Nature and Human Society

From earliest times, human beings have noticed patterns in nature: night and day, tides and lunar cycles, the changing seasons, plant succession, and animal migration. While recognizing patterns conferred great survival advantage, we are now in danger from our own success in multiplying our numbers and altering those patterns for our own purposes. It is imperative that we engage again with the patterns of nature, but this time, with awareness of our impact as a species. How will burgeoning human populations affect the health of ecosystems? Is loss of species simply a regrettable byproduct of human expansion? Or is the planet passing into a new epoch in just a few human generations? Nature and Human Society presents a wide-ranging exploration of these and other fundamental questions about our relationship with the environment. This book features findings, insights, and informed speculations from key figures in the field: E.O. Wilson, Thomas Lovejoy, Peter H. Raven, Gretchen Daily, David Suzuki, Norman Myers, Paul Erlich, Michael Bean, and many others. This volume explores the accelerated extinction of species and what we stand to lose-medicines, energy sources, crop pollination and pest control, the ability of water and soil to renew itself through biological processes, aesthetic and recreational benefits-and how these losses may be felt locally and acutely. What are the specific threats to biodiversity? The book explores human population growth, the homogenization of biota as a result in tourism and trade, and other factors, including the social influences of law, religious belief, and public education. Do we have the tools to protect biodiversity? The book looks at molecular genetics, satellite data, tools borrowed from medicine, and other scientific techniques to firm up our grasp of important processes in biology and earth science, including the "new" science of conservation biology. Nature and Human Society helps us renew our understanding and appreciation for natural patterns, with surprising details about microorganisms, nematodes, and other overlooked forms of life: their numbers, pervasiveness, and importance to the health of the soil, water, and air and to a host of human endeavors. This book will be of value to anyone who believes that the world's gross natural product is as important as the world's gross national product. Table of Contents Front Matter Introduction Part 1 Defining Biodiversity Barriers to Perception: From a World of Interconnection to Fragmentation The Creation of Biodiversity The Dimensions of Life on Earth The Sixth Extinction: How Large, Where, and When? The Meaning of Biodiversity Loss The Loss of Population Diversity and Why It Matters Keeping a Finger on the Pulse of Marine Biodiversity: How Healthy Is It? Countryside Biogeography and the Provision of Ecosystem Services Part 2 Less Well-Known Individual Forms of Life Microbial Diversity and the Biosphere Biodiversity, Classification, and Numbers of Species of Protists Estimating the Extent of Fungal Diversity in the Tropics Nematodes: Pervading the Earth and Linking All Life Global Diversity of Mites Biodiversity of Terrestrial Invertebrates in Tropical Africa: Assessing the Needs and Plan of Action Global Diversity of Insects: The Problems of Estimating Numbers Part 3 The Role of the Group in Biodiversity The World Beneath Our Feet: Soil Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning Natural Investment in Diversity: The Role of Biological Communities in Soil Part 4 Means to Measure Biodiversity Conservation Biology and the Preservation of Biodiversity: An Assessment Conservation Genetics: Applying Molecular Methods to Maximize the Conservation of Taxonomic and Genetic Diversity Application of Geospatial Information for Identifying Priority Areas for Biodiversity Conservation Hawaii Biological Survey: Museum Resources in Support of Conservation Building the Next-Generation Biological-Information Infrastructure Part 5 Threats to Sus...