Nature : Trees & Forests

Hidden away in foggy, uncharted rain forest valleys in Northern California are the largest and tallest organisms the world has ever sustained–the coast redwood trees, Sequoia sempervirens. Ninety-six percent of the ancient redwood forests have been destroyed by logging, but the untouched fragments that remain are among the great wonders of nature. more...

Price: $17.95

The book begins with an overview of the research topics which were addressed in the three different phases of the Dutch Priority Program on Acidification (DPPA), executed between 1985 and 1994. This chapter is followed by a chapter which deals with the emissions of acidifying substances, the concentrations and the deposition to forest and nature conservation areas. Prognoses are given for the acid deposition in 2000 and 2010; the deposition in the countries surrounding the Netherlands is also mentioned. The differences in the results of the DPPA-II are analysed. The third chapter deals with the effects of exposure and load on forests. The chapter moves from small-scale to large-scale: first the effects in laboratory-scale studies are described, then the effects in the field, both at stand level and on a regional scale. In addition, the critical thresholds (critical level of concentration and critical load of deposition) are discussed. The fourth chapter covers terrestrial ecosystems (or parts thereof) as well as weakly buffered surface waters, springs and other streams. Critical levels and loads are also discussed. The most important results are given in chapter 5. In the appendices of the book, so-called umbrella theme reports on deposition, stand modelling and effects on forests are presented which describe in more detail the scientific work performed in the third phase of the DPPA. This book will be of interest to anyone involved in research related to acidification and eutrophication; i.e., not only those who perform the research in the causal chain from emissions to effects, but also policy-makers and students. more...

Price: $308.00

Volume 20 of this series deals with a variety of plant and animal ecology topics.**Despite much recent work on herbivory, little attention has been given to insect herbivores active below ground. Brown and Gange describe the ecological adaptations of insects to this abundant but poor quality food resource, and the responses of plants to this potentially very damaging grazing pressure.**Plants living at high altitude must be able to cope with extreme climatic conditions, low carbon dioxide levels, and high radiation doses. Friend and Woodward describe these adaptations and discuss the degree to which they are genetically determined or merely the product of physiological plasticity.**Thomas presents a modular concept of ecology in which modules contain a resource and its associated consumers, and goes on to examine the general principles which may reflect the various mutualisms between organisms in some example fresh water modular systems.**Finally, West examines the microphytic soil crusts of arid and semi-arid soils. Although information on them is currently limited, they are likely to be important in some ecosystems. more...

Price: $185.00

This volume contains five papers dealing with a wide range of plant, animal, and soil biological topics. Gray and his colleagues describe the origin and spread of the salt marsh grass Spartina anglica. The result of a hybridization at the close of the last century, this genetically uniform species has been extremely successful in its particular niche and has a fascinating biology. Smith stresses the importance of gene-environment interactions in life-history theory in contrast to the resource constraint emphasis of the optimization approach. Experimental approaches to the subject are also discussed. Chanway and his colleagues examine the evidence for the importance of interactions between plants and micro-organisms in the rhizosphere in determining the outcome of plant competition and the establishment of community structure. Despite scarce evidence, real effects meriting further research do seem to exist. Brundrett also deals with an aspect of ecology in the soil. Most plants seem to have mycorrhizal associates and their importance is now widely appreciated. Much has been learned but more research is needed to determine the beneficial or after effects of mycorrhizae in natural systems. Richter and Babar review the diversity of tropical soils. They are in fact much more variable than is often thought, perhaps because too few ecologists are specialists in soils. Clearly, a proper knowledge and understanding of the many soil types is vital to conservation and development work in the tropics. more...

Price: $185.00

This volume contains papers highlighting the diverse interests of modern ecologists. Areas covered range from modeling terrestrial carbon exchange and storage to the relationship between animal abundance and body size. Other papers address the free-air carbon dioxide enrichment in global change research; generalist predators, interaction strength, and food web stability; delays, demography, and cycles; and spatial root segregation. This volume is essential for all ecologists. more...

Price: $185.00