A Guide to Plants of the Northern Chihuahuan Desert


Book Description

Plants are arranged in five sections: Trees and Shrubs, Succulents, Cacti, Wildflowers (further grouped by flower color), and Nonflowering Plants. Each plant profile is illustrated with a drawing by botanist Robert DeWitt Ivey and a photograph by the author.







Proceedings, Shrubland Ecosystem Dynamics in a Changing Environment


Book Description

This proceedings contains 50 papers including an overview of shrubland ecosystem dynamics in a changing environment and several papers each on vegetation dynamics, management concerns and options, and plant ecophysiology as well as an account of a Jornada Basin field trip. Contributions emphasize the impact of changing environmental conditions on vegetative composition especially in the Jornada Basin and Chihuahuan Desert but also in other parts of western North America and the world.




Masters Theses in the Pure and Applied Sciences


Book Description

Masters Theses in the Pure and Applied Sciences was first conceived, published, and disseminated by the Center for Information and Numerical Data Analysis and Synthesis (CINDAS) * at Purdue University in 1 957, starting its coverage of theses with the academic year 1955. Beginning with Volume 13, the printing and dissemination phases of the activity were transferred to University Microfilms/Xerox of Ann Arbor, Michigan, with the thought that such an arrangement would be more beneficial to the academic and general scientific and technical community. After five years of this joint undertaking we had concluded that it was in the interest of all con cerned if the printing and distribution of the volumes were handled by an interna tional publishing house to assure improved service and broader dissemination. Hence, starting with Volume 18, Masters Theses in the Pure and Applied Sciences has been disseminated on a worldwide basis by Plenum Publishing Cor poration of New York, and in the same year the coverage was broadened to include Canadian universities. All back issues can also be ordered from Plenum. We have reported in Volume 36 (thesis year 1991) a total of 11,024 thesis titles from 23 Canadian and 161 United States universities. We are sure that this broader base for these titles reported will greatly enhance the value of this important annual reference work. While Volume 36 reports theses submitted in 1991, on occasion, certain univer sities do report theses submitted in previous years but not reported at the time.










Northern Chihuahuan Desert Wildflowers


Book Description

"Northern Chihuahuan Desert Wildflowers" is the ultimate field guide to the flora of the Chihuahuan Desert in southern New Mexico and West Texas. This valuable reference enables all desert enthusiasts to identify quickly and accurately hundreds of Chihuahuan Desert plants. The easy-to-use guide features: More than 270 color photographs; precise descriptions of 261 species; habitat/range information; historical and cultural notes; an educational glossary; a complete index of scientific and common names; descriptions of national parks of the region. Author Steve West has spent more than 30 years studying the flora and fauna of this fascinating part of the country and has skillfully woven his own observations with those of distinguished botanists and fellow naturalists. The clear and concise plant descriptions and detailed color photos make this a great field guide for the layman as well as the botanist. More than a simple field guide, "Northern Chihuahuan Desert Wildflowers" is an invitation to discover this ecologically spectacular habitat. If Carlsbad Caverns, Big Bend, and Guadalupe Mountains are on your itinerary, be sure to take this indispensable guide along.




Shrubs and Trees of the Southwest Deserts


Book Description

A guide to the shrubs and trees of this region. Arranged by blossom color with informative drawings.




Physiological Ecology of North American Plant Communities


Book Description

Although, as W.D. Billings notes in his chapter in this book. the development of physiological ecology can be traced back to the very beginnings of the study of ecology it is clear that the modern development of this field in North America is due in the large part to the efforts of Billings alone. The foundation that Billings laid in the late 1950s came from his own studies on deserts and subsequently arctic and alpine plants, and also from his enormous success in instilling enthusiasm for the field in the numerous students attracted to the plant ecology program at Duke University. Billings' own studies provided the model for subsequent work in this field. Physiological techniques. normally confined to the laboratory. were brought into the field to examine processes under natural environmental conditions. These field studies were accompanied by experiments under controlled conditions where the relative impact of various factors could be assessed and further where genetic as opposed to environmental influences could be separated. This blending of field and laboratory approaches promoted the design of experiments which were of direct relevance to understanding the distribution and abundance of plants in nature. Physiological mechanisms were studied and assessed in the context of the functioning of plants under natural conditions rather than as an end in itself.