Natural History of the Colorado Plateau and Great Basin

by Harper, Kimball T.

• ISBN13: 9780870815119
• ISBN10: 0870815113
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-02-01
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Colorado

Summary

The remote Colorado Plateau and Great Basin portions of the Intermountain West are areas of spectacular natural beauty and diversity. Due to inaccessibility, however, scientific study of many aspects of the region's natural history has lagged. Natural History of the Colorado Plateau and Great Basin provides an up-to-date summary of the region's geology, climates, and biology, including thorough treatments of the area's insects, fish, and reptiles. Also discussed are the ecology and distribution of prehistoric human cultures in the region; how modern humans have used (and abused) resources in the Intermountain West; and the impact of post-Pleistocene environmental changes on genetics of disjunct populations of conifer trees. Written by a diverse group of acknowledged experts, Natural History of the Colorado Plateau and Great Basin offers invaluable background information for all students and resource managers who want to work in or visit the Intermountain West.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction	1	(8)
Kimball T. Harper
Larry L. St. Clair
Kaye H. Thorne
W.M. Hess
2 Geologic Contrasts of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau	9	(18)
Thomas H. Morris
Melissa A. Stubben
3 Modern and Pleistocene Climatic Patterns in the West	27	(28)
Kenneth Lee Petersen
4 The Extinct Late Pleistocene Mammals of the Great Basin	55	(32)
Donald K. Grayson
5 Western Great Basin Prehistory	87	(26)
James D. Wilde
6 Changes in Plant Communities in the Great Basin Induced by Domestic Livestock Grazing	113	(12)
James A. Young
7 People and Place in a Harsh Land: The Cultural Geography of the Great Basin	125	(22)
Richard H. Jackson
8 Distribution of Genetic Diversity Within and Among Populations of Great Basin Conifers	147	(16)
J.L. Hamrick
Andrew F. Schnabel
P.V. Wells
9 Fishes of the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau: Past and Present Forms	163	(48)
John W. Sigler
William F. Sigler
10 Insects of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau	211	(28)
C. Riley Nelson
11 Elevational Patterns of Insects in the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau	239	(16)
Steven D. Warren
Kimball T. Harper
12 Late Pleistocene and Holocene Herpetofaunas of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau	255	(22)
Jim I. Mead
Christopher J. Bell
13 Recommendations for Future Research	277	(4)
Larry L. St. Clair
Kimball T. Harper
Kaye H. Thorne
W.M. Hess
14 Index	281