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This book was first published in 1979. If we are to improve our control and conservation of the food resources of the oceans of the world it is particularly important to increase our understanding of the basic mechanisms that control the abundance, distribution and production of marine organisms.

One of the objectives of investigations carried out within the Human Adaptability section of the International Biological Programme was to obtain comparable data on population characteristics over a wide range of ecosystems. This volume provides a brief survey of the variables affecting the physiological work capacity of various populations. The items considered include body weight, fatness, maximum oxygen intake, muscular strength, and the process of oxygen transport from the air to the working muscles. The discussion is based largely on data collected under the auspices of the IBP, using methods standardised for the programme. The influence of race, heredity, environment and disease are considered, and a detailed analysis is made of various classes of athlete. The material will be useful to human and environmental physiologists, anthropologists, and those interested in physical education.

Just how the International Biological Programme was conceived, initiated, conducted and completed is set down in this volume.

This book was first published in 1980 and was a synthesis of much of the recent work on the functioning of grassland ecosystems at the time. It is concerned with the ways in which nutrients and energy are moved between the physical environment, plants and animals.

First published in 1977, this book deals with the importance of weed seed and grain-eating birds in natural and agricultural environments. These birds are to be found worldwide and are a component of man-made ecosystems where they are associated with man's main food crops.

A synthesis of knowledge on the fixation of nitrogen by systems involving plants, especially legumes, and micro-organisms. Originally published in 1976, this volume underlines, and in some respects quantifies, their importance in both natural and agricultural habitats.

Grey mullets are extremely important fish which are cultured or farmed in many countries, especially in the Mediterranean and South-East Asia. This 1981 volume considers all the aspects of these important food fish which are of relevance to their culture.

The best alternative to chemical control is biological control. However, biological control alone is not always sufficient to control pest populations; and it is necessary to learn how to make it compatible with other methods of control. Data on these important aspects is collected in this 1976 volume.

This 1976 volume provides information, presented at an international symposium in Edinburgh, on the free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria and blue-green algae. In addition to information on the distribution of the nitrogenase enzyme within these groups, their role in the soil and in aquatic systems is considered, as are the methods of measuring nitrogen fixation.

This 1975 book deals with one of the world's fastest disappearing natural resources - the invaluable reservoir of genetic variability in our cultivated plants which have evolved since our forebears began to domesticate them some 10,000 years ago. It will be of use as an intelligently written work of much historic value.

This volume was first published in 1981. The history of man's use of arid lands is a sad record of deterioration of the natural resource base and of low and declining living standards for the 300 million people who live in them. One prerequisite to meeting the challenge of reversing the deterioration and of raising living standards is a sound knowledge of the natural ecosystems.

First published in 1980, this important book brings together the results of worldwide research (from the tropics to the Arctic) to determine the relative productivity of different freshwater environments, especially lakes. The investigations are presented in a comparative manner and the underlying causes considered.

First published in 1975, this volume provides a unique comparative treatment of annual and seasonal photosynthetic production in both terrestrial and aquatic environments on a world scale and examines the efficiency with which incoming light energy is utilised in different types of natural and managed vegetation, including agricultural crops.

This volume, first published in 1975, looks at small mammal populations with emphasis being placed on their ecology and energy dynamics. It discusses the most productive research techniques and research objectives. The second part of the book deals with the roles of small mammals in ecosystems.

First published in 1976, this volume describes the structure and functioning of grassland ecosystems.

Mussels represent an important food source in many parts of the world and they have considerable potential as a protein source for many developing countries. This book, first published in 1976, is a critical review of information on this group of animals, and sets out the material with suggestions for the future direction of research.

The International Biological Programme investigated the biology of circumpolar human populations in the period 1967-1974. This research was carried out by multidisciplinary teams and covered demography, genetics, craniofacial development, growth, ophthalmology, nutrition physiology and behaviour. The study elucidates the biological and behavioural processes leading to this successful adaptation.

First published in 1977, this volume is a collection of eleven studies conducted during the International Biological Programme on the biological structure of human populations. They deal particularly with population genetics, demography and ecology, and discuss the experimental strategies to be adopted when making such studies.

This volume brings together different 'schools' of ecological investigation of woodlands. After a description of the structure and floristic composition of the research sites, involving a comparison of boreal, temperate, Mediterranean and tropical forest, the study goes on to consider the dynamic aspects of the woodland formation.

The peoples of the high-altitude regions of the world have long fascinated both scientists and laymen from the lowlands. This book, while it draws heavily on the research conducted in the International Biological Programme, is a comprehensive review of our knowledge about the biology of the high-altitude peoples of the world.

This study concentrates on the production ecology of ants and termites. Ants and termites are highly socialised and their groupings in their most developed form enable them to function as large organisms comparable with the larger mammals in their influence in ecosystems.

The IBP 'check-sheet' survey was devised to gather information on how to protect sites and species for future scientific study. This 1980 volume explains the survey's procedures and the problems of securing adequate descriptions of types of vegetation and soil and suitable methods of information storage and retrieval.

First published in 1975, this book looks at the different ways in which food protein can be produced. Special attention is given to sources from which food protein could be made by simple techniques in regions where protein deficiency is acute. Also covered are quality control and the acceptability of novel foods.