"The combination of natural habitat loss and the introduction of invasive exotic animal and plant species is creating environmental chaos. Because of the magnitude of the problem and the urgent need for action, the Indiana Academy of Science (IAS) organized this symposium. The conference dealt with both aquatic and terrestrial systems, with specific focus on causes, control measures, management practices, ecologic and economic consequences, and policy." "The Academy was founded in 1885 and deals with both biological and physical science. The IAS is dedicated to promote scientific research and the diffusion of scientific information; to encourage communication and cooperation among scientists; to improve education while stimulating interest in the sciences. It does so by offering research grants, sponsoring education activities and organizations, publishing a journal and books, and presenting special topic conferences."--BOOK JACKET.

Amongst the areas covered in this text are: principles and perspectives on the environment and pollution; treatment technologies; organic pollutants; nitrate and phosphate pollution; sulphur and nitrogen oxides; and metal and radionuclide pollutants.

Most existing agricultural lands have been in production for sufficiently long periods that C inputs and outputs are nearly balanced and they are neither a major source nor sink of atmospheric C. As population increases, food requirements and the need for more crop land increase accordingly. An annual conversion of previously uncultivated lands up to 1.5 x 10⁷ hectares may be expected. It is this new agricultural land which suffers the greatest losses of C during and subsequent to its conversion. The primary focus for analysis of future C fluxes in agroecosystems needs to be on current changes in land use and management as well as on direct effects of CO2 and climate change. A valid assessment of C pools and fluxes in agroecosystems requires a global soils data base and comprehensive information on land use and management practices. A comprehensive effort to assemble and analyze this information is urgently needed.