Publications
The paper describes the goals and objectives for a programme of work on mountain biological diversity.
The planet Earth is able to sustain life because of the existence of water in liquid form on its surface. More precisely, the lifeforms on Earth have flourished because of the simultaneous availability of air, water and soil over large parts of the surface of this planet, which made the-production of biomass possible. Among these three planetary resources, the availability of water, in particular...
Mountains cover about 20% of continental surfaces and are the source of most of the world's major river systems. Mountains are under considerable stress from humans, and climate change would exacerbate existing conflicts between environmental and socioeconomic concerns. Paleo-environmental records indicate that past warming of climate has caused the distribution of vegetation to shift to higher...
As the highest and most dramatic features of the natural landscape, mountains have an extraordinary power to evoke the sacred. The ethereal rise of a ridge in mist, the glint of moonlight on an icy face, a flare of gold on a distant peak - such glimpses of transcendent beauty can reveal our world as a place of unimaginable mystery and splendor. In the fierce play of natural elements that swirl...
Yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) seedlings were fumigated with a gradient of ozone to determine what effect ozone has on the species. The fumigated seedlings displayed physical symptoms of ozone injury but a large number of the individuals from the charcoal-filtered treatment showed physical symptoms of ozone when indeed no ozone was present. This is an indication that what appears to be...
Widespread climate changes in the distant past were larger and more rapid than those experienced during more recent historical times. For example, the cooling of the climate leading into the last "ice age", the peak of which occurred roughly 21,000 years ago, and the subsequent climate transition to a warmer, more modern world were punctuated by abrupt climate changes that were one-...
Over the past decade, the issue of climate change has risen rapidly to an important position on international scientific and political agendas. A number of key events in this process may be identified, beginning with the 1988 Conference on "The Changing Atmosphere" (World Meteorological Organization 1989), and the consequent establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)....
In part 1 of a 4-part series, Karma Ura introduces the connection between conservation of citadels (pho-drang) of deities with environmental protection.
Environmental awareness can manifest in scientific, political and cultural terms. Beliefs and practices point to a management of environment frequently linked to the invocations of deities and spirits occurring throughout the country. Such...
Mountain ecosystems are a biosphere reserve. They harbor a wide range of significant resources including animals, plants as well as minerals. Mountains are home to about 10 percent of the global population. A significant high proportion of 25 - 30 percent directly depends on the resources flowing from mountain regions. Functionally, mountains play a critical role in the environment and economic...
There is a need among ecophysiologists for gas exchange systems capable of rapid sampling and numerous replications. Measurements of temporal and spatial variability within tree canopies, or among replicates of plants in experimental units, are often hampered by difficulty in obtaining sufficient concurrent gas exchange data within a reasonable amount of time. Single cuvette systems take too long...