Nagy

2009 · réf. 052092 — Oxford NY: Oxford University Press 2009. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Soft cover. Good. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Minor edge and corner wear; lightly scuffed and scratched; spine is gently creased; some light shelf wear; ex-library with the usual library markings; overall a nice used copy! Full-color pictorial wrapper with black and white lettering. 376 informative and educational pages nicely enhanced by black and white photographs and illustrations! "This book is unique in providing a global overview of alpine high mountain habitats that occur above the natural cold-limited tree line describing the factors that have shaped them over both ecological and evolutionary timescales. The broad geographic coverage helps synthesize common features whilst revealing differences in the world's major alpine systems from the Arctic to the Tropics. The words "barren" and "wasteland" have often been applied to describe landscapes beyond the tree line. However a closer look reveals a large diversity of habitats assemblages and individual taxa in the alpine zone largely connected to topographic diversity within individual alpine regions. The book considers habitat-forming factors landforms energy and climate hydrology soils and vegetation individually as well as their composite impacts on habitat characteristics. Evolution and population processes are examined in the context of the responsiveness/resilience of alpine habitats to global change. Finally a critical assessment fo the potential impacts of climate change atmospheric pollutants and land use is made and related to the management and conservation options available for these unique habitats. Interest in mountains continues to grow as their resource importance is increasingly recognized. This accessible text is suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in ecology and environmental sciences as well as the many professional ecologists and conservation biologists requiring a concise authoritative overview of the topic. Each of the books in the Oxford Biology of Habitats Series introduces a different habitat and gives an integrated overview of the design physiology ecology and behaviour of the organisms found there. The practical aspects of working within each habitat the sorts of studies that are possible and habitat biodiversity and conservation status are all. Oxford University Press paperback