Biotic Regulation of the Environment

Victor G. Gorshkov, Vadim V. Gorshkov and Anastassia M. Makarieva

Modern science of global change is predominantly concentrated on the evaluation of the possible consequences of the direct anthropogenic forcing currently imposed on the global environment.

In Biotic Regulation of the Environment, the problem is attacked from a different angle. Theoretical considerations, as well as extensive analysis of empirical evidence presented by the authors, testify in favour of the statement that stability of the global environment is a function of the state of the natural biota of Earth. Natural biota appears as a powerful stabiliser of the environment when intact and as powerful destabiliser when disturbed. Global scale anthropogenic disturbance of natural biota, rather than direct anthropogenic pollution, appears to be the main cause of the present-day global changes of the environment.

The long-term ecological safety of the global environment therefore requires that extensive territories are occupied by natural biota without human interference, rather than using technology-based strategies to deal with anthropogenic pollution. The book presents a quantitative estimate of the natural areas needed to stop the global change that emerged as the result of interdisciplinary research in a range of scientific fields, from climatology and forest ecology to evolutionary biology and bioenergetics.

Table of Contents:

Preface
1. General overview
2. What is life?
3. Ecology of organisms with different body sizes
4. Ecology of locomotive animals
5. Ecological principles of biotic regulation
6. Biotic regulation in action
7. Energy and information
8. Unique nature of climatic stability on earth
9. Genetic bases of biotic regulation and life stability: Analysis of empirical evidence
10. Evolution
11. Conclusions: Can the Biosphere be Treated as a Resource?
References
Index

Extent: 386 pages
Binding: hardback
Publication Date: June 2000
ISBN: 978-1-85233-181-8

Home