South Brazilian Grasslands
South Brazilian Grasslands

Author: Gerhard Ernst Overbeck

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-12-15

Total Pages: 546

ISBN-13: 3031425804

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This volume explores the South Brazilian grasslands, a unique complex of ecosystems in Brazil. Despite high biodiversity and many important ecosystem services, their biodiversity and conservation are neglected, both nationally, and globally. This book provides a state-of-the-art synthesis of knowledge on the biodiversity and its drivers in South Brazilian grasslands and associated ecosystems. Further, the book discusses conservation challenges and options, as well as management strategies that help to maintain the region’s uniqueness. The chapters present information on biodiversity and ecological features of the region, and put this information into the context of historical and current human land uses, allowing for links to global discussions of conservation and sustainable development. Altogether, the book contains 20 chapters organized in four sections. The book is directed at researchers, students and professionals working with biodiversity and sustainable development in southern Brazil, as well as to the international scientific and conservation community interested in grasslands and associated ecosystems, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions.

Distributions for Modeling Location, Scale, and Shape
Distributions for Modeling Location, Scale, and Shape

Author: Robert A. Rigby

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2019-10-08

Total Pages: 544

ISBN-13: 1000701182

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This is a book about statistical distributions, their properties, and their application to modelling the dependence of the location, scale, and shape of the distribution of a response variable on explanatory variables. It will be especially useful to applied statisticians and data scientists in a wide range of application areas, and also to those interested in the theoretical properties of distributions. This book follows the earlier book ‘Flexible Regression and Smoothing: Using GAMLSS in R’, [Stasinopoulos et al., 2017], which focused on the GAMLSS model and software. GAMLSS (the Generalized Additive Model for Location, Scale, and Shape, [Rigby and Stasinopoulos, 2005]), is a regression framework in which the response variable can have any parametric distribution and all the distribution parameters can be modelled as linear or smooth functions of explanatory variables. The current book focuses on distributions and their application. Key features: Describes over 100 distributions, (implemented in the GAMLSS packages in R), including continuous, discrete and mixed distributions. Comprehensive summary tables of the properties of the distributions. Discusses properties of distributions, including skewness, kurtosis, robustness and an important classification of tail heaviness. Includes mixed distributions which are continuous distributions with additional specific values with point probabilities. Includes many real data examples, with R code integrated in the text for ease of understanding and replication. Supplemented by the gamlss website. This book will be useful for applied statisticians and data scientists in selecting a distribution for a univariate response variable and modelling its dependence on explanatory variables, and to those interested in the properties of distributions.

Ecology and Conservation of Mountaintop grasslands in Brazil
Ecology and Conservation of Mountaintop grasslands in Brazil

Author: Geraldo Wilson Fernandes

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-04-20

Total Pages: 574

ISBN-13: 3319298089

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This book is a pioneer attempt to bring forward the first synthesis on the most diverse and threatened mountain top vegetation of South America, the rupestrian grasslands. It brings to light the state of the art information on this ecosystem geology, soil formation and distribution, environmental filters that lead to biodiversity, species interactions and their fine tuned adaptations to survive the harsh mountain environment. The human dimensions of the rupestrian grassland are also addressed, including the anthropogenic threats that may irreversibly impact biodiversity and ecosystem services. The book also highlights the ongoing studies on ecological restoration and first attempt to model the impacts of climate change on its speciose biota.

The Physical Geography of Brazil
The Physical Geography of Brazil

Author: André Augusto Rodrigues Salgado

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-01-29

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 3030043339

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This book presents the Brazilian natural space and environment. It describes the main environmental aspects of Brazil in relation to geology, climate, geomorphology, vegetation, fauna, water resources and environmental issues. The book presents a beautifully illustrated overview of the physical geography of the Amazon Forest, the central Brazilian savannah (Cerrado), the Cocais Forest, the semi-arid area (Caatinga), the Atlantic Forest area, the Pantanal (Brazilian wetlands), the Auraucárias Plateau, the Pampas area (South grasslands) and the Brazilian Coastal Environment (beaches and mangroves).

The Cerrados of Brazil
The Cerrados of Brazil

Author: Paulo S.

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2013-02-05

Total Pages: 409

ISBN-13: 0231505965

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The massive grasslands of Brazil -- known as the cerrados -- which cover roughly a quarter of its land surface and are among the most threatened regions in South America, have received little media attention. This book brings together leading researchers on the area to produce the first detailed account in English of the natural history and ecology of the cerrado/savanna ecosystem. Given their extent and threatened status, the richness of their flora and fauna, and the lack of familiarity with their unique ecology at the international level, the cerrados are badly in need of this important and timely work.

Biomes of the Southern Hemisphere
Biomes of the Southern Hemisphere

Author: Ladislav Mucina

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-07-04

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 3031267397

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This is the first comprehensive and critical evaluation of the biome (large-scale, functional biotic communities) patterns in the Southern Hemisphere. Revising the Heinrich Walter's zonobiome system for the Southern Hemisphere appeared as necessary because of the bioclimatic imbalance between the Hemispheres. This revision resulted in formulation of a new zonobiome system, considering the geographic peculiarities of both Hemispheres, hence creating a new, powerful tool of global nature-resource survey and conservation. The system has a potential to attract the interest of the global climate modeling community as the concept of biome (and associated hierarchical system) has a strong functional focus. All zonal biomes of the Southern Hemisphere are featured, and the major challenges we face in understanding their origins, structure, and functioning are discussed. The book contains a wealth of original data resulting from collation of bioclimatic data and vegetation mapping.

Interhemispheric Climate Linkages
Interhemispheric Climate Linkages

Author: Vera Markgraf

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2001-01-25

Total Pages: 484

ISBN-13: 0080525660

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This book presents a novel approach in the field of global change by presenting a comprehensive analysis of interhemispheric linkages of climate, present and past, and their effects on human societies. The ultimate goal of this interhemispheric integration is to improve our understanding of causes and mechanisms of climate change to enhance our capability in predicting future changes. Given the societal interest in global change issues this book offers a new approach for the integration of global information. It will provide a reference for professional scientists, researchers and graduate students in the fields of climatology, and the earth and environmental sciences. - Chapters analyse instrumental atmospheric and oceanic data to address such phenomena as El Nino/Southern Oscillation variability and other climate anomalies such as the Pacific and North Atlantic Oscillation and polar air outbreaks - A new systematic methodology is presented that allows objective and verifiable reconstruction of climate fields from sparse data - Especially valuable in the context of climate proxy data

Prairie Conservation
Prairie Conservation

Author: Fred B. Samson

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 1996-08

Total Pages: 358

ISBN-13: 9781610913942

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The area of native prairie known as the Great Plains once extended from Canada to the Mexican border and from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to western Indiana and Wisconsin. Today the declines in prairie landscape types, estimated to be as high as 99%, exceed those of any other major ecosystem in North America. The overwhelming loss of landscape and accompanying loss of species constitute a real threat to both ecological and human economic health.Prairie Conservation is a comprehensive examination of the history, ecology, and current status of North American grasslands. It presents for the first time in a single volume information on the historical, economic, and cultural significance of prairies, their natural history and ecology, threats, and conservation and restoration programs currently underway. Chapters cover: environmental history of the Great Plains the economic value of prairie prairie types -- tallgrass, mixed grass, shortgrass, wetlands -- and the ecological processes that sustain each type prairie fauna -- invertebrates, fish and other aquatic creatures, amphibians and reptiles, birds, and mammals conservation programs such as the Great Plains Partnership, Canada's Prairie Conservation Action Plan, the U.S. Prairie Pothole Joint Venture, and others The book brings together knowledge and insights from a wide range of experts to describe and explain the importance of prairies and to position them in the forefront of North American conservation efforts. Praire Conservation is an essential reference for anyone interested in prairie ecology and conservation and will play a critical role in broadening our awareness and understanding of prairie ecosystems.

The Atlantic Forest
The Atlantic Forest

Author: Marcia C. M. Marques

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-01-13

Total Pages: 527

ISBN-13: 3030553221

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The Atlantic Forest is one of the 36 hotspots for biodiversity conservation worldwide. It is a unique, large biome (more than 3000 km in latitude; 2500 in longitude), marked by high biodiversity, high degree of endemic species and, at the same time, extremely threatened. Approximately 70% of the Brazilian population lives in the area of this biome, which makes the conflict between biodiversity conservation and the sustainability of the human population a relevant issue. This book aims to cover: 1) the historical characterization and geographic variation of the biome; 2) the distribution of the diversity of some relevant taxa; 3) the main threats to biodiversity, and 4) possible opportunities to ensure the biodiversity conservation, and the economic and social sustainability. Also, it is hoped that this book can be useful for those involved in the development of public policies aimed at the conservation of this important global biome.