Environmental Biology For Engineers And Scientists

ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY
FOR ENGINEERS AND
SCIENTISTS

ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY
FOR ENGINEERS AND
SCIENTISTS

DAVID A. VACCARI
Stevens Institute of Technology

PETER F. STROM
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

JAMES E. ALLEMAN
Iowa State University

A JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC., PUBLICATION

Copyright # 2006 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Vaccari, David A., 1953–
Environmental biology for engineers and scientists / David A.
Vaccari, Peter F. Strom, James E. Alleman.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13 978-0-471-72239-7 (cloth : alk.paper)
ISBN-10 0-471-72239-1 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Biology–Textbooks. I. Strom, Peter F. II. Alleman, James E.
III. Title.
QH308.2.V33 2005
570–dc22
2005008313
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

At the conclusion of this project, my feelings are well expressed by the last lines of
Huckleberry Finn:
. . . and so there ain’t nothing more to write about, and Iam rotten glad of it,
because if I’d ‘a’ knowed what a trouble it was to make a book I wouldn’t ‘a’
tackled it, and I ain’t a-going to no more.
Dedicated to Liana and Carlo
D.A.V.

During the course of working on this book, and despite all the hours wrapped into its
effort, my family learned a lot about the vital essence of life and the gifts we’ve all been
given to share and treasure.Dedicated to Carol, Amy, Matthew, Alison, Paul, and Elizabeth
J.E.A.

Dedicated to the environment, and to all those, past, present, and future, who make it
worth caring about, especially to Daryl, Russell, Sue, Jean, and Arthur.
P.F.S.

CONTENTS

Preface

xix

1 Perspectives on Biology

1

1.1 Why Environmental Engineers and Scientists Should Study Biology, 1
1.2 Present...