Anthropogenic Interactions Research Articles

Just what are the basics of environmental science? This book places science front and foremost in explaining the basis for environmental studies. It defines ecology as a science, while acknowledging the use of the term outside the rigorous definition, and explores its fundamental place in understanding how life thrives and is affected by natural and anthropogenic interactions. In six chapters and 62 sections, the book proceeds in a logical framework to build appreciation of how various scientific disciplines relate to environmental studies. The first chapters set the stage through earth sciences and physical resources. These are related not just to human perspectives, but to the very existence and flourishing of life on earth as well. The chapter on the biosphere explains energy and nutrient cycling and how those processes are intimately tied to biomass and biodiversity through other basic ecosystemic processes, such as succession, population regulation, dispersal, and colonization. How those processes, and the life forms involved, came to be so diverse is elucidated in the chapter on biological resources. Again, this chapter is a balanced expose of those reources as they are incorporated into planetary life and as they can be used by people. The final chapter presents the application of the principles of earth sciences, ecology, and evolution in rational and rigorous environmental management in conservation, pest control, restoration ecology, bioremediation, pollution control, an the like. The arrangement of topics allows the reader to build knowledge in a conventional order, as noted above. However, the book is remarkable in that users can jump in at any chapter. This does make for some redundancy to make each chapter more or less self-contained, but backand crossreferencing are easy to avoid excessive repetition. All in all, Allaby has presented us with a well-written, easily read book which pays appropriate homage to historical writings, contexts, and advances. It explains various complex interactions and issues well. The chapter summaries and boxed case-histories complement the main text. The illustrations are clear, relevant, and the captions highly explanatory. The

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