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Freshwater mollusks of the world : a distribution atlas
\"Freshwater mollusks, invertebrates that protect themselves with a hard shell, fall into two major categories: gastropods--which have a single shell, such as snails--and bivalves--which have a double shell, such as clams and mussels. Mollusks are thought to be the second-largest group of animals behind arthropods, and while they live in almost every conceivable habitat from deep-sea vents to deserts, freshwater mollusks tend to be restricted to particular lake or river systems and are arguably the most endangered freshwater animal in the world. Despite their wide variety, little baseline data exists to help students and professionals understand mollusks' diversity and evolutionary relationships. Filling this gap in the literature could provide biogeographical insights, as mollusks' ancient fossil records go back over 500 million years and their distribution patterns are a reflection of past continental and climate changes. In this comprehensive reference book, world renowned experts tease apart the distributions of every freshwater mollusk family. The book provides basic biological and ecological information for each of the distinct 41 families, including summaries about the systematics and biodiversity of each family. Malacologists, limnologists, ichthyologists, stream ecologists, biogeographers, conservation biologists, and students will find this reference a must-have and one that will inform the study of mollusks for years to come\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Historical biogeography of neotropical freshwater fishes
The fish faunas of continental South and Central America constitute one of the greatest concentrations of aquatic diversity on Earth, consisting of about 10 percent of all living vertebrate species. Historical Biogeography of Neotropical Freshwater Fishes explores the evolutionary origins of this unique ecosystem. The chapters address central themes in the study of tropical biodiversity: why is the Amazon basin home to so many distinct evolutionary lineages? What roles do ecological specialization, speciation, and extinction play in the formation of regional assemblages? How do dispersal barriers contribute to isolation and diversification? Focusing on whole faunas rather than individual taxonomic groups, this volume shows that the area's high regional diversity is not the result of recent diversification in lowland tropical rainforests. Rather, it is the product of species accumulating over tens of millions of years and across a continental arena.
eBook
Rodents of Sub-Saharan Africa
This comprehensive handbook covers all the rodents occurring in Southern, Central, East and West Africa, south of the Sahara.Genus and species accounts include diagnostic descriptions, systematics and taxonomy, biogeographical environment, fossil species, photographs of skull and mandible, illustrations of molar dentition, photographs of live.
eBook
Atmospheric blocking as a traffic jam in the jet stream
Persistent meandering of the jet stream can cause atmospheric blocking of prevailing eastward winds and result in weather extremes such as heat waves in the midlatitudes. Nakamura and Huang interpret the poorly understood origins of these systems as the meteorological equivalents of traffic congestion on a highway and show how they can be described by analogous mathematical theory. Climate change may affect the frequency of blocking as well as its geographic distribution, reflecting a simultaneous shift in the structure of the stationary atmospheric waves and the regional capacity of the jet stream. Science , this issue p. 42 Waves in the jet stream reveal the close similarity between atmospheric blocking and traffic congestion on a highway. Atmospheric blocking due to anomalous, persistent meandering of the jet stream often causes weather extremes in the mid-latitudes. Despite the ubiquity of blocking, the onset mechanism is not well understood. Here we demonstrate a close analogy between blocking and traffic congestion on a highway by using meteorological data and show that blocking and traffic congestion can be described by a common mathematical theory. The theory predicts that the jet stream has a capacity for the flux of wave activity (a measure of meandering), just as the highway has traffic capacity, and when the capacity is exceeded, blocking manifests as congestion. Stationary waves modulate the jet stream’s capacity for transient waves and localize block formation. Climate change likely affects blocking frequency by modifying the jet stream’s proximity to capacity.
Journal Article
Sea-level rise due to polar ice-sheet mass loss during past warm periods
We know that the sea level will rise as climate warms. Nevertheless, accurate projections of how much sea-level rise will occur are difficult to make based solely on modern observations. Determining how ice sheets and sea level have varied in past warm periods can help us better understand how sensitive ice sheets are to higher temperatures. Dutton et al. review recent interdisciplinary progress in understanding this issue, based on data from four different warm intervals over the past 3 million years. Their synthesis provides a clear picture of the progress we have made and the hurdles that still exist. Science , this issue 10.1126/science.aaa4019 Reconstructing past magnitudes, rates, and sources of sea-level rise can help project what our warmer future may hold. Interdisciplinary studies of geologic archives have ushered in a new era of deciphering magnitudes, rates, and sources of sea-level rise from polar ice-sheet loss during past warm periods. Accounting for glacial isostatic processes helps to reconcile spatial variability in peak sea level during marine isotope stages 5e and 11, when the global mean reached 6 to 9 meters and 6 to 13 meters higher than present, respectively. Dynamic topography introduces large uncertainties on longer time scales, precluding robust sea-level estimates for intervals such as the Pliocene. Present climate is warming to a level associated with significant polar ice-sheet loss in the past. Here, we outline advances and challenges involved in constraining ice-sheet sensitivity to climate change with use of paleo–sea level records.
Journal Article
The Mosquitoes of Israel and Surrounding Areas
This guide is intended to help all those interested in identifying mosquitoes from this area, including persons without specialized knowledge. Several colour photographs of adult mosquitoes are included, as well as coloured distribution maps for 38 of the 46 species. There are also quick identification notes for adults and larvae of the 35 more common mosquito species.
eBook