Describes the characteristics, abundance and condition of vegetation communities within and around the lesser snow goose colony and examines the effects of the colony on the abundance of breeding shorebirds and songbirds.
Nunavut is a land of islands, encompassing some of the most remote places on Earth. It is also home to some of the world’s most fascinating bird species. The windswept tundra, rocky shorelines, and icy waters of this thinly populated land are integral to the survival of numerous breeding and non-breeding birds, including the colourful King Eider, the stately Snowy Owl, the spritely Snow Bunting, and the globe-spanning Northern Wheatear. Birds of Nunavut is the first complete survey of every species known to occur in the territory. It is co-written by a team of eighteen experts who have conducted a combined total of 300 seasons of fieldwork in Nunavut. They document 295 species of birds (of which 145 are known to breed in the territory), presenting a wealth of information on identification, distribution, ecology, behaviour, and conservation. Lavishly illustrated with over 800 colour photographs and 155 maps, it is a visually stunning reference work on the birds that live in and visit Nunavut.
Current Ornithology publishes authoritative, up-to-date, scholarly reviews of topics selected from the full range of current research in avian biology. Topics cover the spectrum from the molecular level of organization to population biology and community ecology. The series seeks especially to review (1) fields in which an abundant recent literature will benefit from synthesis and organization, or (2) newly emerging fields that are gaining recognition as the result of recent discoveries or shifts in perspective, or (3) fields in which students of vertebrates may benefit from comparisons of birds with other classes. All chapters are invited, and authors are chosen for their leadership in the subjects under review.
Birds as Monitors of Environmental Change looks at how bird populations are affected by pollutants, water quality, and other physical changes and how this scientific knowledge can help in predicting the effects of pollutants and other physical changes in the environment.
The population explosion that began in the 1960s has been accompanied by a decrease in the quality of the natural environment, e.g. pollution of the air, water and soil with essential and toxic trace elements. Numerous poisonings of people and animals with highly toxic anthropogenic Hg and Cd in the 20th century prompted the creation of the abiotic environment, mainly in developed countries. However, the system is insufficient for long-term exposure to low concentrations of various substances that are mainly ingested through food and water. This problem could be addressed by the monitoring of sentinels – organisms that accumulate trace elements and as such reflect the rate and degree of environmental pollution. Usually these are long-lived vertebrates – herbivorous, omnivorous and carnivorous birds and mammals, especially game species. This book describes the responses of the sentinels most commonly used in ecotoxicological studies to 17 trace elements.
