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Describes the major vegetation types of North America and their ecological basis, emphasizing such environmental factors as climate, soil, topography, and fire. Part 1 outlines the basics of vegetation science (such as composition, structure, function); Part II considers each type of vegetation in terms of the background material in Part I. Examines major plant communities and dominant species, emphasizing species adaption to show the interrelationship between vegetation and environment. Each vegetation chapter concludes with a section on human impact. Includes suggested readings and over 125 illustrations.
E. Lucy Braun, PhD, describes in detail the forest ecosystems of eastern North America. This classic reference is well-illustrated with maps and tables. A must for those seeking a deeper understanding of the botanical evolution of this region.
To be published in 14 volumes over the next 12 years, this long-awaited synoptic compendium represents the first and only comprehensive taxonomic guide to the extraordinary diversity of plant life blanketing our continent north of Mexico--including Greenland and the St. Pierre and Miquelon islands. The collaborative effort of more than 30 major U.S. and Canadian botanical institutions, it revises and synthesizes literally thousands of floristic monographs and regional floras published over the last three centuries. But more than that, it distills the original herbarium, laboratory, and field work of hundreds of contributors--all of them leading botanists and taxonomic authorities who have joined forces to develop this century's premier tool for identifying, understanding, and conserving North America's priceless floristic heritage. Concise, easy to use, and beautifully bound and illustrated, Flora of North America is an indispensable working resource for botanists, conservationists, ecologists, agronomists, foresters, range and land managers, horticulturists,--anyone with a serious interest in the distribution, habitat, morphology, and survival of the wide-ranging plant life around us. Each of its taxonomic volumes brings together the full spectrum of critical botanical data, from basic descriptions to chromosome numbers. The entries also correct erroneous information, qualify misapplied variant names, and note known hybridizations. Findings derived from recent experimental work and from numerical taxonomy are incorporated, and to assure accuracy, these data have been extensively reviewed and tested by cooperating taxonomic specialists. Volume 1 consists of a series of introductory essays by nearly two dozen noted botanical authorities. Among the topics covered are the transformation of North American plant life since the end of the Mesozoic era some 70 million years ago; the influence of geographic, climatic, and soil factors; the impact of human cultivation; great naturalists and their contributions to botany and floristics since the age of Columbus; and approaches to plant classification, with particular attention to the evolutionarily unique pteridophytes and gymnosperms that are covered in Volume 2.
This volume represents a first attempt at holistically classifying and mapping ecological regions across all three countries of the North American continent. A common analytical methodology is used to examine North American ecology at multiple scales, from large continental ecosystems to subdivisions of these that correlate more detailed physical and biological settings with human activities on two levels of successively smaller units. The volume begins with an overview of North America from an ecological perspective, concepts of ecological regionalization. This is followed by descriptions of the 15 broad ecological regions, including information on physical and biological setting and human activities. The final section presents case studies in applications of the ecological characterization methodology to environmental issues. The appendix includes a list of common and scientific names of selected species characteristic of the ecological regions.
This second edition provides extensively expanded coverage of North American vegetation from arctic tundra to tropical forests.
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.
A coherent, readable summary of the technical information available on savannas, barrens and rock outcrop plant communities.
A collection of articles on the ecology of North American desert springs, by authors from the fields of biology, botany, ichthyology, conservation, geology and law; and covering both the special traits of springs and the ways in which they might be managed in order to survive.
Major vegetational units of Oregon and Washington and their environmental relationships are described and illustrated. After an initial consideration of the vegetation components in the two States, major geographic areas and vegetation zones are detailed. Descriptions of each vegetation zone include composition and succession, as well as discussion of variations associated with environmental gradients. Three chapters treat the forested zones found in the two States. Major emphasis is on the distinctive mesic temperate forests found in western Washington and northwestern Oregon. The interior valley forests, shrub lands, and prairies found between the Coast and Cascade Ranges in western Oregon are treated in a single chapter as are subalpine and alpine mosaics of tree-dominated and meadow communities. Unusual habitats, such as areas of recent vulcanism, serpentines, and ocean strand, are individually described. Soils, geology, and climate are considered in broad outline in an early chapter and in greater detail within discussions of individual geographic areas and vegetation zones. Appendices are included for definition of the various soil types, scientific and common plant names, and a subject index. An extensive bibliography is included to direct the reader to other references.