North American Terrestrial Vegetation - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521261988 ISBN 13: 9780521261982

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1988

Synopsis

Unique in its comprehensive coverage, this book describes the major vegetation types from the arctic tundra of Alaska and Canada to the tropical forest of Central America. This original detailed summary provides the reader with a sense of the species composition, architecture and environment of each ecosystem. Each chapter opens with a map of North America that delineates the specific geographic area discussed within the following text. Some basic topics covered include paleobotany, autecological behaviour, nutrient cycling, and productivity. In addition to the basic biology of the ecosystems, environmental issues and management problems are addressed. Notes on areas for future research conclude each chapter. Comprehensive bibliographies provide references to additional details published in the technical literature.

About this title

Book Description:

With its unique comprehensive coverage, this book describes the major vegetation types from the arctic tundra of Alaska and Canada to the tropical forest of Central America. This original detailed summary provides the reader with a sense of the species composition, architecture and environment of each ecosystem.

Review:

"Far more than a mere compilation of vegetation types, this book synthesizes our current understanding of the history, dynamics, and physical setting of the continent's plant cover...as a text and a reference for field scientists at all levels it is unsurpassed as a guide to the vegetation blanketing North America and to the processes structuring that vegetation." Ecology "Will be the standard reference on North American plant communities for quite some time." BioScience "The book is a worthy addition to a reference library for field scientists, and as a guide to more in-depth literature on highlighted topics. The new sections on disturbance history, habotat loss, and restoration provide an important context for descriptions of the vegetation types. It is quite a comprehensive volume, and a commendable achievement." Agricultural and Forest Meteorology

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0521261988
• ISBN 13: 9780521261982
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 448
• Editor: Barbour Michael G., Billings William Dwight