Ebook: European Bison: The Nature Monograph

The mighty and majestic European bison is the relictual embodiment of the wildness of prehistoric Europe. Tragically, the millennia since that time have seen so many species driven to extinction by human impacts, and the European bison has only narrowly avoided the same fate. Today, the species represents the symbolic sentinel of successful conservation actions in a world in which such achievements remain few and far between.

From an early stage in the restitution of the European bison, husband-and-wife team Małgorzata Krasińska and Zbigniew A. Krasiński have been participating in relevant management initiatives and researching all facets of the bison, from its morphology and diet, to its movements, social life and reproduction, and the conservation management actions that have been taken to save it. Now they have summarised this wealth of knowledge on the species, giving rise to a publication ideal for students, professional biologists and conservationists, but also for all nature enthusiasts.

This new edition of the monograph offers extensively updated content taking into account research carried out on the European bison in the last few years. Also featured, a new chapter devoted to knowledge of the genetics of the species drawn up by Małgorzata Tokarska of the Białowieża-based Mammal Research Institute PAS.

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The mighty and majestic European bison is the relictual embodiment of the wildness of prehistoric Europe. Tragically, the millennia since that time have seen so many species driven to extinction by human impacts, and the European bison has only narrowly avoided the same fate. Today, the species represents the symbolic sentinel of successful conservation actions in a world in which such achievements remain few and far between.

From an early stage in the restitution of the European bison, husband-and-wife team Malgorzata Krasinska and Zbigniew A. Krasinski have been participating in relevant management initiatives and researching all facets of the bison, from its morphology and diet, to its movements, social life and reproduction, and the conservation management actions that have been taken to save it. Now they have summarised this wealth of knowledge on the species, giving rise to a publication ideal for students, professional biologists and conservationists, but also for all nature enthusiasts.

This new edition of the monograph offers extensively updated content taking into account research carried out on the European bison in the last few years. Also featured, a new chapter devoted to knowledge of the genetics of the species drawn up by Malgorzata Tokarska of the Bialowieza-based Mammal Research Institute PAS.

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The mighty and majestic European bison is the relictual embodiment of the wildness of prehistoric Europe. Tragically, the millennia since that time have seen so many species driven to extinction by human impacts, and the European bison has only narrowly avoided the same fate. Today, the species represents the symbolic sentinel of successful conservation actions in a world in which such achievements remain few and far between.

From an early stage in the restitution of the European bison, husband-and-wife team Malgorzata Krasinska and Zbigniew A. Krasinski have been participating in relevant management initiatives and researching all facets of the bison, from its morphology and diet, to its movements, social life and reproduction, and the conservation management actions that have been taken to save it. Now they have summarised this wealth of knowledge on the species, giving rise to a publication ideal for students, professional biologists and conservationists, but also for all nature enthusiasts.

This new edition of the monograph offers extensively updated content taking into account research carried out on the European bison in the last few years. Also featured, a new chapter devoted to knowledge of the genetics of the species drawn up by Malgorzata Tokarska of the Bialowieza-based Mammal Research Institute PAS.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xv
Introduction....Pages 1-4
Systematics, Registration and Nomenclature....Pages 5-19
Morphology and Longevity....Pages 21-34
Aspects of the Genetics of European Bison....Pages 35-40
The Original Range of the Species Bison bonasus (L.)....Pages 41-43
The European Bison and the Aurochs on Polish Territory....Pages 45-49
The Natural Population of Lowland European Bison in the Bialowieza Forest....Pages 51-66
The Restitution of the European Bison in Enclosures Within the Bialowieza Forest....Pages 67-80
European Bison in the Bialowieza Forest: A Characterisation of the Environment....Pages 81-87
The Restitution of a Free-Ranging Bison Population in the Bialowieza Forest....Pages 89-109
The Rhythm to Bison Activity....Pages 111-117
Reproduction....Pages 119-139
Behaviour Patterns....Pages 141-156
Food and Use of the Environment....Pages 157-179
Social Organisation of the Population....Pages 181-198
The Spatial Structure of Populations....Pages 199-215
Population Management....Pages 217-240
Bison as Protected Animals....Pages 241-247
Co-operation Over the Restitution of the European Bison in the Bialowieza Forest....Pages 249-268
The Restitution of Bison in Captive Breeding in Poland....Pages 269-271
Restitution of Free-Ranging Populations Around the World....Pages 273-275
Hybrids Between the European Bison and Domestic Cattle....Pages 277-287
The American Bison as a Close Relative of the European Bison....Pages 289-322
Back Matter....Pages 323-325
....Pages 327-331