North American Terrestrial Vegetation

by Edited by Michael G. Barbour , William Dwight Billings

• ISBN13: 9780521559867
• ISBN10: 0521559863
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-12-28
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This new edition is a major contribution to botanical and ecological literature, and provides comprehensive coverage of the major vegetation types of North America from the arctic tundra of Alaska to the tropical forests of Central America. Each chapter describes the composition, architecture, environment, and conservation status of each ecosystem. In addition, information is included on the abiotic environment, paleoecology, productivity, nutrient cycling, autoecological behavior of dominant species, environmental issues, management problems, the role of natural disturbance, and critical areas for future research. This new edition has additional chapters on freshwater wetlands, coastal marine wetlands, temperate Mexico, the Caribbean, and the Hawaiian Islands. Every chapter has been thoroughly updated and now includes information on habitat loss and restoration-preservation programs. This is an outstanding new edition of a well-received text and it is essential reading for students and researchers in plant science, ecology, and conservation.

Table of Contents

Contributors	vii
Preface to the First Edition	ix
Preface to the Second Edition	xi
Arctic Tundra and Polar Desert Biome	1	(40)
Lawrence C. Bliss
The Taiga and Boreal Forest	41	(34)
Deborah L. Elliott-Fisk
Forests and Meadows of the Rocky Mountains	75	(48)
Robert K. Peet
Pacific Northwest Forests	123	(38)
Jerry F. franklin
Charles B. Halpern
Californian Upland Forests and Woodlands	161	(42)
Michael G. Barbour
Richard A. Minnich
Chaparral	203	(52)
Jon E. Keeley
Intermountain Valleys and Lower Mountain Slopes	255	(30)
Neil E. West
James A. Young
Warm Deserts	285	(38)
James A. MacMahon
Grasslands	323	(34)
Phillip L. Sims
Paul G. Risser
Eastern Deciduous Forests	357	(40)
Hazel R. Delcourt
Paul A. Delcourt
Vegetation of the Southeastern Coastal Plain	397	(52)
Norman L. Christensen
Freshwater Wetlands	449	(52)
Curtis J. Richardson
Saltmarshes and Mangroves	501	(36)
Irving A. Mendelssohn
Karen L. McKee
Alpine Vegetation	537	(36)
William Dwight Billings
Mexican Temperate Vegetation	573	(20)
Alejandro Velazquez
Victor Manuel Toledo
Isolda Luna
The Caribbean	593	(30)
Ariel E. Lugo
Julio Figueroa Colon
Frederick N. Scatena
Tropical and Subtropical Vegetation of Mesoamerica	623	(38)
Gary S. Hartshorn
Vegetation of the Hawaiian Islands	661	(28)
Lloyd L. Loope
Subject Index	689	(6)
Species Index	695