Shrub-Steppe

Shrub-Steppe
Author: Alec Rickard
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2012-12-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0444599533

Owing to man-made intervention, the shrub-steppe now represents a rapidly disappearing landscape in the arid regions of North America. This book represents a systems-level study of ecological variables affecting water balance, and responses to perturbation. The study focused on a very large, protected, landscape unit, comprising a natural ``watershed'' area located in the semi-arid western United States. Long-term and concurrent data sets were established with a view towards establishing system-level responses to manipulative interventions, and natural perturbations like wildfire. These data sets were established for micrometeorology, climatology, mineral cycling in soils, nutrient and mineral pathways in springs and streams, vegetational dynamics, and population changes on the site. In synthesizing nearly twenty years of data, the more interesting ecosystem level responses concerned vegetational recovery and water balance. For instance, the synthesis uniquely demonstrates the interaction of biotic and non-biotic factors and their integrated effect on regional water balance. However, special attention was also paid to species diversity and the genetic resource pool represented at this site.This book will be of primary interest as a reference resource to land managers and wildlife specialists, and as a research study for scientists interested in systems-level ecology. Conservation-minded citizens who take more than a cursory interest in ecology will also find it interesting.

Northwest Arid Lands

Northwest Arid Lands
Author: Georganne O'Connor
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2001
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

A thorough and detailed natural history of the Columbia Basin shrub-steppe country.

Steppes

Steppes
Author: Michael Bone
Publisher: Timber Press
Total Pages: 361
Release: 2015-07-15
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1604694653

Steppes—semi-arid biomes dominated by forbs, grasses, and grass-like species, and characterized by extremes of cold and heat—occupy enormous areas on four continents. Yet these ecosystems are among the least studied on our planet. Given that the birth and evolution of human beings have been so intimately interwoven with steppe regions, it is amazing that so few attempts have been made to compare and quantify the features of these regions. In this ground-breaking volume, five leading voices in horticulture—all staff members of Denver Botanic Gardens—examine the plants, climate, geology, and geography of the world’s steppes: central Asia, central and intermountain North America, Patagonia, and South Africa. Drawing upon their first-hand experience, the writers illuminate the distinctive features of each region, with a particular emphasis on the striking similarities between their floras. Each chapter includes a primer of species of horticultural interest—a rich resource for readers with an interest in steppe plants.

The National Wildlife Federation's Wildlife Watcher's Handbook

The National Wildlife Federation's Wildlife Watcher's Handbook
Author: Joe La Tourette
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2014-09-02
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1466879874

The National Wildlife Federation's Wildlife Watcher's Handbook from Joe La Tourette and the National Wildlife Federation is an authoritative guide to when, where, and how to watch North American animals in their natural habitats.