection of eleven studies conducted during the International Biological Programme on the biological structure of human populations. They deal particularly with population genetics, demography and ecology, and discuss the experimental strategies to be adopted when making such studies. Each chapter is in the form of a broad review aimed at those wanting to understand human population biology. The volume is an international one, both in terms of its authorship and of the populations studied, and the projects discussed represent the whole variety of problems and approaches tackled by the IBP investigators interested in population biology. In short, this book represents an excellent evaluation of human biology in the mid-twentieth century. It will be of importance to university teachers, research workers and graduate students in anthropology and human biology.

One of the objectives of investigations carried out within the Human Adaptability section of the International Biological Programme was to obtain comparable data on population characteristics over a wide range of ecosystems. This volume provides a brief survey of the variables affecting the physiological work capacity of various populations. The items considered include body weight, fatness, maximum oxygen intake, muscular strength, and the process of oxygen transport from the air to the working muscles. The discussion is based largely on data collected under the auspices of the IBP, using methods standardised for the programme. The influence of race, heredity, environment and disease are considered, and a detailed analysis is made of various classes of athlete. The material will be useful to human and environmental physiologists, anthropologists, and those interested in physical education.

The International Biological Programme investigated the biology of circumpolar human populations in the period 1967-1974. This research was carried out by multidisciplinary teams and covered demography, genetics, craniofacial development, growth, ophthalmology, nutrition physiology and behaviour. The populations studied include Eskimos, Lapps and Ainu as well as certain of those from Russia. The environment inhabited by the populations has low temperatures, seasonal extremes of light and dark and relatively meagre ecological resources, but despite such harsh conditions the groups have survived for thousands of years. The study elucidates the biological and behavioural processes leading to this successful adaptation.

Mussels represent an important food source in many parts of the world, including Europe, South America and the Far East, and they have considerable potential as a protein source for many developing countries. In addition, mussels are widely used in pollution studies, and in fundamental ecological and physiological investigations. This book, first published in 1976, is a critical review of information on this group of animals, and sets out the material with suggestions for the future direction of research. The subjects covered include the ecology, physiology, biochemistry, genetics and the culture of mussels. It is an important volume, not only for researchers working with marine molluscs, and with mussels in particular, but also for those in the wider fields of marine ecology, comparative physiology and aquaculture.

First published in 1976, this volume describes the structure and functioning of grassland ecosystems. Five kinds of grassland are considered, namely natural temperate grasslands, semi-natural temperate meadows and pastures, tropical grasslands, arable grassland and cropland. Descriptions of the abundance and biomass of plants, animals and micro-organisms are provided, as well as an assessment of the activities of each functional group of organisms in relation to production, consumption and decomposition. Static models of energy flow and nutrient cycling are included, and the effects on the ecosystem of the management of grazing land and cropland are also considered. The volume is based on data collected in more than 50 studies made during the International Biological Programme studies in 22 countries.

First published in 1975, this volume provides a unique comparative treatment of annual and seasonal photosynthetic production in both terrestrial and aquatic environments on a world scale and examines the efficiency with which incoming light energy is utilised in different types of natural and managed vegetation, including agricultural crops. It discusses the characteristics of the vegetation which determine this productivity, including such features as leaf or plant arrangement in relation to light interception, the photosynthetic activity of the individual leaves or other organs and the strategy of the plant in making use of assimilates for growth and development. Most professional ecologists and plant physiologists will find much to interest them here and the book should form valuable background reading for students in plant biology, ecology and agriculture.

The ability of small mammals to exploit environmental resources, based upon a rapid adaptation to short-term changes in population and/or the environment, as well as to a variety of local conditions, implies a strong impact upon natural resources. The role played by small mammal consumers in the flow of energy within natural and man-modified ecosystems is therefore of equal importance to that of larger, longer-lived species which have been studied more intensively. This volume, first published in 1975, looks at small mammal populations with emphasis being placed on their ecology and energy dynamics. It discusses the most productive research techniques and research objectives. The second part of the book deals with the roles of small mammals in ecosystems ranging from the tropics to the tundra and special consideration is given to the impact of rodents on man. Research workers in the fields of mammalogy and ecology will find this an essential book and agriculturists, foresters and anyone concerned professionally with the control of small mammals will find much that is of value to their work.

The International Biological Programme took the form of an evolving process which occupied some five years of preliminary planning, followed by a decade of work. Just how it was conceived, initiated, conducted and completed is set down in this volume. The programme's successes and shortcomings are discussed, as it its relevance to future coordinated research. Much useful background data on the organisation of IBP, its publications, meetings and other relevant information are presented in the appendices. An IBP booklet on recommended quantities, units and symbols is reprinted in its entirety. Dr Worthington has incorporated a number of contributions from leading personalities of the IBP, so that this overall account, first published in 1975, will be of great value to those concerned with science policy, planning and administration. It will be of great benefit also to anyone going on to read the other volumes in the series.

This 1975 book deals with one of the world's fastest disappearing natural resources - the invaluable reservoir of genetic variability in our cultivated plants which have evolved since our forebears began to domesticate them some 10,000 years ago. The preservation of these 'genetic resources', as they have come to be called, is vital to mankind. Without them the geneticists and plant breeders cannot breed the new varieties needed to feed the world's population by providing more disease-resistant strains of our food plants. This volume explores topics such as how to collect and preserve this variation. It ends with a section on how these activities are planned on a world scale through the medium of FAO and other international agencies, and with the participation of scientists from developed and developing countries. This book will be of use as an intelligently written work of much historic value.

The IBP, as a worldwide programme seeking to expand and co-ordinate biological research, needed to provide for the protection of sites and species for future scientific study. The IBP 'check-sheet' survey was therefore devised as a tool for gathering information, allowing areas to be evaluated on a comparative basis. In this was it was possible to examine the extent to which scientifically adequate samples of the main types of natural biological systems were already protected, for example in national parks and nature reserves. The method chosen used a questionnaire approach but on an enormous scale, creating an extremely valuable report on the procedure of biological surveying, the successes and shortcomings of which are examined critically. This 1980 volume explains the procedures adopted in the check-list survey and the problems of securing adequate descriptions of types of vegetation and soil and suitable methods of information storage and retrieval.

Biological nitrogen fixation, the conversion of nitrogen from the atmosphere to ammonia, is the main process of nitrogen input to the earth today. There this nitrogen is indispensable for plant and animal production, and the maintenance of adequate protein standards. This 1976 volume provides information, presented at an international symposium in Edinburgh, on the free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria and blue-green algae. In addition to information on the distribution of the nitrogenase enzyme within these groups, their role in the soil and in aquatic systems is considered, as are the methods of measuring nitrogen fixation. Particular attention is paid to the biochemistry of the process, much of which has been elucidated using free-living nitrogen-fixing organisms.

Grey mullets are extremely important fish which are cultured or farmed in many countries, especially in the Mediterranean and South-East Asia. Mullets can be fed on a variety of food; this flexibility of feeding, together with the wide salinity of temperature tolerance, make these fish particularly suitable for agriculture. This 1981 volume considers all the aspects of these important food fish which are of relevance to their culture. After a discussion of the taxonomy and means of identification, both of adult fish and fry, the various authors consider reproduction, growth and feeding. The latter part of the book is about capture and artificial propagation, in fresh and brackish conditions. The final chapter is concerned with the relevant diseases and parasites of mullets (Mugilidae).

The best alternative to chemical control is often seen as being biological control - the introduction of natural enemies in areas where foreign pests become abundant. However, biological control alone is not always sufficient to maintain pest populations under a tolerable level; and it is necessary to learn how to make it compatible with other methods of control, and in particular with chemicals, in integrated control programs. Data on these important aspects was collected and elaborated over a period of seven to eight years and synthesized in this volume, which was originally published in 1976. The data relates to five groups of species recognized as main agricultural pests over vast areas of developing countries. It shows how complex the interrelationships between microorganisms are how much research effort has to be invested in such disciplines as systematics, physiology, ethnology and ecology for their understanding.

A synthesis of knowledge on the fixation of nitrogen by systems involving plants, especially legumes, and micro-organisms. Such associations utilize nitrogen from the atmosphere to make amino acids and proteins, and are of primary importance in providing a large part of the nitrogen compounds needed to sustain life. Originally published in 1976, this volume underlines, and in some respects quantifies, their importance in both natural and agricultural habitats. The text is divided into parts dealing with genetic aspects, legume inoculants, field assessment, the effect of the environment and with fixation in non-leguminous symbioses. The final chapter is devoted to more controversial areas.

This book was first published in 1975. Food protein can be produced in many different ways. Some sources, e.g. products from domestic animals, are so well known that they need only brief mention in a book such as this. Others necessitate the use of sophisticated technology; their merits and potentialities are discussed at sufficient length to allow their world role to be assessed and to illustrate the directions in which research is needed. Special attention is given to sources from which food protein could be made by simple techniques in regions where protein deficiency is acute. The methods discussed include mechanical extraction, biological modification, and biological conversion. The final section discusses quality control and the acceptability of novel foods.

This book was first published in 1977. It deals with the importance of weed seed and grain-eating birds in natural and agricultural environments. These birds are to be found worldwide and are a component of man-made ecosystems where they are associated with man's main food crops. An analysis is made of their evolution and genetics, population dynamics, energy and food requirements, impact on ecosystems and control. Principles, procedures and basic data are presented that can be applied to the evaluation and control of pest species anywhere in the world. In this synthesis volume full use is made of the systems approach, the ecological and evolutionary aspects of the study are integrated. In linking the studies with fundamental work on bioenergetics, new insights are provided into the behavioural and applied aspects of granivory. Studies which encompass archaeological and anthropological investigations form a backcloth for the detailed interpretation of the population biology and bioenergetics of birds.