Peatlands of the Western Guayana Highlands, Venezuela: Properties and Paleogeographic Significance of Peats

ISBN-13: 9783642270512 / Angielski / Miękka / 2013 / 295 str.

Joseph Alfred Zinck; Otto Huber

Opis

The Guayana Highlands in northeastern tropical America, rising from lowland rain forests and savannas up to 3000 m elevation, are characterized by ancient tablelands called tepuis. The peatlands that developed on the tepuis constitute unique and fascinating ecosystems and are the focus of this volume, which starts with an overview of tropical and subtropical peats, followed by an introduction to the geo-ecological features of the Guayana region as a whole, with special emphasis on the diversity of the vegetation cover from lowlands to uplands to highlands. The core subject centers on the properties and dating of the peat deposits and the interpretation of the chronological record in terms of past environmental changes. The well illustrated book will appeal to a broad range of scientists interested in tropical highland peats, including quaternarists, soil scientists, geomorphologists, geographers, geologists, ecologists, botanists, hydrologists, conservationists, and land use planners.

Recenzje

From the reviews:

"This book presents the results of fieldwork carried out in the western section of the Guayana Highlands between 1992 and 1996. ... The book has 9 chapters covering geology, geomorphology, vegetation and soils of the tepui summits (table mountains) of the Guayana Highlands of southern Venezuela ... . this book is a fascinating read and is recommended as a major source of information on a little known and hardly understood peatland ecosystem." (Jack Rieley, Erdkunde, Vol. 66 (4), 2012)

Spis treści

Ch1     Introduction

            O. Huber, J.A. Zinck             

 

Ch2     Tropical and subtropical peats: an overview

            J.A. Zinck

 

           2.1 Introduction

           2.2 Peat extent and distribution

           2.3 Peat formation and development 

           2.4 Features of peats and peatlands

           2.5 Peat classification

           2.6 Peat and peatland as resources

           2.7 Conclusion

           2.8 References

 

Ch3     The Guayana region and the study areas: geo-ecological characteristics

            O. Huber, P. García

 

            3.1 Introduction

            3.2 Geology and paleoecology

            3.3 Physiography, climate, and vegetation

            3.4 Study areas

            3.5 Conclusions

            3.6 References

 

Ch4     Tepui peatlands: setting and features

            J.A. Zinck, P. García

 

           4.1 Introduction

           4.2 Rock substratum

           4.3 Geomorphic landscape

           4.4 Peatland types

           4.5 Peatland patterns

           4.6 Conclusions

           4.7 References

 

Ch5     Laboratory methods for characterization of peat materials

            R. Schargel, P. García, D. Jiménez

 

           5.1 Introduction

           5.2 Criteria used for the recognition of organic soils in the Soil Taxonomy

           5.3 Laboratory methods specific for organic soils

           5.4 Testing laboratory methods on selected Venezuelan Histosols

           5.5 Laboratory determinations performed on the Guayana Histosols

           5.6 Conclusions 

           5.7 References

 

Ch6     Properties and classification of the tepui peats

            P. García, R. Schargel, J.A. Zinck

 

           6.1 Introduction

           6.2 Morphological features

           6.3 Physical properties

           6.4 Chemical properties

           6.5 Spatial variations

           6.6 Taxonomic classification

           6.7 Conclusions

           6.8 References

 

Ch7     Tepui peatlands: age record and environmental changes

            J.A. Zinck, P. García, J. van der Plicht

 

           7.1 Introduction

           7.2 Sampling and dating method

           7.3 Site description and age record

           7.4 Interpretations and correlations: peat formation and environmental changes

           7.5 Conclusions

           7.6 References

 

Ch8     Origin of organic matter leading to peat formation in the southeastern Guayana uplands and highlands

            E. Medina, E. Cuevas, O. Huber

 

           8.1 Introduction

           8.2 Site description

           8.3 Results: relationship between ¹³C values and peat age

           8.4 Discussion

           8.5 Conclusion

           8.6 References

 

Ch9    Synthesis: the peatscape of the Guayana Highlands

            J.A. Zinck

 

           9.1 Introduction

           9.2 Why do peatlands and peats matter?

           9.3 Setting and formation of the peatlands: the peatscape

           9.4 Morphological, physical, chemical and taxonomic characteristics of the peats

           9.5 Vegetation of the peatlands: present and past

           9.6 Environmental changes: diachronic inception and polygenetic evolution of peats

           9.7 The highland-lowland connection: a system approach

           9.8 Concluding remark

 

App   Site and profile characteristics

           

          A.1 Introduction

          A.2 Site and profile descriptions

          A.3 Laboratory data

 

 

O autorze

Otto Huber, geb. 1947 in Oberammergau, ist zweiter Spielleiter und Dramaturg der Passionsspiele 2010.