The ecology of world vegetation is described in numer all of the drafting and photographic work. They have ous books and journals, but these are usually very spe spent many hours on this project and their care and skill cialized in their scope and treatment. This book provides is reflected in the consistently high quality of the illus a synthesis of this literature. A brief introductory chap trations throughout the book. Many friends and col ter outlines general ecological concepts and subsequent leagues have provided photographs. It has not been chapters examine the form and function of the major possible to include all of them, but the 'global' perspect biomes of the world. A similar organization has been ive of the book has been greatly enhanced in this way. used for each biome type. These chapters begin with a I wish to thank them all for the time and trouble they description of environmental conditions and a brief have taken to supply this material. I must also thank account of floristic diversity in a regional context. The Mary Dykes and the staff of the interlibrary loans de remaining pages describe characteristic adaptations and partment of the Library, University of Saskatchewan, ecosystem processes. for their unfailing ability to get even the most obscure Although there is a rapidly growing literature on eco references.

This up-to-date textbook of global vegetation ecology, which comprises the current state of knowledge, is long overdue and much-needed. It is a translation of the textbook “Vegetation der Erde” (Springer-Spektrum, Heidelberg). A short introductory chapter deals with the fundamentals of vegetation ecology that are of importance for the delimitation and characterization of the global vegetation presented in this book (chorology, evolution of plants, physiognomic and structural characteristics, phytodiversity and the human impact on it as well as general terminology concerning both plant growth forms and on vegetation structure types). In the following chapters the zonal and azonal vegetation from the tropics to the polar regions including high mountains is described and discussed. The main focus is on the characterization of interactions between the spatial location of plants and plant communities on the one hand and site conditions, historic and genetic processes, spatial and temporal patterns, ecophysiology and anthropogenic influences on the other hand. Additional information on specific topics is provided in 51 boxes.

A textbook (1st ed., 1978) presenting a wide range of information for students of ecology, geography, and biogeography.

Vegetation, the plant content of an area, is a fundamental component of the natural environment on the land surface of the earth. It converts energy into food and is therefore at the base of the food chain, making vegetation a key link in natural ecosystems integrating climate, soil, and living organisms. By identifying and analyzing distinct frontiers both in vegetation formation and in world flora, this book confirms that a set of formation types and distinctive floristic realms exist. This makes possible for the first time rigorous definitions for formation types and for specific floristic realms. More important than the clarification of boundaries is the examination of causative factors which is facilitated by the demonstration of distinct categories. Thus, probable causes for the origin of distinct vegetation formation types and floristic realms are offered in this book. Such a fresh examination of the regionalization of vegetation of the world scale helps to put world vegetation mapping on a more satisfactory scientific basis, a goal of major significance to geographers. Environmentalists and ecologists will be especially interested in the research finding that the same vegetation structure recurs again and again among unrelated assemblages of plants in remote parts of the wold. verifying the fact that vegetation formations are distinct kinds of ecological systems.

Vegetation and Soils is an introduction to the study of vegetation and soil distribution. In this accessible work, S. R. Eyre describes the distributions of these two important elements in the landscape. The book progresses regionally, and the land areas of the earth are subdivided according to the distribution of their main vegetation and soil types. The author argues that the nature of the soil is not determined by vegetation any more than it is determined by climate, but the nature of the vegetation always has some bearing on the nature of the soil, and vice versa.Eyre studies the ways in which plant communities and soil profiles develop and the complexity of the vegetation-climatic relationship. The middle and high latitudes are examined, as well as the tropical regions. In order to avoid broad generalizations of vast regions, the example of the British Isles is used to show that vegetation and soil maps can be misleading on a continental scale. The book concludes with a series of vegetation maps, which show the distribution of plant formations. Also included are tables providing climatic correlations with vegetation and a glossary of relevant terms.This classic work shows the intimate connection between vegetation development and soil development. For this reason, this book is a major contribution to the study of the physical aspects of geography and will be of particular interest to students of geography, botany, and agriculture.