Robert M. May

"This Britannica Guide to Climate Change gives a clear overview of the scientific evidence, from data showing how the atmosphere has changed in the last 4.5 billion to more recent studies on the symptoms of change from a warming planet and the global effects of greenhouse gases, deforestation and pollution. The guide introduces you to the possible solutions and to key figures in the debate, from the origins of environmentalism through to the Kyoto Protocol and beyond."--BOOK JACKET.

There is increasing need for good estimates of impending rates of extinction of plant and animal species, based on an understanding of extinction rates in the recent and far past, and on the underlying ecological and evolutionary causes. This book provides a more wide-ranging and data-driven treatment of current and likely future extinction rates than has previously been drawn together in one place. It is directed broadly at senior undergraduates, postgraduate students, and research workers in the general fields of ecology, conservation biology, and the environmental sciences. The authors highlight apparent differences in extinction rates among taxonomic groups and places, aiming to identify unresolved issues and important questions.

Recent studies have discovered considerable genetic and morphological variation both between and within populations of the same species. Yet the relation between this intraspecific variation and the processes of speciation remains poorly understood. When, how, and why do new species arise? The chapters in this book explore the question of how variation arises within species; some emphasize the ecological and behavioural basis of differentiation; others argue for the role of natural selection in generating speciation. Several chapters focus on the important emerging links between sexual selection, sexual conflict, and population differentiation. The final chapters of the book take a broader perspective on the question, and explore the fossil record for data on the origination of species diversity - and extinctions - in the past. Evolution of Biological Diversity is a must-have for all researchers and graduate students in the biological sciences who want to be abreast of the latest thinking on the evolution of biological diversity.