Summary
As environmental science textbooks have gotten larger and more encyclopedic over the years, an increasing number of instructors have called for a smaller, less expensive book that concentrates on the core principles of the discipline. Principles of Environmental Science: Inquiry and Applications emphasizes how science can help us find solutions for important environmental issues. While not attempting to describe every possible environmental dilemma or scientific field of study, this new text focuses on the major topics we face and how scientists search for answers to questions about them. Students are provided a solid grounding in scientific principles and then encouraged to think analytically and creatively on their own.
Table of Contents
1 Understanding Our EnvironmentWhat's Happening to the Frogs?Understanding Our EnvironmentA Marvelous PlanetWhat is Environmental Science?Science As a Way of KnowingDeductive and Inductive ReasoningHypothese and TheoriesNatural Experiments and ModelingStatistics and ProbabilityIntuition and InspirationParadigms and Scientific ConsensusApplied ScienceRestoration ToolsRestoration Back to What?Creating Artificial EcosystemsThinking about ThinkingApproaches to Truth and Knowledge and MeaningApplying Critical ThinkingSome Clues for "Unpacking"an ArgumentUsing Critical ThinkingInvestigating Our Environment: Don't Believe Everything You See on the InternetCurrent Environmental ConditionsCauses of Environmental DegradationSigns of HopeHuman Dimensions of Environmental ScienceRich and Poor CountriesA Fair Share of Resources?SustainabilityIndigenous PeoplesEnvironmental PerspectivesPessimism and OutrageHopeful OptimismPragmatic Realism2 Principles of Ecology: Matter, Energy, and LifeMeasuring Energy Flows in Cedar Bog LakeEnergy and Matter in the EnvironmentWhat Are Matter and Energy?Conservation of MatterThermodynamics and Energy TransfersAtoms, Molecules, and CompoundsChemical ReactionsAcids and BasesOrganic CompoundsCells: The Fundamental Units of LifeSunlight: Energy for LifeHow Does Photosynthesis Capture EnergyC3 and C4 PhotosynthesisThe Miracle of WaterOrganizing Living Things: Species and EcosystemsPopulations, Communities, and EcosystemsFood Chains, Food Webs, and Trophic LevelsEcological PyramidsInvestigating Our Environment:Bioaccumulation and the Mystery of Lake LabergBiogeochemical Cycles and Life ProcessesThe Carbon CycleThe Nitrogen CycleThe Phosphorus CycleThe Sulfur Cycle3 Populations, Communities, and Species InteractionWho Lives Where, and Why?Critical Factors and Tolerance LimitsEvolution: Natural Selection and AdaptionSpeciationThe Taxonomic Naming SystemThe Ecological NicheWeedy SpeciesSpecies InteractionsPredationCompetitionSymbiosisDefensive MechanismsKeystone SpeciesPopulation DynamicsPopulation GrowthBoom and Bust Population CyclesGrowth in Stable PopulationsLimiting Factors of Population GrowthK-adapted and r-adapted SpeciesCommunity PropertiesProductivityAbundance and Diversity What Can You Do? Developing a Sense for Where You LiveComplexity, Resilience, and StabilityCase Study:Biodiversity and StabilityCommunity StructureEdges and BoundariesCommunities in TransitionEcological SuccessionClimax Communities or Individualistic Succession?Introduced Species and Community Changes4 Human PopulationsPopulation GrowthHuman Population HistoryPopulation Doubling TimesLimits to Growth:Some Opposing ViewsMalthusian Checks on PopulationMarx on Population GrowthMalthus and Marx TodayCan Technology Make the World More Habitable?Could More People Be Beneficial?Investigating Our Environment: Interpreting GraphsHuman DemographyHow Many of Us Are There?Investigating Our Environment: Getting to Know the NeighborsFertility and BirthratesMortality and Death RatesLife Span and Life ExpectancyLiving Longer: Demographic ImplicationsPopulation Growth: Opposing FactorsPronatalist PressuresBirth Reduction PressuresDemographic TransitionDevelopment and PopulationAn Optimistic ViewCase Study: Family Planning in Iran A Pessimistic ViewA Social Justice ViewInfant Mortality and Women's RightsFamily Planning and Fertility ControlTraditional Fertility ControlCurrent Birth-Control MethodsNew Developments in Birth ControlThe Future of Human Populations5 Biomes and BiodiversityUsing GIS to Protect BiodiversityBiomesClimates and BiomesDesertsGrasslands: Prairies and SavannasTundraConifer ForestsBroad-Leaved Deciduous and Evergreen ForestsMediterranean/Chaparral/Thorn ShrubTropical Moist ForestsTropical Seasonal ForestsFreshwater EcosystemsWetlandsEstuariesCoastal Marine EcosystemsBiodiversityHow Many Species Are There?Biodiversity Hot SpotsHow Do We Benefit from BiodiversityFoodDrugs and MedicinesEcological BenefitsAesthetic and Cultural BenefitsWhat Threatens Biodiversity?Natural Causes of ExtinctionHuman-Caused Reductions in BiodiversityHabitat DestructionFragmentationHunting and FishingCommercial Products and Live SpecimensWhat Can You Do? Avoid Participating in the Endangered Species TradePredator and Pest ControlExotic Species IntroductionsDiseasesPollutionGenetic AssimilationProtecting BiodiversityHunting and Fishing LawsThe Endangered Species ActRecovery PlansMinimum Viable PopulationsPrivate Land and Critical HabitatReauthorizing the Endangered Species ActInternational Wildlife Treaties6 Environmental Conservation: Forests, Grasslands, Parks, and Nature PreservesAssessing BiodiversityWorld ForestsForest DistributionForest ProductsTropical ForestsTemperate ForestsWhat Can You Do? Lowering Your Forest ImpactsRangelandsRange ManagementRangelands in the United StatesNew Approaches to RanchingParks and Nature PreservesNorth American ParksPark ProblemsWildlife IssuesPars and EcosystemsCase Study: Reintroducing Wolves to YellowstoneWorld Parks and PreservesProtecting natural HeritageSize and Design of Nature PreservesConservation and Economic DevelopmentIndigenous Communities and Biosphere ReservesWhat Can You Do? Being a Responsible Ecotourist7 Food and AgricultureGolden RiceNutrition and Food SuppliesChronic Hunger and Food SecurityEssential NutrientsEating a Balanced DietFaminesMajor Food SourcesMajor CropsMeat, Milk, and SeafoodSoil: A Renewable ResourceSoil OrganismsSoil ProfilesSoil TypesWays We Use and Abuse SoilLand ResourcesLand DegradationErosion: The Nature of the ProblemMechanisms of ErosionErosion Hot SpotsOther Agricultural ResourcesWaterFertilizerEnergyPest ControlWhat Can You Do? Reducing the Pesticides in Your FoodNew Crops and Genetic EngineeringThe Green RevolutionGenetic EngineeringPest ResistanceWeed ControlPublic OppositionSustainable AgricultureSoil ConservationManaging TopographyProviding Ground CoverReduced TillageCase Study: Organic Farming in CubaLow-Input Sustainable Agriculture8 Environmental Health and ToxicologyRachel Carson—A Voice for NatureTypes of Environmental Health HazardsInfectious OrganismsMorbidity and Quality of LifeEmergent Diseases and Environmental ChangeAntibiotic Pesticide and ResistanceToxic ChemicalsDietWhat Can You Do? National Health Recommendations and Diet GoalsMovement, Distribution, and Fate of ToxinsSolubilityBioaccumulation and BiomagnificationSensitivity and Developmental StageInvestigating Our Environment: Soft Vinyl Toys and Medical SuppliesPersistence
Other versions by this Author
