Ground beetles are handsome, lively creatures beneficial to gardeners and of interest to a growing number of biologists. The first edition of this book made the common species accessible to many who had not studied ground beetles before. In this revised edition the keys are no longer restricted to the commoner species; they have been improved and extended to cover all species currently known in Britain, including nine new ones that have been added to the British list since the first publication of this book in 1986 (see p. 91). This work introduces their natural history, paying particular attention to their feeding and the mechanical movements of their mouth parts and bodies in relation to diet and behaviour. It also deals with reproduction, and with the distribution of activity in relation to habitat and season. Illustrated keys enable the ground beetles most commonly found in Britain to be named to species. Techniques are described for studying beetles in the field and in the laboratory, for persuading ground beetles to lay eggs, and for rearing the eggs, larvae and pupae.

Ground Beetles (Vol. 8) (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 8)

Science & Math

Forsythe, Trevor G.

Biological Sciences

Pelagic Publishing

Seaweeds provide food, shelter and a place to live for a wide range of animals. This complex community, feeding on the weed itself, on the sediment that it traps, or on the microscopic organisms growing on the surface, is very accessible but much of its ecology remains unknown. This book outlines what is known of the natural history of the animals living on seaweeds. It draws attention to topics that offer scope for further exploration. Keys and illustrations are provided to help in the identification of this diverse community of creatures, and information is given on techniques for further study.

Animals on Seaweed (Naturalists' Handbooks)

Hayward, Peter J.

Animals of the Surface Film (Vol. 12) (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 12)

Guthrie, Marjorie

A calm water surface on any freshwater habitat can support a community of animals and plants of great interest. Some live above the water but in regular contact with it, and others hang down from the surface. This handbook deals with the smaller invertebrate animals of this surface community. Among these are springtails, pondskaters, water boatmen, water beetles and water spiders, as well as protozoa, rotifers and tiny crustaceans.After giving a brief introduction to the surface forces that are so important to these animals, the book describes the natural history of the main groups of animals in this community, drawing attention to topics on which further investigation is needed. Consideration is given to the problem of pollution by oil and by detergent. Keys are given for the identification of surface-dwelling animals, either to the major group or, where possible, to the species. Methods of keeping and studying the animals are described.

Stinging nettles harbour a characteristic community of insects that are widespread, abundant, and rewarding to study. This book describes the natural history of the insects in that community, and describes the way they coexist using different parts of a stinging nettle plant. It discusses the feeding habits of herbivores and predatory insects, and the parasites that feed on them, as well as the seasonal distribution of the life cycles of the different members of the community. For a nettle-dwelling insect species, a nettle patch is an island in a sea of unsuitable habitat, and this book discusses the relationship between the size and isolation of the nettle patch and the nature of its community. Keys are provided for identification, and many of the commoner species are illustrated in colour. Techniques are described for investigating insect fauna. A three page addendum draws attention to the changes in the nettle community that may be expected to result from global warming.

Insects on Nettles (Vol. 1) (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 1)

Davis, B.N.K.

Most of us have noticed galls as bizarre and often colourful distortions of plant growth, and wondered what goes on inside them. The drama enacted within a single gall may involve many species of insects and mites. Their interrelationships are intricate and their identification has been challenging. The communities of insects and mites associated with galls of certain plants, when unravelled by specialists, have proved to be of great ecological interest. This book will make galls accessible to a wider audience. It introduces the wonderfully complex communities associated with galls, and provides keys for identification of the gall former, and many other occupants, including predators and parasites. To make this task manageable the authors have concentrated on galls associated with selected plant species, and have presented a food web to illustrate the relationships among the animals associated with each type of gall. Much remains to be discovered about these and other galls and their inhabitants. For the first time, this book brings that exploration within the scope on interested naturalists and students. Galls are often abundant and readily available systems for the study of ecology. Investigations undertaken at home or in schools and universities may help to advance our knowledge of these microcosms, and of the ecological interactions that they illustrate so compactly.

Plant Galls (Vol. 17) (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 17)

Redfern, Margaret

Askew, R.

Lichens make excellent material for field studies throughout the year and are valuable for the detection and mapping of pollution. This book provides an overview of the value of lichens for monitoring a range of potentially harmful substances including sulphur dioxide, fluorides, PCBs, metals and radioactive elements. In each section background information is provided and case studies briefly described to enable the reader to appreciate the potential applications of lichens for monitoring each type of environmental pollutant. To help with the problems of identifying lichens, coloured illustrations are provided of species that commonly grow on trees together with an identification key and direction to more advanced texts for lichens growing on other surfaces.

Pollution Monitoring with Lichens (Vol. 19) (Naturalists' Handbooks (Vol. 19))

Engineering & Transportation

Richardson, D. H.S.

Engineering

Lichens make excellent material for field studies throughout the year and are valuable for the detection and mapping of pollution. This book provides an overview of the value of lichens for monitoring a range of potentially harmful substances including sulphur dioxide, fluorides, PCBs, metals and radioactive elements.
In each section background information is provided and case studies briefly described to enable the reader to appreciate the potential applications of lichens for monitoring each type of environmental pollutant. To help with the problems of identifying lichens, coloured illustrations are provided of species that commonly grow on trees together with an identification key and direction to more advanced texts for lichens growing on other surfaces.

Pollution Monitoring With Lichens (Vol. 19) (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 19)

The bogland habitat, which is often threatened by peat extraction, has very great natural history value. As well as the better-known plants, dragonflies and birds, it supports a unique community of microscopic animals and plants inhabiting the leaves and crevices of Sphagnum, the moss that dominates bog vegetation. Under the microscope, a drop of water squeezed from bog moss reveals a wonderful diversity of complex and distinctive organisms. This book makes that little-known community accessible to the non-specialist. The peculiar characteristics of the bog mass habitat are described, and the book introduces the natural history and ecological interrelationships of the microscopic organisms, focusing in particular on the more obvious and elegant groups: the desmids, doatoms, shelled amoebae and rotifers or wheel animalcules. Identification is assisted by the numerous detailed line illustrations and by the coloured plates. User-friendly keys will help the reader to allocate specimens to a group, and to name the more conspicuous genera of flagellates, desmids, diatoms, shelled amoebae and rotifers, as well as some species of Spaghnum. References are given to more specialised literature for those who need to go further. There is a provisional list of species known to be associated with bog mosses, but the investigations stimulated by this book are expected to reveal many new associations.

Microscopic Life in Sphagnum (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 20)

Hingley, Marjorie

Insects and Thistles (Vol. 4) (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 4)

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Pelagic Publishing publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Pelagic Publishing

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Pelagic Publishing publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Ground Beetles (Vol. 8) (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 8)

Animals on Seaweed (Naturalists' Handbooks)

Animals of the Surface Film (Vol. 12) (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 12)

Animals of the Surface Film (Vol. 12) (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 12)

Insects on Nettles (Vol. 1) (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 1)

Plant Galls (Vol. 17) (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 17)

Pollution Monitoring with Lichens (Vol. 19) (Naturalists' Handbooks (Vol. 19))

Pollution Monitoring With Lichens (Vol. 19) (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 19)

Microscopic Life in Sphagnum (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 20)

Insects and Thistles (Vol. 4) (Naturalists' Handbooks, Vol. 4)