Contents

#### **Preface XI**

Chapter 1 **Prioritising Land-Use Decisions for the Optimal Delivery of Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity Protection in Productive Landscapes 1** Emily S. Weeks, Norm Mason, Anne-Gaelle E. Ausseil and Alexander Herzig


Chapter 6 **Evolution, Biodiversity and Ecology in Microbial Communities: Mathematical Modeling and Simulation with the "Haploid Evolutionary Constructor" Software Tool 111** Sergey A. Lashin, Yury G. Matushkin, Alexandra I. Klimenko, Valentin V. Suslov and Nikolay A. Kolchanov

Chapter 7 **Diversity and Abundance of Fish Larvae Drifting in the Madeira River, Amazon Basin: Sampling Methods Comparison 137** R. Barthem, M.C. da Costa, F. Cassemiro, R.G. Leite and N. Silva Jr.

Chapter 8 **Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and their Value for Ecosystem Management 159**

Andrea Berruti, Roberto Borriello, Alberto Orgiazzi, Antonio C. Barbera, Erica Lumini and Valeria Bianciotto

Preface

ductivity and human lifestyle quality.

Since the first unicellular organisms came to life on our planet, they evolved to colonize ever more hos‐ tile territories, developing, for this purpose, special adaptation features. During the whole evolutionary process of the Earth, these capabilities have enabled them to respond to environmental changes that

Since the first unicellular organisms came to life on our planet, they evolved to colonize ever more hos‐ tile territories, developing, for this purpose, special adaptation features. During the whole evolutionary process of the Earth, these capabilities have enabled them to respond to environmental changes that

Since the first unicellular organisms came to life on our planet, they evolved to colonize ever more hos‐ tile territories, developing, for this purpose, special adaptation features. During the whole evolutionary process of the Earth, these capabilities have enabled them to respond to environmental changes that

In fact, the complex interactions of macro and microscopic species of plants and animals, together with the rich arrays of symbiotic fungi and lichens that are at the basis of every ecosystem, indiscriminately suffer the effects of these changes. The ecosystems are not only basin of very high biodiversity, they are extremely productive areas, providing a lot of benefits to mankind, removing CO2 from the atmosphere, maintaining the water quality and much more. Consequently, their progressive decline may accelerate climate change, influencing flora and fauna composition and distribution, also resulting in loss of pro‐

Many ecological studies, environmental evaluations and monitoring, as well as new models and meth‐ ods to assess and preserve the richness of life forms on Earth have been conducted in the last decades,

*Biodiversity - The Dynamic Balance of the Planet* presents comprehensive overviews and original studies focused on biological diversity and conservation of various ecosystems. This volume contains 14 chap‐ ters written by international experts, presenting thorough research results and critical reviews of the most relevant aspects and most ecologically interesting areas of the Earth. Topics of the book are ecolog‐ ical and ecosystem functioning studies, hazards and conservation management, assessment of environ‐

**Oscar Grillo**

Italy

Italy

Stazione Sperimentale di Granicoltura per la Sicilia

Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente

Centro Conservazione Biodiversità

Università degli Studi di Cagliari

mental variables affecting species diversity, also considering species richness and distribution.

continuously follow each other and that are at the bottom of the current biodiversity.

continuously follow each other and that are at the bottom of the current biodiversity.

continuously follow each other and that are at the bottom of the current biodiversity.

highlighting the current condition in which our planet is, and the future perspectives.

Chapter 9 **An Overview of the Yeast Biodiversity in the Galápagos Islands and Other Ecuadorian Regions 193**

Enrique Javier Carvajal Barriga, Patricia Portero Barahona, Carolina Tufiño, Bernardo Bastidas, Cristina Guamán-Burneo, Larissa Freitas and Carlos Rosa

