Ecology and Biogeography of Mediterranean Ecosystems in Chile, California, and Australia

ISBN-13: 9781461275602 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 455 str.

Mary T. Kalin Arroyo; Paul H. Zedler; Marlyn D. Fox

Opis

Mediterranean-type ecosystems have provided ecologists with some of the most scientifically-rewarding opportunities to formulate and evaluate hypotheses about large and small-scale ecological phenomena. Comparison of mediterranean-type climate ecosystems in different parts of the world has not only permitted a strong test for ecological convergence, but also critical understanding of key ecophysiological and population processes.

Spis treści

Section I. History of Mediterranean Floras.- 1. Quaternary History of the Mediterranean Vegetation of Chile.- 2. Evolution and History of Mediterranean Vegetation Types in Australia.- Section II. Comparative Biogeography.- 3. Convergence in the Mediterranean Floras in Central Chile and California: Insights from Comparative Biogeography.- 4. Plant Life History and Dynamic Specialization in the Chaparral/ Coastal Sage Shrub Flora in Southern California.- 5. Biogeography and Floral Evolution in the Geoblasteae (Orchidaceae).- Section III. Vegetation Structure and Soils.- 6. Australian Mediterranean Vegetation: Intra- and Intercontinental Comparisons.- 7. Ecomorphological Characters as a Resource for Illustrating Growth-Form Convergence in Matorral, Chaparral, and Mallee.- 8. Underground Structures of Woody Plants in Mediterranean Ecosystems of Australia, California, and Chile.- 9. Mineral Nutrient Relations in Mediterranean Regions of California, Chile, and Australia.- Section IV. Seed and Fruits.- 10. Seed-Germination Patterns in Fire-Prone Mediterranean-Climate Regions.- 11. Distribution and Ecological Significance of Seed-Embryo Types in Mediterranean Climates in California, Chile, and Australia.- 12. Modes of Seed Dispersal in the Mediterranean Regions in Chile, California, and Australia.- 13. Effect of Seed Predation on Plant Regeneration: Evidence from Pacific Basin Mediterranean Scrub Communities.- Section V. Animal Physiology and Community Structure.- 14. Mediterranean Type of Climatic Adaptation in the Physiological Ecology of Rodent Species.- 15. Multivariate Comparisons of the Small-Mammal Faunas in Australian, Californian, and Chilean Shrublands.- 16. Role of Fossorial Animals in Community Structure and Energetics of Pacific Mediterranean Ecosystems.- Section VI. Vegetation Change and Human Influences.- 17. The Human Role in Changing Landscapes in Central Chile: Implications for Intercontinental Comparisons.- 18. Evaluating Causes and Mechanisms of Succession in the Mediterranean Regions in Chile and California.- Species Index.