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Biodiversity In Agricultural Production Systems book cover

1st Edition

Biodiversity In Agricultural Production Systems

Edited By Gero Benckiser, Sylvia Schnell Copyright 2006
    429 Pages 13 Color & 90 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    While modern science has always recognized the central role that biodiversity plays in the ecological processes that maintain the Earth's equilibrium, our increasing knowledge of nature has deepened our appreciation of this principle. Consequently, those involved with implementing and maintaining sustainable agriculture systems have begun to take a far more sophisticated approach to understanding and making use of the components and mechanics of biodiversity.

    Providing a comprehensive and highly practical exploration of the subject, Biodiversity in Agricultural Production Systems examines abiotic ecosystem diversity and biological complexity at every relevant level. Leading researchers detail subspecies diversity, covering ecotypes, lifecycles, genes, physiology, and behavior. They also discuss species richness and supraspecies diversity, which includes foodweb interactions and non-trophic relationships, as well as above- and belowground relationships.

    Exploring various facets of agricultural crops and cultivation practices, this inter-disciplinary volume-

  • Gives an overview of the pore space dynamic in agroecosystems where most soil microorganisms reside, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and Tardigrada
  • Examines the highly diverse and prominent role played by earthworms
  • Looks at the metabolic processes occurring in soils that result in the release of greenhouse gases
  • Outlines principles and strategies of order between interacting molecules, cells, species and communities
  • Looks at mechanisms of competition, exploring growth regulation, transformation, and feeding strategies, as well as toxin production, mutation, and biofilm formation
  • Discusses matter recycling and the diversity of microbial metabolism in soils
  • Shows how long-term observation plots are used to assess soil quality


    Biodiversity in Agricultural Production Systems provides important information for those involved with researching and implementing sustainable agricultural systems, as well as those addressing specific challenges related to soil degradation, water management, and climatic impacts. It also provides recent research and fresh perspectives to enhance the approaches of those working in horticulture, biology, and the environmental sciences.

    • Introduction; G. Benckiser, and S. Schnell
    Biodiversity in Crop Production Systems; Bernd Honermeier
    Agro-Diversity - Genetic Diversity in Crops and Cropping Systems; Jutta Ahlemeyer, Rod. J. Snowdon, Frank Ordon and Wolfgang Friedt
    Soil Space Diversity and its Dynamics - Qualitative and Quantitative Considerations; Hans-Jörg Vogel and Ulrich. Babel
    Microbial Diversity in Organic Soil Amendments - Liquid and Solid Manure, Compost, Sewage Sludge; Udo Jäckel and Peter. Kämpfer
    Discerning the diversity of soil prokaryotes (Bacteria and Archaea) and their impact on agriculture; Christoph C. Tebbe and Michael Schloter
    Microbial diversity in the rhizosphere: highly resolving molecular methodology to study plant-beneficial rhizosphere bacteria; Anton Hartmann, Kornelia Smalla, and Jan Sørensen
    Diversity of Biofilms and their Formation Processes; M. W. Falk and Stefan Wuertz
    Diversity of Soil Fungi; Guido Fischer
    Biodiversity of Chytrids; Donald A. Klein
    Diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi; Philipp Franken, and Eckehardt George
    Protozoa; Stuart Bamforth
    Diversity of Nematodes; Gregor W. Yeates
    Diversity of Tardigrada; Kunihiro Seki and Daiki Horikawa
    Biodiversity of Lumbricid Earthworms in Temperate Agroeco-systems; Joann Whalen and Cathy A. Fox
    Soil Enzymes - Spatial Distribution and Function in Agroecosystems; Ellen Kandeler and Richard P. Dick
    Metabolic Diversity of Microrganisms in Agricultural Soils; Stefan Ratering, Gero Benckiser, and Sylvia Schnell
    Gasous Emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O and NO) from Diverse Agricultural Production Systems; A. R Mosier and Tim Parkin
    Principles Behind Order and Sustainability in Natural Successions and Agriculture; Gero Benckiser
    Food Web Interactions and Modeling; John Moore, Rodney T. Simpson, Kevin S. McCann, and Peter de Ruiter
    Soil Quality Assessment and Long-term Field Observation with Emphasis on Biological Soil Characteristics; Hans-Rudolf Oberholzer and Heinrich Höper

    Biography

    Gero Benckiser, Sylvia Schnell

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