Mediterranean Type Ecosystems: Origin and Structure

ISBN-13: 9783642655227 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 408 str.

Francesco Di Castri; Harold A. Mooney

Opis

No other disjunct pieces of land present such striking similarities as the widely sepa- 1 rated regions with a mediterranean type of climate, that is, the territories fringing the Mediterranean Sea, California, Central Chile and the southernmost strips of South Mrica and Australia. Similarities are not confined to climatic trends, but are also reflected in the physiognomy ofthe vegetation, in land use patterns and frequently in the general appearance of the landscape. The very close similarities in agricultural practices and sometimes also in rural settlements are dependent on the climatic and edaphic analogies, as well as on a certain commonality in qdtural history. This is certainly true for the Mediterranean Sea basin which in many ways represents a sort of ecological-cultural unit; this is also valid for CaUfornia and Chile, which were both settled by Spaniards and which showed periods of vigorous commercial and cultural interchanges as during the California gold rush. One other general feature is the massive interchange of cultivated and weed species of plants that has occurred between the five areas of the world that have a mediterranean-type climate, with the Mediterranean basin region itself as a major source. In spite of their limited territorial extension, probably no other parts of the world have played a more fundamental role in the history of mankind. Phoenician, Etruscan, Hellenic, Jewish, Roman, Christian andArab civilizations, among others, haveshapedmanyofman's present attitudes, including his position and perception vis-a-vis nature.

Spis treści

Section I: Convergence in Ecosystems.- 1. Historical View of the Concept of Ecosystem Convergence.- Section II: Physical Geography of Lands with Mediterranean Climates.- 1. distribution and Peculiarity of Mediterranean Ecosystems.- 2. Climatographical Comparisons between Chile and the Western Coast of North America.- 3. The Physiography of the Mediterranean Lands with Special Emphasis on California and Chile.- 4. Geomorphological Processes and Characteristic Landforms in the Mediterranean Regions of the World.- 5. Analogies between the Soil and Vegetation Types of Italy, Greece, and California.- Section III: Vegetation in Mediterranean Climate Regions.- 1. Structure and Function of the California Chaparral — an Example from San dimas.- 2. Structure and Functional Response of Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Climate of Australia.- 3. The Role of the Secondary Plant Chemistry in the Evolution of the Mediterranean Scrub Vegetation.- 4. Comparative Anatomy of Sclerophylls of Mediterranean Climatic Areas.- Section IV: Soil Systems in Mediterranean Climate Regions.- 1. Soil Animals in Latitudinal and Topographical Gradients of Mediterranean Ecosystems.- 2. Microbial Activity under Seasonal Conditions of Drought in Mediterranean Climates.- 3. Soil-Vegetation Relationships in Mediterranean Ecosystems of Southern France.- Section V: Plant Biogeography.- 1. The Evolution of Mediterranean Floras.- 2. History of the Mediterranean Ecosystem in California.- Section VI: Animal Biogeography and Ecological Niche.- 1. Biogeography of Soil Beetles in Mediterranean Regions.- 2. Biogeography of Pseudoscorpions in the Mediterranean Regions of the World.- 3. Parallel Evolution and Bird Niches.- 4. Ecological Convergence of the Lizard Faunas of the Chaparral Communities in Chile and California.- 5. Segregation of Lizard Niches in the Mediterranean Region of Chile.- Section VII: Human Activities Affecting Mediterranean Ecosystems.- 1. Man’s Impact on the Several Regions with Mediterranean Climates.- 2. The Human Degradation of Mediterranean Landscapes in Israel.