North American Terrestrial Vegetation

This second edition provides extensively expanded coverage of North American vegetation from arctic tundra to tropical forests.

Michael G. Barbour (Edited by), William Dwight Billings (Edited by)

9780521559867, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 28 December 1999

724 pages, 213 b/w illus. 36 maps 122 tables
25.3 x 18 x 3.4 cm, 1.235 kg

'… can be recommended to all research groups where botany or ecology is studied.' Zsuzanna Benko, Journal of Plant Physiology

This 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 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 edition of a well-received text and it is essential reading for students and researchers in plant science, ecology, and conservation.

Contributors
Preface to the first edition
Preface to the second edition
1. Arctic tundra and polar desert biome Lawrence C. Bliss
2. The taiga and boreal forest Deborah L. Elliot-Fisk
3. Forests and meadows of the Rocky Mountains Robert K. Peet
4. Pacific northwest forests Jerry F. Franklin and Charles B. Halpern
5. California upland forests and woodlands Michael G. Barbour and Richard A. Minnich
6. Chaparral Jon E. Keeley
7. Intermountain valleys and lower mountain slopes Neil E. West and James A. Young
8. Warm deserts James A. MacMahon
9. Grasslands Phillip L. Sims and Paul G. Risser
10. Eastern deciduous forests Hazel R. Delcourt and Paul A. Delcourt
11. Vegetation of the southeastern coastal plain Norman L. Christensen
12. Freshwater wetlands Curtis J. Richardson
13. Saltmarshes and mangroves Irving A. Mendelssohn and Karen L. McKee
14. Alpine vegetation William Dwight Billings
15. Mexican temperate vegetation Alejandro Velázquez, Victor Manuel Toledo and Isolda Luna
16. The Caribbean Ariel E. Lugo, Julio Figueroa Colón and Frederick N. Scatena
17. Tropical and subtropical vegetation of Mesoamerica Gary S. Hartshorn
18. Vegetation of the Hawaiian Islands Lloyd L. Loope
Subject index
Species index.

Subject Areas: Plant ecology [PSTS], Botany & plant sciences [PST]