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Author : Barry Lovegrove Publisher : Penguin Random House South Africa Page : 559 pages File Size : 48,9 Mb Release : 2021-09-01 Category : Science ISBN : 9781775847052
The Living Deserts of Southern African by Barry Lovegrove Pdf
For generations, the deserts of southern Africa have intrigued scientists and travellers alike. Seemingly barren wastes, they in fact teem with life – from ants to elephants, stone plants to the curious welwitschia, dainty dik-diks to towering gemsbok, and cart-wheeling spiders to fog-basking beetles. How do they cope with scarce resources, unpredictable rainfall and extreme temperatures? How do they protect themselves against predators? And what is the impact of climate change on these life forms and their habitats? Drawing on an earlier edition, published in 1993, biologist Barry Lovegrove answers these questions and unravels many of the mysteries associated with life in the desert. He describes the four arid biomes of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana – Desert, Arid Savanna, Succulent Karoo and Nama-Karoo – and explains how and why such a great diversity of plants, insects, mammals, reptiles and birds successfully exist in these regions. The text is supported by the most recent research, spectacular photographs, and explanatory diagrams and maps. The Living Deserts of Southern Africa is a compelling, in-depth read that is accessible to both the serious student and academic as well as the interested nature lover. Sales points: A fully revised and updated edition of a classic text (1993) on southern Africa’s desert zones; highly readable, entertaining and informative that draws on the latest scientific research; covers the desert regions of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana; stunning full-colour photographs support the text.
Encyclopedia of Deserts represents a milestone: it is the first comprehensive reference to the first comprehensive reference to deserts and semideserts of the world. Approximately seven hundred entries treat subjects ranging from desert survival to the way deserts are formed. Topics include biology (birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, plants, bacteria, physiology, evolution), geography, climatology, geology, hydrology, anthropology, and history. The thirty-seven contributors, including volume editor Michael A. Mares, have had extensive careers in deserts research, encompassing all of the world’s arid and semiarid regions. The Encyclopedia opens with a subject list by topic, an organizational guide that helps the reader grasp interrelationships and complexities in desert systems. Each entry concludes with cross-references to other entries in the volume, inviting the reader to embark on a personal expedition into fascinating, previously unknown terrain. In addition a list of important readings facilitates in-depth study of each topic. An exhaustive index permits quick access to places, topics, and taxonomic listings of all plants and animals discussed. More than one hundred photographs, drawings, and maps enhance our appreciation of the remarkable life, landforms, history, and challenges of the world’s arid land.
Biomes of the Southern Hemisphere by Ladislav Mucina Pdf
This is the first comprehensive and critical evaluation of the biome (large-scale, functional biotic communities) patterns in the Southern Hemisphere. Revising the Heinrich Walter's zonobiome system for the Southern Hemisphere appeared as necessary because of the bioclimatic imbalance between the Hemispheres. This revision resulted in formulation of a new zonobiome system, considering the geographic peculiarities of both Hemispheres, hence creating a new, powerful tool of global nature-resource survey and conservation. The system has a potential to attract the interest of the global climate modeling community as the concept of biome (and associated hierarchical system) has a strong functional focus. All zonal biomes of the Southern Hemisphere are featured, and the major challenges we face in understanding their origins, structure, and functioning are discussed. The book contains a wealth of original data resulting from collation of bioclimatic data and vegetation mapping.
Ecophysiology of Desert Birds by Gordon L. Maclean Pdf
The scientific study of birds in arid regions has been conducted more or less intensively for about 40 years. This is an appropriate time to draw together the threads of the diverse research on birds living in such an extreme environment. Topics include: Desert Avifaunas; Food and Energy; Water - Drinking; Water Regulation; Thermoregulation; Timing of Breeding; Ecology of Breeding.
Mining and Community in South Africa by Philippe Burger,Lochner Marais,Deirdre van Rooyen Pdf
Mining has played a key role in the growth of many towns in South Africa. This growth has been accompanied by a proliferation of informal settlements, by pressure to provide basic services and by institutional pressures in local government to support mining. Fragile municipal finance, changing social attributes, the pressures of shift-work on mineworkers, the impact on the physical environment and perceived new inequalities between mineworkers, contract workers and original inhabitants have further complicated matters. Mining growth has however also led to substantial local economic benefits to existing business and it has contributed to a mushrooming of new enterprises. While the relationship between mining and economic development at the country level has received adequate attention in existing literature, less is known about the consequences of mining at the local level. This book investigates the local impacts of mining in South Africa, focusing on employment, inequality, housing, business development, worker well-being, governance, municipal finance, planning and the environment. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, Mining and Community in South Africa will be of interest to scholars of South Africa, economic development, labour and industry, politics and planning.
Describes the geology & history of the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. Although it receives an average of more than 250mm of rain a year, the rapidly draining soil & high rate of evaporation have created desert conditions across much of Botswana as well as parts of Namibia & South Africa. This has led to the evolution of a richly diverse & unique ecology.
Author : Roger de la Harpe,Pat de la Harpe Publisher : Jonathan Ball Publishers Page : 162 pages File Size : 50,5 Mb Release : 2012-08-01 Category : Nature ISBN : 9781920289683
In Search of the African Lion by Roger de la Harpe,Pat de la Harpe Pdf
The African lion (Panthera leo), long celebrated as the king of beasts, faces unprecedented challenges in the wild today. Loss of habitat through the expansion of human activity increasingly restricts the lion to game reserves and national parks, while diseases such as bovine tuberculosis pose a threat to the health of lion prides. Over a period of two years, Roger and Pat de la Harpe have documented wild lions of South Africa, and the result is a superbly photographed and engagingly written tribute to this often misunderstood predator. In Search of the African Lion enters the complex world of the lion, describing pride dynamics, hunting patterns, the reproductive cycle and interactions with human communities. The book focuses on four main areas: the Kalahari, the Madikwe/Mapungubwe area, the Greater Kruger National Park and Northern Zululand -each with its own problems, challenges and opportunities. In addition, the authors highlight the important work done by game rangers, wildlife managers and scientific researchers in understanding the lion and in protecting existing populations. The In Search of... series focuses on the plight of threatened and endangered species. Also available by the same authors: In Search of the African Wild Dog.
Conserving Biodiversity in Arid Regions by J. Lemons,Reginald Victor,Daniel Schaffer Pdf
On the eve of the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD), held in autumn 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan recommended five specific areas as focal points of discussion for the global forum: Water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity. In his address, "Towards a Sustainable Future," delivered just four months before the WSSD, Secretary General Annan contended that concrete progress in each of these areas, often referred to by their acronym WEHAB, would be key to improving the quality of life not only in the developing world but across the globe. For most people, I think it is fair to say that the inclusion of biodiversity in a list that focuses on basic human needs may not be self-evident. Water, energy, health and agriculture, yes. But why biodiversity? The truth is that biodiversity is just as critical to global well-being as water, energy, agriculture and health. This is because biodiversity both drives and shapes nature's intricate and dynamic structure in an enduring form and force that enables both current and future generations to enjoy its bounty.
The leading guide for independent travelers, combining detailed practical information with exceptional coverage of the natural and cultural attractions.
Grasses & Grazers of Botswana and the surrounding savanna by Veronica Roodt Pdf
An accessible reference to the grasses and grazers of this region, Veronica Roodt’s book details the fascinating ways in which these plants and animals have evolved together. The book covers: some 100 grass species (includes sketches and photographs of each species) that are preferred livestock and wild game fodder and that serve as indicators of veld condition; the role of grasses in the food chain; grass anatomy and growth; how grazers have evolved to survive on grasses, both physically and in terms of their behaviour; significant grazers that occur in the region and that play a vital role in shaping the savanna biome, and effective grassland management practices. Nature lovers, farmers, students and tourists who seek an in-depth look at the interactions between grasses and the grazers that depend on them for life need look no further than this invaluable guide.
Biotic Interactions in Arid Lands by John L. Cloudsley-Thompson Pdf
The exigencies of life in the desert environment have resulted in the se lection of a diversity of adaptations, both morphological and physiologi cal, in the flora and fauna. At the same time, many plants and most small animals are able not merely to exist but even to thrive under desert conditions - mainly by avoiding thermal extremes and by the refine ment of pre-existing abilities to economise in water. In the same way, the biotic interactions of the flora and fauna of the desert do not involve many new principles. Nevertheless, conditions in arid regions frequently do invoke refinements of the complex interrelations between predators and their prey, parasites and their hosts, as well as between herbivores and the plants upon which they feed. In this book, I shall discuss not only such interactions and their feedback effects, but also community processes and population dynamics in the desert. The physical conditions of the desert that principally affect predators and their prey are its openness and the paucity of cover. This is re stricted to scattered plants, occasional rocks, holes, and crevices in the ground. Furthermore, nightfall does not confer relative invisibility, as it does in many other ecobiomes, because of the clarity of the atmosphere. The bright starlight of the desert renders nearby objects visible even to the human eye, while an incandescent moon bathes the empty landscape with a flood of silver light. Consequently, adaptive coloration is func tional at all hours of the day and night.
Author : Richard Cowling Publisher : Penguin Random House South Africa Page : 156 pages File Size : 44,6 Mb Release : 2015-11-05 Category : Science ISBN : 9781928213314
Namaqualand – a desert of succulents. From dwarf species barely a few millimetres tall to trees several metres high, the range of succulent plants in this seemingly desolate region is unrivalled in both its extent and its variety of forms. Tiny plants that resemble flowering stones dot a plain of quartz; a minute 'garden' fills a rock crevice; an exuberant burst of vygies colours a patch of veld. About a third of the 3000 or so plant species in Namaqualand are succulents, and they include the largest concentration of miniature succulent species in the world. But there is much more. Namaqualand's bulb flora is the richest of any arid region on earth: amaryllids, irids, lilies and many more, all presenting an astonishing diversity of colour and form. Add to these the spectacular vistas of spring-flowering annuals for which Namaqualand is most famous, and the result is a truly remarkable flora, unrivalled elsewhere on earth. Yet for many years it has been overshadowed by the Cape Floral Kingdom to the south. In this exploration of a harsh wonderland, Richard Cowling and Shirley Pierce embark on redressing the balance, and in doing so discover climatic and other factors that have contributed to Namaqualand's rich flora. They reveal intriguing details of how plants survive a range of adverse conditions and, following the cycle of seasons, they highlight extraordinary facets of the plants' reproduction, including intricate relationships with insect pollinators. Complementing the text, Colin Paterson-Jones's magnificent photographs capture the vibrant colours of Namaqualand's flora, in both panorama and detail conveying the essence of this awe-inspiring land.