Terrestrial Vegetation of California, 3rd Edition


Book Description

"This completely new edition of Terrestrial Vegetation of California clearly documents the extraordinary complexity and richness of the plant communities and of the state and the forces that shape them. This volume is a storehouse of information of value to anyone concerned with meeting the challenge of understanding, managing or conserving these unique plant communities under the growing threats of climate change, biological invasions and development."—Harold Mooney, Professor of Environmental Biology, Stanford University "The plants of California are under threat like never before. Traditional pressures of development and invasive species have been joined by a newly-recognized threat: human-caused climate change. It is essential that we thoroughly understand current plant community dynamics in order to have a hope of conserving them. This book represents an important, well-timed advance in knowledge of the vegetation of this diverse state and is an essential resource for professionals, students, and the general public alike."—Brent Mishler, Director of the University & Jepson Herbaria and Professor of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley







North American Terrestrial Vegetation


Book Description

This second edition provides extensively expanded coverage of North American vegetation from arctic tundra to tropical forests.




Comparative Plant Succession Among Terrestrial Biomes of the World


Book Description

Provides a comparative approach to plant succession among all terrestrial biomes and disturbances, helping to reveal generalizable patterns.







Terrestrial Plant Ecology


Book Description

A textbook covering the entire field, blending classical topics with the results of new research, summarizing yet presenting conflicting evidence and opinions, avoiding jargon when possible, and focusing on being a textbook rather than an exhaustive reference. First published in 1979 and again in 1987; here two new authors have been added to account for the broadening of the discipline. Some basic background in the biological sciences is assumed. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.




Measurements for Terrestrial Vegetation


Book Description

Measurements for Terrestrial Vegetation, 2nd Edition presents up-to-date methods for analyzing species frequency, plant cover, density and biomass data. Each method is presented in detail with a full discussion of its strengths and weaknesses from field applications through statistical characteristics of bias and use of the correct probability distribution to describe and analyze data. This practical book also covers the use of satellite imagery to obtain measurement data on cover, density and biomass. Field data collection includes current applications of statistical sampling and analysis designs that should be used to obtain and analyze these data. This new and thoroughly updated edition of a classic text will be essential reading for everyone involved in measuring and assessing vegetation and plant biomass, including researchers and practitioners in vegetation science, plant ecology, forestry, global change scientists and conservation scientists. Provides a comprehensive catalogue of sampling, surveying and measuring techniques in vegetation science Updated to include new technologies and developments in the field New coverage of prediction models for large areas, including satellite mapping and remote sensing techniques Includes up-to-date applications of statistical sampling and analysis designs used to obtain and analyse data Reviews the strengths and weaknesses of each technique, allowing an informed choice of alternative approaches Clear diagrams to explain best-practice in methodology The companion website for this book can be found at www.wiley.com/go/bonham/measurements




Plant Life of a Desert Archipelago


Book Description

The desert islands of the Gulf of California are among the world's best-preserved archipelagos. The diverse and unique flora, from the cardón forests of Cholludo to the agave-dominated slopes of San Esteban remain much as they were centuries ago, when the Comcaac (Seri people) were the only human presence in the region. Almost 400 plant species exist here, with each island manifesting a unique composition of vegetation and flora. For thousands of years, climatic and biological forces have sculpted a set of unparalleled desert worlds. Plant Life of a Desert Archipelago is the first in-depth coverage of the plants on islands in the Gulf of California found in between the coasts of Baja California and Sonora. The work is the culmination of decades of study by botanist Richard Felger and recent investigations by Benjamin Wilder, in collaboration with Sr. Humberto Romero-Morales, one of the most knowledgeable Seris concerning the region's flora. Their collective effort weaves together careful and accurate botanical science with the rich cultural and stunning physical setting of this island realm. The researchers surveyed, collected, and studied thousands of plants—seen here in meticulous illustrations and stunning color photographs—providing the most precise species accounts of the islands ever made. To access remote parts of the islands the authors worked directly with the Comcaac, an indigenous community who have lived off marine and terrestrial life in this coastal desert region for centuries. Invaluable information regarding indigenous names and distributions are an intrinsic part of this work. The flora descriptions are extraordinarily detailed and painstakingly crafted for field biologists. Conservationists, students, and others who are interested in learning about the natural wealth of the Gulf of California, desert regions, or islands in general are sure to be captivated by this rich and fascinating volume.




Ecology of Plants


Book Description

This Work Studies In Detail The Various Plant-Communities And Analyses How Plants Or Plant-Communities Adjust Their Forms And Modes Of Behaviour To Different Actually Operating Factors, Such As The Amounts Of Available Water, Heat, Light, Nutriment Etc. After An Introduction To Ecological Plant-Geography And Ecological Botany, The External Factors Affecting The Plant S Economy And Their Impact Upon The Structure Of The Plant, Its Life Duration And The Topographical Distribution Of Species, Has Been Discussed In Section I Of The Volume. Further, The Various Plant-Communities Have Been Divided Into 13 Ecological Classes On The Basis Of Edaphic And Climatic Distinctions And Have Been Treated In General In Sections Ii And Iii, Followed By Their Specific Treatment In Sections Iv To Svi. Before Coming To A Close, The Book Has Another Useful Section That Deals With The Struggle Between Plant-Communities, An Extensive Bibliography And Also A Comprehensive Index That Makes References Hunting Easier. Already Translated Into Various Languages, This Pioneering Work On Ecological Plant-Geography Should Be A Great Attraction For Every Study And Scholar Of Botany. Contents Introduction: Floristic And Oecological Plant-Geography, Growth-Forms, Plant-Communities, Plan Of This Book; Section I: Oecological Factors And Their Action; Light, Heat, Atmospheric Humidity And Precipitations, Movements Of The Air, Nature Of The Nutrient Substratum, Structure Of The Soil, Air In The Soil, Water In The Soil, Temperature Of Soil, Depth Of The Soil, The Upper Layers Of The Soil And The Subsoil, Nutriment In Soil, Kinds Of Soil, Are The Chemical Or The Physical Characters Of Soil The More Important?, The Effect Of A Non-Living Covering Over Vegetation, Effect Of A Living Vegetable Covering On Soil, The Activity Of Animals And Plants In Soil, Exposure, Orographic And Other Factors; Section Ii: Communal Life Of Organisms; Reciprocal Relations Among Organisms, Interference By Man, Symbiosis Of Plants With Animals, Symbiosis Of Plants With One Another, Mutualism, Commensalism, Plant-Communities; Section Iii: Adaptations Of Aquatic And Terrestrial Plants Oecological Classification; Aquatic And Terrestrial Plants, Adaptations Of Water-Plants (Hydrophytes), Adaptations Of Land-Plants, Regulation Of Transpiration In Land-Plant, Absorption Of Water By Land-Plants, Storage Of Water By Land-Plants Water-Reservoirs, Other Structural Characters And Growth-Forms Of Land-Plants, And Especially Of Xerophytes, Oecological Classification, Physiognomy Of Vegetation, Formations Associations Varieties Of Associations; Section Iv: Hydrophytes Formations Of Aquatic Plants; Oecological Factors, Formations Of Aquatic Plants, Plankton-Formation, Cryoplankton, Vegetation Of Ice And Snow, Hydrocharid-Formation Of Pleuston, Lithophilous Benthos, Benthos Of Loose Soil; Section V: Helophytes Marsh-Plants; Adaptations Formations, Reed-Swamp Of Reed-Formation, Bush-Swamp And Forest-Swamp Of Fresh Water; Section Vi: Oxylophytes Formations On Sour (Acid) Soil; Xeromorphy Formations, Low-Moor Formation, Grass-Heath, Tussock Formation, High-Moor Formation, Moss-Tundra Or Moss-Heath, Lichen-Tundra Of Lichen-Heath, Dwarf-Shrub Heath, Bush And Forest On Acid Humus Soil; Section Vii: Halophytes Formations On Saline Soil; Introductory General Remarks On Halophytes, Adaptations Of Halophytes, Lothophilous Halophytes, Psammophilous Halophytes, Pelophilous Halophytes, Salt-Swamp And Salt-Desert, Littoral Swamp-Forest, Mangrove; Section Viii: Lithophytes, Formations On Rocks; Rocky Country, Lithophytes, Chasmophytes, Formations On Shingle And Rubble, Section Ix: Psychrophytes, Formations On Cold Soil; Climatic Conditions In Subglacial Fell-Fields, Adaptation Of Species In Subglacial Fell-Fields, Subglacial Fell-Field Formations; Section X: Psammophytes, Formations On Sand And Gravel; Oecological Factors, Formations, Shifting Or White, Sand Dunes, Stationary Or Grey, Sand-Dune, Sand-Fields, Dune-Heath, Dune-Bushland, Dune-Forest, Other Examples Of Psammophilous Vegetation; Section Xi: Eremophytes Formations On Desert And Steppe; Oecological Factors, Formations, Desert, Shrub-Steppe, Grass-Steppe, Sibljak; Section Xii: Chersophytes, Formations On Waste Land; Waste Herbage, Bushland On Dry Soil; Section Xiii: Psilophytes, Savannah-Formations; Savannah-Formations, Thorny Savannah, True Savannah, Savannah-Forest; Section Xiv: Sclerophyllous Formations, Bush And Forest; Sclerophyllous Vegetation And Formations, Garigue, Tomillares, Maqui: Sclerophyllous Scrub, Sclerophyllous Forest; Section Xv: Coinferous Formations, Forest; Evergreen Coniferae; Section Xvi: Mesophytes; Mesophytic Vegetation And Formations, Arctic And Alpine Mat-Grassland And Mat-Herbage, Meadow, Pasture On Cultivated Soil, Mesophytic Bushland, Deciduous Dicotylous Forest, Evergreen Dicotylous Forest; Section Xvii: Struggle Between Plant Communities; Conditions Of The Struggle, The Peopling Of New Soil, Changes In Vegetation Induced By Slow Changes In Soil Fully Occupied By Plants, Change Of Vegetation Without Change Of Climate Or Of Soil, The Weapons Of Species, Rare Species, Origin Of Species.




Aspects of Plant Life


Book Description