Biodiversity in Agricultural Production Systems

About this book

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.

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.

Contents

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-Jorg Vogel and Ulrich. Babel Microbial Diversity in Organic Soil Amendments - Liquid and Solid Manure, Compost, Sewage Sludge; Udo Jackel and Peter. Kampfer 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 Sorensen 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 Hoper

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