Biodiversity-the genetic variety of life-is an exuberant product of the evolutionary past, a vast human-supportive resource (aesthetic, intellectual, and material) of the present, and a rich legacy to cherish and preserve for the future. Two urgent challenges, and opportunities, for 21st-century science are to gain deeper insights into the evolutionary processes that foster biotic diversity, and to translate that understanding into workable solutions for the regional and global crises that biodiversity currently faces. A grasp of evolutionary principles and processes is important in other societal arenas as well, such as education, medicine, sociology, and other applied fields including agriculture, pharmacology, and biotechnology. The ramifications of evolutionary thought also extend into learned realms traditionally reserved for philosophy and religion. The central goal of the In the Light of Evolution (ILE) series is to promote the evolutionary sciences through state-of-the-art colloquia-in the series of Arthur M. Sackler colloquia sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences-and their published proceedings. Each installment explores evolutionary perspectives on a particular biological topic that is scientifically intriguing but also has special relevance to contemporary societal issues or challenges. This tenth and final edition of the In the Light of Evolution series focuses on recent developments in phylogeographic research and their relevance to past accomplishments and future research directions.
This volume emphasizes the involvement of all facets of biology in the analysis of environmentally controlled movement responses. This includes biophysics, biochemistry, molecular biology and as an integral part of any approach to a closer understanding, physiology. The initial euphoria about molecular biology as the final solution for any problem has dwindled and the field agrees now that only the combined efforts of all facets of biology will at some day answer the question posed more than hundred years ago: "How can plants see?". One conclusion can be drawn from the current knowledge as summarized in this volume. The answer will most likely not be the same for all systems.
The revised Third Edition of The Prokaryotes, acclaimed as a classic reference in the field, offers new and updated articles by experts from around the world on taxa of relevance to medicine, ecology and industry. Entries combine phylogenetic and systematic data with insights into genetics, physiology and application. Existing entries have been revised to incorporate rapid progress and technological innovation. The new edition improves on the lucid presentation, logical layout and abundance of illustrations that readers rely on, adding color illustration throughout. Expanded to seven volumes in its print form, the new edition adds a new, searchable online version.
This title includes a number of Open Access chapters.In order to function and survive, plants produce a wide array of chemical compounds not found in other organisms. Photosynthesis requires a large array of pigments, enzymes, and other compounds to function, and these chemicals have multiple practical uses in the human world as well, with applicat
The Arthur M. Sackler Colloquia of the National Academy of Sciences address scientific topics of broad and current interest, cutting across the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Each year, four or five such colloquia are scheduled, typically two days in length and international in scope. Colloquia are organized by a member of the Academy, often with the assistance of an organizing committee, and feature presentations by leading scientists in the field and discussions with a hundred or more researchers with an interest in the topic. Colloquia presentations are recorded and posted on the National Academy of Sciences Sackler colloquia website and published on CD-ROM. These Colloquia are made possible by a generous gift from Mrs. Jill Sackler, in memory of her husband, Arthur M. Sackler.
A thorough understanding of the mechanisms of photosynthesis, regulation of structure and function and the adaptive strategies of oxygenic photosynthetic organisms is central to any effort directed at improving crop productivity and providing sustainable agriculture. Photosynthesis is the most widely researched topic in plant science. Further probing of its mechanisms, regulation and adaptation, employing a variety of modern tools and techniques, is imperative to gain a better insight of this very intricate process. Unravelling the cause of stress impairments and stress tolerance in plants would help in ensuring the optimum production of food, fibres and fuels. Probing Photosynthesis represents the state-of-the-art on photosynthesis and provides details of experimental approaches that have been adopted to understand the complex regulatory and adaptive processes. Its twenty seven chapters have been divided into four sections: Evolution, structure and function; Biodiversity metabolism and regulation; Stress and adaptations; and Techniques. With contributions from leading subject experts from Australia, Canada, France, Germnay, India, Israel, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and USA, this comprehensive treatise shall interest researchers and students from all disciplines of plant science and provide a useful reference for courses in plant biochemistry, crop physiology, plant biotechnology and environmental botany.
Demand for minimally processed foods has resulted in the development of innovative, non-thermal food preservation methods, such as high-pressure sonication, ozone, and UV treatment. This book presents a summary of these novel food processing techniques. It also covers new methods used to monitor microbial activity, including spectroscopic methods (FT-IR and Raman), molecular and electronic noses, and DNA-based methods.