An immersive, high-interest approach to the highly curricular topic of biomes

A series of concise books, each by one or several authors, will provide prompt, world-wide information on approaches to analyzing ecological systems and their interacting parts. Syntheses of results in turn will illustrate the effectiveness, and the limitations, of current knowledge. This series aims to help overcome the fragmen tation of our understanding about natural and managed landscapes and water- about man and the many other organisms which depend on these environments. We may sometimes seem complacent that our environment has supported many civilizations fairly well - better in some parts of the Earth than in others. Modern technology has mastered some difficulties but creates new ones faster than we anticipate. Pressures of human and other animal populations now highlight complex ecological problems of practical importance and theoretical scientific interest. In every climatic-biotic zone, changes in plants, soils, waters, air and other resources which support life are accelerating. Such changes engulf not only regions already crowded or exploited. They spill over into more natural areas where contrasting choices for future use should remain open to our descendents-where Nature's own balances and imbalances can be interpreted by imaginative research, and need to be.

Warm-temperate deciduous forests are "southern", mainly oak-dominated deciduous forests, as found over the warmer southern parts of the temperate deciduous forest regions of East Asia, Europe and eastern North America. Climatic analysis has shown that these forests extend from typical temperate climates to well into the warm-temperate zone, in areas where winters are a bit too cold for the ‘zonal’ evergreen broad-leaved forests normally expected in that climatic zone. This book is the first to recognize and describe these southern deciduous forests as an alternative to the evergreen forests of the warm-temperate zone. This warm-temperate zone will become more important under global warming, since it represents the contested transition between deciduous and evergreen forests and between tropical and temperate floristic elements. This book is dedicated to the memory of Tatsuō Kira, the imaginative Japanese ecologist who first noticed and described this general zonation exception and who proposed the name warm-temperate deciduous forest.

Temperate rainforests are biogeographically unique. Compared to their tropical counterparts, temperate rainforests are rarer and are found disproportionately along coastlines. Because most temperate rainforests are marked by the intersection of marine, terrestrial, and freshwater systems, these rich ecotones are among the most productive regions on Earth. Globally, temperate rainforests store vast amounts of carbon, provide habitat for scores of rare and endemic species with ancient affinities, and sustain complex food-web dynamics. In spite of their global significance, however, protection levels for these ecosystems are far too low to sustain temperate rainforests under a rapidly changing global climate and ever expanding human footprint. Therefore, a global synthesis is needed to provide the latest ecological science and call attention to the conservation needs of temperate and boreal rainforests. A concerted effort to internationalize the plight of the world’s temperate and boreal rainforests is underway around the globe; this book offers an essential (and heretofore missing) tool for that effort. DellaSala and his contributors tell a compelling story of the importance of temperate and boreal rainforests that includes some surprises (e.g., South Africa, Iran, Turkey, Japan, Russia). This volume provides a comprehensive reference from which to build a collective vision of their future.

Profiles a variety of North American forest consumers, producers, and decomposers, explaining how each one fits into the region.

Forests fascinate readers and hikers alike. And the deciduous forest, perhaps the "classic" forest biome, fills our stories and is the go-to spot for many outdoor activities. This informative book describes the forest many think they know, presenting the abundant life within, including trees, animals, plants, and even moss. Readers will learn about its iconic four seasons, as well as why trees drop their leaves and change from green to the brilliant hues of autumn. Thought-provoking sidebars prompt further investigation.

Describes the temperate forest biome, including climate, geology, geography and biodiversity.