Geology and Plant Life

by Kruckeberg, Arthur R.

• ISBN13: 9780295982038
• ISBN10: 0295982039
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-09-01
• Publisher: Univ of Washington Pr

Summary

Before any other influences began to fashion life and its lavish diversity, geological events created the initial environments--both physical and chemical--for the evolutionary drama that followed. Drawing on case histories from around the world, Arthur Kruckeberg demonstrates the role of land forms and rock types in producing the unique geographical distributions of plants and in stimulating evolutionary diversification. His examples range throughout the rich and heterogeneous tapestry of the earth's surface: the dramatic variations of mountainous topography, the undulating ground and crevices of level limestone karst, and the subtle realm of sand dunes. He describes the ongoing evolutionary consequences of the geology-plant interface and the often underestimated role of geology in shaping climate. Kruckeberg's research fills a significant gap in the field of environmental science by connecting the conventionally separated disciplines of the physical and biological sciences. Geology and Plant Life is the result of more than forty years of research into the question of why certain plants grow on certain soils and certain terrain structures, and what happens when this relationship is disrupted by human agents. It will be useful to a wide spectrum of professionals in the natural sciences: plant ecologists, paleobiologists, climatologists, soil scientists, geologists, geographers, and conservation scientists, as well as serious amateurs in natural history.

Author Biography

Arthur R. Kruckeberg is professor emeritus of botany at the University of Washington

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. x
The Geology-Plant Interface	p. 3
Geobotany: Its Historical Roots	p. 20
Geoedaphics and Other Environmental Influences: Their Reciprocal Relationships	p. 39
Landforms (Geomorphology) and Plant Life	p. 46
The Influences of Lithology on Plant Life	p. 103
Implications of Geoedaphics for Systematics and Evolution	p. 229
Geoedaphics and Biogeography (Geology and the Distribution of Plants)	p. 250
Human Influences on the Geology-Plant Interface	p. 286
Epilogue	p. 314
Glossary	p. 319
Bibliography	p. 323
Index	p. 352
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