Plant Disturbance Ecology

The media coverage of natural disasters (hurricanes, fires, floods, ice storms, etc.) indicates the prevalence of natural disasters in most, if not all, ecosystems. In order for scientists to study, understand, and ultimately predict how these disturbances affect ecosystems, it is necessary for them to know more about the physical processes involved in these disturbances and to learn how to couple these processes to the ecological systems. Essential for all ecologists, forest researchers, and conservation biologists, this book includes chapters on the disturbance processes, how the disturbance causes necrosis or death to individuals, and their effects on population or community processes. In this book, physical scientists who study disturbances provide an introduction to the physical disturbance processes, while ecologists relate this information to the way the vegetation responds to the disturbances. This reference is also key for all researchers hydrology, geomorphology, and environmental management. This work includes coverage on six different disturbance processes such as: wind, gravity, geomorphic, hydrologic, combustion, and biotic. It provides a clear explanation of how some of the physical processes of disturbance affect plant ecological processes. It offers ecologists an up-to-date understanding of the physical processes and allows them to predict future affects of disturbances. It unites two related fields by linking the disturbance processes and ecological responses. It presents physical scientists with ideas of how they might usefully apply their knowledge to advance understanding of ecological systems.

ISBN 0120887789   Pages 720 ISBN13 9780120887781 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Elsevier Science Publishing Co Inc   Weight (grammes) 1111 Imprint Academic Press Inc   Published in San Diego Format Hardback   Height (mm) 229 Publication date 11 Nov 2006   Width (mm) 152 Library of Congress QK   Spine width (mm) 46 DEWEY 581.7   Academic level Professional / Scholarly DEWEY edition DC22

1		Disturbance and succession by Edward A. Johnson and Kiyoko Miyanishi		1
2		The turbulent wind in plant and forest canopies by John J. Finnigan		15
3		Microbursts and macrobursts : windstorms and blowdowns by Mark R. Hjelmfelt		59
4		Understanding how the interaction of wind and trees results in windthrow, stem breakage, and canopy gap formation by Christopher P. Quine and Barry A. Gardiner		103
5		Meteorological conditions associated with ice storm damage to forests by Kaz Higuchi and Amir Shabbar		157
6		The effect of icing events on the death and regeneration of North American trees by David F. Greene and Kathleen F. Jones and Olga J. Proulx		181
7		Disturbance processes and dynamics in coastal dunes by Patrick A. Hesp and M. Luisa Martinez		215
8		Coastal dune succession and the reality of dune processes by Kiyoko Miyanishi and Edward A. Johnson		249
9		Fluvial geomorphic disturbances and life history traits of riparian tree species by Futoshi Nakamura and Satomi Inahara		283
10		Water level changes in ponds and lakes : the hydrological processes by Masaki Hayashi and Garth van der Kamp		311
11		Development of post-disturbance vegetation in prairie wetlands by Arnold G. van der Valk		341
12		Modeling heating effects by Geoffry N. Mercer and Rodney O. Weber		371
13		Fire effects on grasslands by Paul H. Zedler		397
14		Wildfire and tree population processes by Sheri L. Gutsell and Edward A. Johnson		441
15		Insect defoliators as periodic disturbances in northern forest ecosystems by Barry J. Cooke and Vincent G. Nealis and Jacques Regniere		487
16		Dynamics of mountain pine beetle outbreaks by Justin Heavilin and James Powell and Jesse A. Logan		527
17		Relationship between spruce budworm outbreaks and forest dynamics in eastern North America by Hubert Morin and Yves Jardon and Rejean Gagnon		555
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"The process by which vegetation changes over time has fascinated plant ecologists for at least a century. Early theories emphasized slow, steady change to a hypothetical stable "climax" community. By the 1970s, ecologists began to realize that disturbance was the rule, not the exception, and a rather radical shift in thinking about vegetation took hold. This multidisciplinary compendium seeks to move what might be called disturbance science beyond descriptive approaches to look at how particular physical disturbances actually cause particular ecological effects. The many authors cover, e.g., the specifics of how forces like wind (turbulence, microbursts, etc.) can physically cause stem breakage in trees. Other modes of disturbance treated here include ice storm damage to forests and trees; dynamic processes that affect coastal dunes; fluvial processes related to riparian tree growth; the effects of water-level changes in ponds and lakes; heating effects on vegetation; fire's effects on grasslands and trees; a variety of insect impacts on different systems; and the impact of beavers on woody vegetation. The level of technical detail in the chapters varies greatly, and a few rely heavily on mathematical formulas. Other chapters are essentially literature reviews. Plant ecologists with a process- or mechanistically oriented approach to understanding vegetation change will appreciate this book. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above." - CHOICE

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