Bøger i Topics in Biodiversity and Con serien

There is still a widespread belief that microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, protists, and small multicellulars, have a cosmopolitan distribution due to a presumed easy dispersal by wind and water. However, the contributions collected in this book - ranging from protists to rotifers and mosses - show that microorganisms have community structures and biogeographies similar to those found in animals and vascular plants, although the ranges of many can be wider and local endemism is rarer. Accordingly, the cosmopolitan distribution model of Finlay & Fenchel is to be replaced by the moderate endemicity model of Foissner, which assumes that one third of microscopic organisms are morphological and/or genetic endemics. This has far-reaching consequences for estimates of the number of species and their conservation. There is convincing evidence that we know only about 20% of the actual diversity in many protist groups, especially saprotrophs and heterotrophs such as amoebae, flagellates, and ciliates. It is probable that this great diversity of microscopic organisms is caused by low extinction rates over geological time, and short generation times which foster dispersal of genetic variants. That the great diversity of microorganisms has remained unrecognized for such a long time has several reasons, of which the most serious is a shortage of taxonomists. Considering the dramatic losses of habitats occurring, especially in the tropics, a large portion of the Earth's protist biodiversity will disappear before it has been discovered.Reprinted from Biodiversity and Conservation, volume 17:2 (2008)

This book brings together a selection of original research articles that address biodiversity and conservation in plantation forests. Although such forests are perhaps the 'poor cousins' of the species richer natural and semi-natural forests, they can still make a significant contribution to biodiversity conservation. This is particularly the case in regions that have lost much of their natural forest cover. Comparatively few studies have previously attempted to examine the biota associated with plantation forests and, as a result, some conservation needs and opportunities highlighted here have not been adequately recognised. Conversely, plantations have sometimes been a direct cause of natural habitat loss, and greater awareness is required to avoid this with future afforestation projects. The contributions in this volume provide new information about a wide range of taxa from lichens to primates, from various temperate and tropical regions around the world, in the context of plantation forestry, combined with suggestions for forest management at both stand and landscape levels, to improve biodiversity conservation. The findings are equally of interest to the scientific community, policy makers and forest managers. The topical examples of applied conservation issues will make the volume also highly valuable for use in conservation biology courses.Reprinted from Biodiversity and Conservation, volume 17:5 (2008)