Ecotoxicology Essentials: Environmental Contaminants and Their Biological Effects on Animals and Plants

by Donald W. Sparling PhD

Overview

Ecotoxicology Essentials: Environmental Contaminants and Their Biological Effects on Animals and Plants provides a fundamental understanding of this area for students and professionals in ecotoxicology, ecology, conservation, chemistry, public health, wildlife management, fisheries, and many other disciplines. Although new chemicals and potential problems are developed every year, a basic education is essential to address these new challenges, and this work gives such training. Written with the regulatory framework in mind, the material guides readers on modelling, how to conduct assessments, and human and wildlife risk, focusing on effects on animals rather than transport of chemicals. Simple discussions of chemistry are complemented by coverage on the behavior of the animal, dynamics of the ecosystem, real-life situations like drought, and predators in the system – i.e., the natural system versus the lab setting.

The book’s first section contains chapters on the principles of contaminant toxicology including a brief history of the science of ecotoxicology, basic principles of the science, testing methods, and ways of determining if animals have been exposed to either acute or chronic concentrations of contaminants. The second section deals with the primary classes of contaminants including their chemical characteristics, sources, uses, and effects on organisms. The third section focuses on more complex issues such as the regulation of pollution, population and community effects, risk assessment and modelling.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780128019474
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	04/19/2016
Pages:	500
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Donald W. Sparling is an Associate Professor at Southern Illinois University. Having written more than 100 publications, his research interests in wildlife ecology include contaminant ecology, specifically the effects of contaminants on amphibians, reptiles, and birds; and wetland ecology, including storm water wetlands and the development of an index of biological integrity for assessing wetland conditions.

Table of Contents

Section I: Basic Principles and Tools of Ecotoxicology1. An Introduction to Ecotoxicology2. Basics of Toxicity Testing3. Bioindicators of Contaminant Exposure

Section II: Chemistry and Effect of Major Families of Contaminants4. Organochlorine Pesticides5. Current Use Pesticides6. Halogenated Aromatic Hydrocarbons7. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons8. Metals9. Other Contaminants

Section III: Identifying and Evaluating Large Scale Contaminant Hazards10. Population Ecotoxicology: Exposure and Effects of Environmental Chemicals11. Community-Level and Ecosystem-Level Effects of Environmental Chemicals12. Modeling in Ecotoxicology13. Chemical Stressors and Ecological Risk14. Contaminant Considerations in Humans15. Regulation of Environmental Chemicals and Damage Assessment16. Wrap Up

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

As a thorough guide to the study of environmental contaminants and their effect on the planet's ecology, this book provides a comprehensive analysis of their impact on microbes, plants and animals, and entire ecosystems, also citing ways that humans can be affected through serious illnesses and even death

Editorial Reviews

"Each of these chapters could be the subject of its own book given that sheer volume of research conducted over the past five decades. As such, these chapters serve as a first introduction to these contaminant classes appropriate for undergraduate students or environmental professionals with a limited background in toxicology." —The Quarterly Review of Biology

From the Publisher