Animal Sciences

Just like humans, animals and plants suffer from infectious diseases, which can critically threaten biodiversity. This book describes key studies that have driven our understanding of the ecology and evolution of wildlife diseases. Each chapter introduces the host and disease, and explains how that system has aided our general understanding of the evolution and spread of wildlife diseases, through the development and testing of important epidemiological and evolutionary theories. Questions addressed include: How do hosts and parasites co-evolve? What determines how fast a disease spreads through a population? How do co-infecting parasites interact? Why do hosts vary in parasite burden? Which factors determine parasite virulence and host resistance? How do parasites influence the spread of invasive species? How do we control infectious diseases in wildlife? This book will provide a valuable introduction to students new to the topic, and novel insights to researchers, professionals and policymakers working in the field.

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The fully revised and expanded second edition of the ground-breaking book that made the fascinating micro-moth group accessible to the general naturalist.

Written by a team of moth experts under the editorship of Phil Sterling, this is a complete guide to all the micro-moth families found in Great Britain and Ireland, including the Channel Islands. Species descriptions include field characters, similar species, flight season, habitat, larval foodplants, status and distribution. The introduction covers identifying, studying and finding micro-moths, including field techniques. Also included are innovative keys to families and genera.

The second edition covers a total of 1,300 species, with more than 1,500 detailed photographs and artworks, and 900 updated species distribution maps. Names and species order have been revised to reflect the latest published taxonomy and common names have also been added, making this a must-have introduction to British microlepidoptera.

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For Kurt Jackson (b.1961), Painting the sea could become an obsession, an entire oeuvre in its own right, an endless life absorbing task. And, as this book attests, Jackson s dedication to capturing its constant shape shifting stillness to thundering force, shallows to mysterious depths have brought forth paintings that communicate the sea’s ebb and flow, its magic and elusiveness.

Kurt Jackson’s Sea captures the beauty of the artist’s constantly evolving relationship with one of nature’s most challenging subjects. Two hundred colour images complement Jackson’s reflections on his interactions with inspirational coastal landscapes – largely experienced in his native Cornwall, but stretching way beyond the county too. 

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Birds of Central Asia is the first field guide to include the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, along with neighbouring Afghanistan. This vast area includes a diverse variety of habitats, and the avifauna is similarly broad, from sandgrouse, ground jays and larks on the vast steppe and semi-desert to a broad range of raptors, and from woodland species such as warblers and nuthatches to a suite of montane species, such as snowcocks, accentors and snowfinches.

This book includes 141 high-quality plates covering every species (and all distinctive races) that occur in the region, along with concise text focusing on identification and accurate colour maps. Important introductory sections introduce the land and its birds. Birds of Central Asia is a must-read for any birder or traveller visting this remote region.

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Honey Bee Pests and Diseases provides up-to-date information on the management of honey bee diseases found globally, not just in the U.S., Europe, or Australia. Of particular interest are the explanations of how pathogens affect honey bees. This facet of diseases is usually left out of honey bee disease books.

Written in an easy to understand way, and richly illustrated with photographs and diagrams, chapters cover integrated pest management (IPM), epidemiology, viruses, brood diseases, mites, parasites, as well as other problems a colony might face.

The book is largely based on the Ph.D. research of Dr. Robert Owen, who studied the effect of bee diseases in Australia and overseas with particular reference to Varroa. Both Prof. Jean-Pierre Scheerlinck and Prof. Mark Stevenson have extensive and well-recognized experience in honey bee research.

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This practical book helps you interpret and connect the physical signals that horses display in response to their environment. These signals are evident in the everyday actions, gestures and attitudes that horses communicate to each other, but are often so subtle that they can go unnoticed by humans. This book aims to rectify that, offering horse lovers and equine professionals an opportunity to gain a unique insight into their ‘horse’s world’.

Key features:

• includes detailed description of language signs of domestic horses, with a special emphasis on calming signals
• includes 275 pictures to visualize various language signs, calming signals, behaviour sequences and facial features
• presents communication ladders to show how a horse responds to incentives in his environment, and what signals he uses at certain moments
• contains tips on the use of the communication ladders and calming signals to improve the socialisation, training and wellbeing of your horse
• considers equine psychological stress from an environmental perspective, providing a valuable alternative to the current common clinical perspective.

After reading this book you will be more astute in spotting calming signals, displacement activities, stress signals and distance-increasing signals, and better able to see which stimuli your horse can handle and which he cannot. This means you will know what to do to calm your horse before his stress rises to an unmanageable level. Language Signs and Calming Signals of Horses is both fascinating and important reading for any equine veterinary practitioner, student or nurse, as well as horse owners and trainers.

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The knee-bone’s connected to the…what was it again?

From complicated Latin names to what can seem like a million-and-one things to memorize, no one’s saying anatomy and physiology is easy. But, with a little help from your friends at Dummies, it doesn’t have to be impossible!

Anatomy & Physiology All-in-One For Dummies is your go-to guide for developing a deep understanding of the parts of the human body and how it works. You’ll learn the body’s structures and discover how they function with expert help from the book’s easy-to-use teaching features. You can even go online to access interactive chapter quizzes to help you absorb the material.

With this book, you’ll:

• Get a grip on key concepts and scientific terminology used to describe the human body
• Discover fun physiology facts you can apply to everyday life both inside and outside the classroom
• Learn how the body’s different systems interact with one another

So, if you’re looking to ace that next test, improve your overall grade, reduce test anxiety, or just increase your confidence in the subject, grab a copy of Anatomy & Physiology All-in-One For Dummies. It’s your one-stop, comprehensive resource for all things A&P!

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Dive into this uniquely elegant visual exploration of the sea

An informative and utterly beautiful introduction to marine life and the ocean environment, The Science of the Ocean book brings the riches of the underwater world onto the printed page.

Astounding photography reveals an abundance of life, from microscopic plankton to great whales, seaweed to starfish. Published in association with the Natural History Museum, the book explores every corner of the oceans, from coral reefs and mangrove swamps to deep ocean trenches.

Along the way, and with the help of clear, simple illustrations, it explains how life has adapted to the marine environment, revealing for example how a stonefish delivers its lethal venom and how a sponge sustains itself by sifting food from passing currents. It also examines the physical forces and processes that shape the oceans, from global circulation systems and tides to undersea volcanoes and tsunamis.

To most of us, the marine world is out of reach. But with the help of photography and the latest technology, The Science of the Ocean brings us up close to animals, plants, and other living things that inhabit a fantastic and almost incomprehensibly beautiful other dimension.

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During the Mesozoic era, 252 to 66 million years ago, dinosaurs ruled the land, but the ocean deeps were roiling with equally spectacular reptiles—including giant predators. This richly illustrated, authoritative, and accessible book introduces readers to the world of these fascinating marine animals, whose predecessors returned to the seas a few million years after the first vertebrates emerged from the water. As we meet ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, mosasaurs, and many others, we learn about the astonishing anatomical, physiological, and behavioral adaptations that enabled these reptiles to become ocean dwellers again. We also learn about their living descendants, including sea turtles and sea snakes. Featuring stunning artwork depicting these prehistoric ocean creatures and photographs of their fossil remains, this book invites readers to discover the enthralling past of marine reptiles in all their extraordinary diversity.

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Hokusai’s series depicting Mount Fuji is widely considered to be the pinnacle of his career. This beautiful boxed accordion-fold edition comprises the full set of forty-six prints (the original thirty-six and ten more that were completed later) and features a luxurious silken binding along with a separate explanatory booklet. The book and booklet are packaged in an elegant slipcase. Devoted entirely to landscapes, Hokusai’s series shows Mount Fuji from various viewpoints, framed in different ways. An indefatigable traveler who was passionate about nature, Hokusai explored every vantage point and season at the volcano. He presented it both as a solitary and majestic snow-capped peak and as a smaller object on a distant horizon. Hokusai also portrayed the mountain as an element in Japanese daily life and as an imposing force of nature that can be peaceful and beneficent, or ferocious and unforgiving. These impeccably reproduced prints invite readers to examine Hokusai’s virtuosic use of colour and composition, his talent for contrasting perspectives, and his interest in the dueling roles of man and nature. An exquisite objet d’art, this volume is the perfect vehicle for appreciating Hokusai’s crowning achievement in all its lasting and subtle beauty.

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YouTube is the world’s most-visited video sharing site. It is home to over 100 million videos and contains a host of amazing clips, many documenting incredible feats of human endeavour and endurance. YouTube World Records is the first glorious interactive celebration of these heroic and often jaw-dropping efforts.

Super-powered with on-the-page links to over 250 amazing videos, YouTube World Records showcases the greatest feats ever recorded on the file-sharing website. From the tallest and smallest to the greatest and maddest, YouTube World Records has it covered. This unique collection contains a host of amazing feats, stunts and tricks – including pancake tossing and fiery-hot pepper eating, mega-quick drumming and unbelievable basketball slam-dunks. This is the ultimate celebration of the world’s greatest records.

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Next Generation Safety Leadership illustrates practical applications that bring theory to life through case studies and stories from the author’s years of experience in high-risk industries. The book provides safety leaders and their organisations with a compelling case for change. A key predictor of safety performance is trust, and its associated components of integrity, ability and benevolence (care). The next generation of safety leaders will take the profession forward by creating trust and psychological safety. The book provides safety leaders with actionable goals to enable positive change and translates academic languages into practical applications. It leaves the reader with a clear strategy to move forward in developing a safety plan and utilizes stories, humor, and case studies set in high-risk industries. Written primarily for the safety community and can be used to influence day to day safety operations in high-risk organisations.

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The new compact hardback edition of the bestselling Mark Hearld’s Work Book, the first collection of the artist’s beguiling art. Mark Hearld finds his inspiration in the flora and fauna of the British countryside: a blue-eyed jay perched on an oak branch; two hares enjoying the spoils of an allotment; a mute swan standing at the frozen water’s edge; and a sleek red fox prowling the fields. Hearld admires such twentieth-century artists as Edward Bawden, John Piper, Eric Ravilious and Enid Marx, and, like them, he chooses to work in a range of media – paint, print, collage, textiles and ceramics. The works are grouped into nature-related themes introduced by Hearld, who narrates the story behind some of his creations and discusses his influences. He explains his particular love of collage, which he favours for its graphic quality and potential for strong composition. Art historian Simon Martin contributes an essay on Hearld’s place in the English popular-art tradition, and also meets Hearld in his museum-like home to explore the artist’s passion for collecting objects, his working methods and his startling ability to view the wonders of the natural world as if through a child’s eyes.

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The up-to-date text covers the identification, voice, habitat, behaviour and range of all the 1270 species and distinctive subspecies of this magnificent bird-rich region. The authoritative text is accompanied by over 140 full-colour plates painted by a range of expert artists and covering major plumage variations.

Birds of South-East Asia is a complete field and reference guide to the birds of Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. It also covers a wide range of species found in the Indian subcontinent, China, Taiwan, Sumatra, Java, Bali, Borneo and the Philippines.

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In a beautiful celebration of the natural world, Ernst Haeckel’s Art Forms in Nature is a masterful union of science and art. This volume is comprised of 100 illustrated plates, featuring stunning watercolour paintings and pencil sketches.

First published in 1904, under the German title Kunstformen der Natur, this unique collection of plates holds a lasting influence in both the art and science worlds. Ernst Haeckel’s detailed illustrations serve as a visual encyclopaedia for his pioneering research and anatomical discoveries. Working in both pencil and watercolour paint, he preserved the complex forms, patterns, and structures of the organisms he discovered. Featuring intricate depictions of various land and sea life, this volume serves a scientific purpose while boasting exceptional aesthetic beauty.

As a proud addition to the Art Meets Science collection, Read & Co. Books has faithfully reproduced Haeckel’s innovative work. Taking care to conserve the original detail, shapes, and colours as they were printed on initial publication, this beautiful volume recaptures the magic of Art Forms in Nature for a new generation to enjoy.

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The heartwarming, inspiring final chapter in the life of Max the Miracle dog

A dog can be more than just a best friend.

Sometimes they can be our hero.

Shortly after a traumatic car accident, Kerry Irving met Max, a Springer Spaniel who completely changed his life. But Max didn’t stop there. For over ten years, he was a source of inspiration to countless others around the world, with hundreds of thousands of pounds being raised in his name. His was truly a life well lived.

Forever Max sees Kerry and his trusted companion take on their final adventures around the Lake District, from providing joy to those stuck inside through lockdown to adjusting to Max’s twilight years – helped along every step of the way by fellow spaniels Paddy and Harry.

Following on from the bestseller Max the Miracle Dog, this touching tribute celebrates a much-loved, much-missed dog and his incredible legacy.

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This beautifully illustrated bingo game features 64 species of birds from around the world. Spot all kinds of birds – from the robin to the puffin and the kookaburra to the splendid fairywren – mark them off on your card and bingo! Bird Bingo brings a fun and educational twist to the traditional game as players learn the names and colourings of both their favourite species and weird and wonderful exotic birds. Contains 64 superbly illustrated bird tokens, one board, 12 bingo cards and brightly coloured counters for you to mark up your card, as well as a leaflet containing basic information and a few quirky traits for all of the birds featured.

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