The Biology of Deserts

by David Ward

Overview

This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology and adopts a strong evolutionary focus. As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in the book is on the organisms that dominate this harsh environment, although theoretical and experimental aspects are also discussed. In this updated second edition, there is a greater focus on the effects of climate change and some of its likely effects on deserts, seeing desertification as among the most serious results of climate change, leading ultimately to the increasing size of arid and semi-arid regions. The Biology of Deserts Second Edition includes a wide range of ecological and evolutionary issues including morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants and animals, species interactions, the importance of predation and parasitism, food webs, biodiversity, and conservation. It features a balance of plant and animal (both invertebrate and vertebrate) examples, and also emphasizes topical applied issues such as desertification and invasive species. The book concludes by considering the positive aspects of desert conservation. This accessible textbook is intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professional ecologists, conservation practitioners, and resource managers working in the field of desert ecology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191047312
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	06/16/2016
Series:	Biology of Habitats Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	416
File size:	21 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

David Ward is Art and Margaret Herrick Endowed Professor of Plant Biology at Kent State University. His research interests lie in the field of the ecology of plant species redistributions. This includes studying both invasive and encroaching plant species. He is also interested in studying the natural process of succession. Most of his research involves trees but he also studies the effects of herbivory by large mammals (such as elephants) on the population biology, community ecology and conservation of plant populations. He believes in the value of field experiments to allow us to gain a mechanistic understanding of the factors that create large-scale vegetation patterns.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Abiotic factors
3. Morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants to the abiotic environment
4. Morphological, physiological, and behavioural adaptations of desert animals to the abiotic environment
5. The role of competition and facilitation in structuring desert communities
6. The importance of predation and parasitism
7. Plant-animal interactions in deserts
8. Desert food webs and ecosystem ecology
9. Biodiversity and biogeography of deserts
10. Human impacts and desertification
11. Conservation of deserts

Editorial Reviews

"Deserts are places where we can often see evolution in action, and David Ward has written a book that is compelling in its breadth and depth of coverage. Buy it, and you will not be disappointed and will be able to come back to it many times and always learn something new and exciting."—Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution

"Ward has done extensive, excellent ecological work in the deserts of southern Africa and Israel...does an exemplary job juggling both plant and animal ecology."—Plant Science Bulletin

"...a unique text on desert biology."—Dr. Michael A. Mares, University of Oklahoma

"This book offers a unique cutting edge look at deserts."—Professor David Saltz, Ben Gurion University of The Negev, Israel

"Nevertheless, by compiling studies that represent taxa in different deserts into a comparative exploration of ecological pattern and process, the author establishes an engaging framework that allows readers to consider the convergent breadth of a particular solution to living in a harsh and extreme environment. This book might therefore raise questions that would launch a graduate student into a productive avenue of research. The volume could serve as a textbook for a seminar course on desert biology, provided availability of suplementary materials that fill in details on specific desert systems." — The Quarterly Review of Biology, Volume 86

From the Publisher