ECOSYSTEMS BIODIVERSITY Edited by Oscar Grillo and Gianfranco Venora Ecosystems Biodiversity Edited by Oscar Grillo and Gianfranco Venora Published by InTech Janeza Trdine 9, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia Copyright © 2011 InTech All chapters are Open Access distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license, which allows users to download, copy and build upon published articles even for commercial purposes, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. After this work has been published by InTech, authors have the right to republish it, in whole or part, in any publication of which they are the author, and to make other personal use of the work. Any republication, referencing or personal use of the work must explicitly identify the original source. As for readers, this license allows users to download, copy and build upon published chapters even for commercial purposes, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. Notice Statements and opinions expressed in the chapters are these of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of information contained in the published chapters. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any damage or injury to persons or property arising out of the use of any materials, instructions, methods or ideas contained in the book. Publishing Process Manager Dragana Manestar Technical Editor Teodora Smiljanic Cover Designer InTech Design Team Image Copyright Yellowj, 2010. Used under license from Shutterstock.com First published December, 2011 Printed in Croatia A free online edition of this book is available at www.intechopen.com Additional hard copies can be obtained from [email protected] Ecosystems Biodiversity, Edited by Oscar Grillo and Gianfranco Venora p. cm. ISBN 978-953-307-417-7 free online editions of InTech Books and Journals can be found at www.intechopen.com Contents Preface IX Chapter 1 Biodiversity and Conservation of Coastal Lagoons 1 Josefina Garrido, Amaia Pérez-Bilbao and Cesar João Benetti Chapter 2 Biodiversity of Coastal Lagoon Ecosystems and Their Vulnerability to Global Change 29 Rutger de Wit Chapter 3 Distribution, Endemism and Conservation Status of Fishes in the Yangtze River Basin, China 41 Shaowen Ye, Zhongjie Li, Jiashou Liu, Tanglin Zhang and Songguang Xie Chapter 4 Biodiversity and Conservation of the Estuarine and Marine Ecosystems of the Venezuelan Orinoco Delta 67 Patricia Miloslavich, Alberto Martín, Eduardo Klein, Yusbelly Díaz, Carlos A. Lasso, Juan José Cárdenas and Oscar M. Lasso-Alcalá Chapter 5 Integrating Different Organizational Levels in Benthic Biodiversity – Ecosystem Functioning (BEF) Studies 91 Ruth Gingold, Axayácatl Rocha Olivares, Tom Moens and Cédric Hubas Chapter 6 Microbiological Quality of River Sediments and Primary Prevention 117 Stefania Marcheggiani and Laura Mancini Chapter 7 Biodiversity of Macroinvertebrates in Oxbow-Lakes of Early Glacial River Basins in Northern Poland 139 Krystian Obolewski Chapter 8 Mnemiopsis leidyi Invasion and Biodiversity Changes in the Caspian Sea 171 Aboulghasem Roohi and Ameneh Sajjadi VI Contents Chapter 9 Main Ecosystem Characteristics and Distribution of Wetlands in Boreal and Alpine Landscapes in Northern Sweden Under Climate Change 193 J. Jeglum, S. Sandring, P. Christensen, A. Glimskär, A. Allard, L. Nilsson and J. Svensson Chapter 10 Valley Bottom Wetlands Can Serve for Both Biodiversity Conservation and Local Livelihoods Improvements 219 Pantaleo K.T. Munishi, Nice N. Wilfred, James S. Nshare, Stein R. Moe, Deo D. Shirima and Halima H. Kilungu Chapter 11 Ecological Studies of Wetland Ecosystem in Manipur Valley from Management Perspectives 233 S.C. Rai and Adon Raleng Chapter 12 Impact of Domestic Animals on Ecosystem Integrity of Lesotho High Altitude Peatlands 249 P.J. Du Preez and L.R. Brown Chapter 13 Waterbird Biodiversity and Conservation Threats in Coastal Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands 271 Juan José Alava and Ben Haase Chapter 14 Biodiversity Drifts in Agricultural Landscapes 315 Olga Ameixa and Pavel Kindlmann Chapter 15 Environmental Evaluation and Monitoring of Agro-Ecosystems Biodiversity 333 Fabio Taffetani, Michele Rismondo and Andrea Lancioni Chapter 16 Why Enhancement of Floral Resources in Agro-Ecosystems Benefit Honeybees and Beekeepers? 371 Decourtye Axel, Alaux Cédric, Odoux Jean-François, Henry Mickaël, Vaissière Bernard E. and Le Conte Yves Chapter 17 Biodiversity and Vegetable Breeding in the Light of Developments in Intellectual Property Rights 389 João Silva Dias Chapter 18 How Past Vicariant Events Can Explain the Atlantic Forest Biodiversity? 429 Gisele Pires Mendonça Dantas, Gustavo Sebastián Cabanne and Fabrício Rodrigues Santos Chapter 19 SPAR Profiles for the Assessment of Genetic Diversity Between Male and Female Landraces of the Dioecious Betelvine Plant (Piper betle L.) 443 Shirish A. Ranade, Anjali Soni and Nikhil Kumar Preface The biosphere is an intricate net of carefully mixed life forms. Complex interactions of many macro and microscopic species of plants and animals, together with the rich arrays of symbiotic fungi and lichens, are the base of every ecosystem, from forests to coral reefs and freshwater to soils. All ecosystems are not only sources of rich biodiversity, but also extremely productive areas, offering a lot of benefits to mankind. A recent survey results showed that wetlands bring an estimated profit of trillions of dollars to mankind every year. Ecosystems, such as sea-grasses, tidal marshes and tropical forests are exceptionally important in removing CO2 from the atmosphere, maintaining the water quality, and much more. Consequently, their progressive decline may accelerate the climate change, influencing flora and fauna composition and distribution and resulting in the loss of productivity. Many ecological studies, environmental evaluations and monitoring have been conducted in the last decades, highlighting the current condition in which our planet is and focusing on future perspectives, and for this reason a lot of management strategies have been developed to try to solve the conservation problems. Ecosystems Biodiversity presents comprehensive overviews and original studies focused on biological diversity and conservation of various ecosystems. This volume contains 19 chapters written by international experts, presenting thorough research results and critical reviews of the most relevant aspects and most ecologically interesting areas of the Earth. The book includes topics like preservation studies, hazards and conservation management, assessment of environmental variables affecting species diversity, richness and distribution; and also some consideration of the agro- ecosystems biodiversity and it's effects on the quality of human lifestyle. Oscar Grillo Stazione Sperimentale di Granicoltura per la Sicilia Caltagirone Biodiversity Conservation Centre, University of Cagliari, Italy Gianfranco Venora Stazione Sperimentale di Granicoltura per la Sicilia, Caltagirone Italy