Ecotoxicology, Third Edition: The Study of Pollutants in Ecosystems [Paperback]

Frank Moriarty (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0125067631 | ISBN-13: 978-0125067638 | Publication Date: May 25, 1999 | Edition: 3

Ecotoxicology, Third Edition discusses the ecological effects of pollutants: the ways in which ecosystems can be affected, and current attempts to predict and monitor such effects. The emphasis is on ecosystems; therefore toxicological approaches are critically assessed.
Following a brief introduction to the principal characteristics of both pollutants and ecosystems, the various ecosystem components are considered in more detail. Populations, communities and gene pools are examined with an emphasis on the ways in which pollutants affect them specifically. The indirect effects of pollution are considered separately in a new chapter with particular attention paid to the mechanisms and biological effects of global warming. A discussion of the methods used to predict and to monitor the effects of pollutants, some illustrative examples of pollution problems and a final summary discussion, complete the book.

Key Features
* A classic proven by its 2nd edition.
* Still the only book to properly integrate ecological principles with chemistry/biochemistry
* Focuses on the interaction between ecology and toxicology
* Designed for use by toxicologists with no ecology training, and for ecologists with no toxicology training
* There is a new chapter on pollutants in habitats and global warming

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...this is one of the most absorbing books on any subject I have read in recent times. This book will especially be useful for students in ecology, biochemistry, environmental studies, pollution science and industry. ...I would fully recommend this book to everyone who wants to know more about this exciting new branch."
-Anil Aggrawal for ANIL AGGRAWAL'S INTERNET JOURNAL OF FORENSIC MEDICINE AND TOXICOLOGY (2002)
"The book on the whole is written lucidly, rendering a complicated area of toxicology easy to comprehend and assimilate. The presentation of the subject is flawless and the list of references at the end of the book is impressively exhaustive. ...All in all, this book could serve as an individual addition to any library stocking books on toxicology, as well as an asset to all students and professionals dealing with any aspect of the subject."
-V.V. Pillay for ANIL AGGRAWAL'S INTERNET JOURNAL OF FORENSIC MEDICINE AND TOXICOLOGY (2002)
"... it contains a wealth of ecotoxicological reference data, so as a sourcebook it has considerable utility. It certainly has a place on the bookshelf of all toxicologists and ecotoxicologists."
- JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

From the Back Cover

Pollutants act either directly on individual organisms or indirectly by modifying the non-living (abiotic) environment. In order to properly understand these processes, a basic grounding in ecosystem ecology is needed, but from a toxicological perspective.
This text and this new edition fully revises and expands the coverage of this subject. Following a brief introduction to the principal characteristics of both pollutants and ecosystems, the various ecosystem components are considered in more detail. Populations, communities and gene pools are examined with an emphasis on the ways in which pollutants affect them specifically. The indirect effects of pollution are considered separately in a new chapter with particular attention paid to the mechanisms and biological effects of global warming. A discussion of the methods used to predict and to monitor the effects of pollutants, some illustrative examples of pollution problems and a final summary discussion, complete the book.
Certain key themes and cautions run throughout the entire text. Assessing toxicological impact is a far from simple process. Measures of acute toxicity, though important for individual organisms, have limited relevance to actual ecological impacts, since sublethal effects can be just as, or more damaging to populations. Screening and predictive tests based on acute toxicity are therefore biased against detecting ecological effects. Further, the monitoring and control of pollution damage also involves value judgements: What are the environmentalists trying to achieve and protect? The complexity of ecosystems and communities requires equally complex analysis, rather than the often simplistic application of absolute rules derived from laboratory toxicity tests. As technology and the impact of human activity on the environment develops and changes, the questions posed multiply and become ever more complex.
This book has been an invaluable primer for students in ecology, biochemistry, environmental studies, pollution science and industry. The third edition will extend its relevance into the next millennium.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 347 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 3 edition (May 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0125067631
• ISBN-13: 978-0125067638
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,195,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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