Description
This text was first published in 1983, and is here updated to extend its usefulness into the next millennium. Moriarty (Cambridge, UK) discusses ecosystem ecology from a toxicological perspective in order to illuminate the processes by which pollutants act on individual organisms and the environment. He emphasizes that the complexity of ecosystems and communities requires equally complex analysis, rather than simplistic application of rules derived from laboratory toxicity tests; and he predicts increasing complexity as technology and the impact of human activity on the environment develop and change. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Read More
Ecotoxicology, Third Edition discusses the ecological effects of pollutants: the ways in which ecosystems can be affected, and current attempts to predict and monitor such effects. The emphasis is on ecosystems; therefore toxicological approaches are critically assessed.Following a brief introduction to the principal characteristics of both pollutants and ecosystems, the various ecosystem components are considered in more detail. Populations, communities and gene pools are examined with an emphasis on the ways in which pollutants affect them specifically. The indirect effects of pollution are considered separately in a new chapter with particular attention paid to the mechanisms and biological effects of global warming. A discussion of the methods used to predict and to monitor the effects of pollutants, some illustrative examples of pollution problems and a final summary discussion, complete the book. Key Features* A classic proven by its 2nd edition.* Still the only book to properly integrate ecological principles with chemistry/biochemistry* Focuses on the interaction between ecology and toxicology* Designed for use by toxicologists with no ecology training, and for ecologists with no toxicology training* There is a new chapter on pollutants in habitats and global warming
Read Less