Coastal Dunes: Ecology and Conservation

ISBN-13: 9783540408291 / Angielski / Twarda / 2004 / 388 str.

Martínez, M. L.

Opis

Coastal dunes occur in almost every latitude - from tropical to polar - and have been substantially altered by human activities. Many are already severely and irreversibly degraded. Although these ecosystems have been studied for a long time (as early as 1835), there has been a strong emphasis on the mid-latitude dune systems and a lack of attention given to the tropics where, unfortunately, much of the modern exploitation and coastal development for tourism is occurring. This book brings together coastal dune specialists from tropical and temperate latitudes, which together cover a wide set of topics, including: geomorphology, community dynamics, ecophysiology, biotic interactions and environmental problems and conservation. A major product of this book is a set of recommendations for future research, identifying relevant topics where detailed knowledge is still lacking. It also identifies management tools that will promote and maintain the rich diversity of the dune environments in the context of continuing coastal development.

Recenzje

From the reviews:

"This book had its origin in a session at the International Botanical Congress in Missouri (1999), when it was agreed to produce a peer-reviewed book on coastal sand dunes ... . There is a great deal of good information in this book, with each of the chapters having an extensive list of references. Gaps in knowledge are identified and recommendations made for future research. ... The book has good taxonomic and general indexes ... . Diagrams, graphs and tables are well reproduced ... ." (Janet Sprent, Bulletin of the British Ecological Society, 2005)

Spis treści

I What are Sand Dunes? 1. A perspective on coastal dunes. By Martínez ML, Psuty NP and Lubke RA 2. The coastal foredune: a morphological basis for regional coastal dune development. By Psuty NP 3. Coastal dunes in the tropics and temperate regions: location, formation, morphology and vegetation processes. By Hesp PA II The Flora and Fauna of Sanddunes 4. Temperate zone coastal dunes. By Wiedemann AM and Pickart AJ 5. Vegetation dynamics and succession in sand dunes of the eastern coasts of Africa. By Lubke RA 6. Coastal dune slacks. By Grootjans AP, Adema EB, Bekker RM and Lammerts EJ 7. Coastal dune forest rehabilitation: a case study on rodent and bird assemblages in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. By van Aarde RJ, Wassenaar TD, Niemand L, Knowles T and Ferreira S III Living in a Stressful Environment 8. Burial of plants as a selective force in sand dunes. By Maun MA 9. Physiological characteristics of coastal dune pioneer species from the Eastern Cape, South Africa, in relation to stress and disturbance. By Ripley BS and Pammenter NW10. Plant functional types in coastal dune habitats. By García Novo F, Díaz Barradas MC, Zunzunegui M, García Mora R and Gallego Fernández JB IV Biotic Interactions 11. Arbuscular mycorrhizas in coastal sand dunes. By Koske RE, Gemma JN, Corkidi L, Sigüenza C and Rincón E 12. The role of algal mats on community succession in dunes and dune slacks. By Vázquez G 13. Plant-plant interactions in coastal sand dunes. By Martínez ML and García-Franco JG 14. Ant-Plant interactions: their seasonal variation and effects on plant fitness. By Rico-Gray V, Oliveira PS, Parra-Tabla V, Cuautle M and Díaz-Castelazo C V Environmental Problems and Conservation 15. Environmental problems and restoration measures in coastal sand dunes inthe Netherlands. By Kooijman AM 16. The costs of our coasts: examples of dynamic dune management from western Europe. By van der Meulen F, Bakker TWM and Houston JA 17. Animal life in sand dunes: from exploitation and prosecution to protection and monitoring. By Baeyens G and Martínez ML 18. Coastal vegetation as indicators for conservation. By Espejel I, Ahumada B, Cruz Y and Heredia A 19. A case study of conservation and management of tropical sand dune systems: La Mancha-El Llano. By Moreno-Casasola P 20. European coastal dunes: ecological values, threats, opportunities and policy development. By Heslenfeld P, Jungerius PD and Klijn JA VI The Coastal Dune Paradox: Conservation vs. Exploitation? 21. The fragility and conservation of the world´s coastal dunes: geomorphological, ecological and socioeconomic perspectives. By Martínez ML, Maun MA and Psuty NP