Zoology and Entomology: Starting out

This text provides a concise introduction to the field of animalbiology. Readers discover general principles of evolution, ecology, animal bodyplans, and classification and systematics. After these introductory chapters,readers delve into the biology of all groups of animals. The basic features ofeach group are discussed, along with evolutionary relationships among groupmembers. Chapter highlights include newly discovered features of animals asthey relate to ecology, conservation biology, and value to human society.Regular updates to the phylogenies within the book keep it current.

Fundamentals of Biogeography presents an accessible, engaging and comprehensive introduction to biogeography, explaining the ecology, geography, history and conservation of animals and plants. Starting with an outline of how species arise, disperse, diversify and become extinct, the book examines: how environmental factors (climate, substrate, topography, and disturbance) influence animals and plants; investigates how populations grow, interact and survive; how communities form and change; and explores the connections between biogeography and conservation.

This book explores the geography, ecology, and antiquity of 'open ecosystems', which include grasslands, savannas, and shrublands. They occur in climates that can support closed forest ecosystems and often form mosaics with forest patches. With the aid of remote sensing, it is now clear that open ecosystems are a global phenomenon and occur over vast areas in climates that could also support forests. This book goes beyond regional narratives and seeks general
explanations for their existence.

The aim of this book is to support and inspire teachers to contribute to much-needed processes of sustainable development and to develop teaching practices and professional identities that allow them to cope with the specificity of sustainability issues and, in particular, with the teaching challenges related to the ethical and political dimension of environmental and sustainability education.

Practical Research: Planning and Design is a do-it-yourself, understand-it-yourself manual for planning and conducting research. Suitable for a wide variety of courses in basic research methodology, the text guides the reader, step-by-step, from the selection of a problem, through the process of conducting authentic research, to the preparation of a completed report, with practical suggestions throughout. The authors emphasize the idea that quality research demands planning and design, and they provide what is needed for readers to be able to execute their own research projects effectively and professionally.

This bestselling text pioneered the comparison of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research design. For all three approaches, John W. Creswell and new co author J. David Creswell include a preliminary consideration of philosophical assumptions; key elements of the research process; a review of the literature; an assessment of the use of theory in research applications, and reflections about the importance of writing and ethics in scholarly inquiry.