Ecology of woodlands and forests : description, dynamics and diversity /
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge ; New York :
Cambridge University Press,
2007.
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Table of Contents:
- 1. Introduction. Forest basics
- Characteristics of woodlands and forests
- The value of woodlands and forests
- Tree biology and how it influences woodland ecology
- Spatial structure
- The woodland ecosystem : food chains, food webs and the plant, animal and decomposition subsystems
- Forest types and classification
- Regional classifications of forests and woodlands
- 2. Forest soils, climate and zonation
- Soils and trees
- Features of forest soils
- Roots, foraging and competition
- Forest zonation and site quality
- Rain forests : climate, soils and variation
- 3. Primary production and forest development
- Plant life forms and biological spectra
- Light and shade
- Water
- Temperature and pollutant influences on tree growth
- Altitudinal zonation and timberlines
- Evergreen and deciduous strategies: aspects of competitive advantage
- Contrasts between three widespread tree genera : the pines, beeches and oaks
- Ecology and significance of ageing trees
- 4. Reproductive strategies of forest plants
- Plant strategies
- Regenerative strategies and vegetative spread
- Reproduction and fruiting
- Masting
- Roles and influences of animals
- Time constraints
- 5. Biotic interactions
- Producers and consumers
- The interdependence of producers and consumers
- Insect defoliation and damage
- Forest fungi
- Specialized heterotrophs : epiphytes, parasites and saprotrophs
- Exotic plants
- Herbivorous mammals and birds
- The impact of woodland carnivores and omnivores
- Herbivores and the Holocene : did the lowland European forest have a closed canopy?
- 6. Biodiversity in woodlands
- Genetic variation in populations and its implications
- Selection pressures and biodiversity
- Biodiversity at organism, population and habitat levels
- Changes in species diversity over time
- What allows species to co-exist in a woodland?
- Conservation, biodiversity, population integrity and uniqueness
- 7. Decomposition and renewal
- The vital key to a working forest
- Decomposition
- Degradative stages
- How much dead material is there?
- What controls the rate of decomposition?
- Rates of decomposition
- Woody material
- Energy and nutrients
- Growth of forests
- Energy flow through forest ecosystems
- Nutrient cycling
- Nitrogen
- Nutrient dynamics in different forests
- Human influences
- 9. Forest change and disturbance
- Ecology of past forests
- Ecological processes that govern change
- Disturbance, patch dynamics and scales of change
- Examples of forest change
- Stability and diversity
- 10. Working forests
- Forest resources and products
- Single- and multi-use forests
- Silviculture and the replacement of trees
- Improving the forest : choice of species and provenance
- Forest practices
- Sustainable forest management
- Landscape ecology and forests
- 11. The future : how will our forests change?
- Threats to forests and the increasing demand for timber
- Desertification
- Climate change
- Other causes of forest decline
- Problems in urban forests - the social interface
- Agroforestry and new forests
- The final challenge.
