Download or read book The Biology of Grasslands written by Brian Wilsey and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-06-22 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This accessible text provides a concise but comprehensive introduction to the biology of global grasslands. Grasslands are vast in their extent, with native and non-native grasslands now covering approximately 50% of the global terrestrial environment. They are also of vital importance to humans, providing essential ecosystem services and some of the most important areas for the production of food and fibre worldwide. It has been estimated that 60% of calories consumed by humans originate from grasses, and most grain consumed is produced in areas that were formerly grasslands or wetlands. Grasslands are also important because they are used to raise forage for livestock, represent a source of biofuels, sequester vast amounts of carbon, provide urban green-space, and hold vast amounts of biodiversity. Intact grasslands contain an incredibly fascinating set of plants, animals, and microbes that have interested several generations of biologists, generating pivotal studies to important theoretical questions in ecology. As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis is on the organisms that dominate this environment although restoration, conservation, and experimental aspects are also considered.
Download or read book Grassland written by Richard Manning and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1997-07-01 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than forty percent of our country was once open prairie, grassland that extended from Missouri to Montana. Taking a critical look at this little-understood biome, award-winning journalist Richard Manning urges the reclamation of this land, showing how the grass is not only our last connection to the natural world, but also a vital link to our own prehistoric roots, our history, and our culture. Framing his book with the story of the remarkable elk, whose mysterious wanderings seem to reclaim his ancestral plains, Manning traces the expansion of America into what was then viewed as the American desert and considers our attempts over the last two hundred years to control unpredictable land through plowing, grazing, and landscaping. He introduces botanists and biologists who are restoring native grasses, literally follows the first herd of buffalo restored to the wild prairie, and even visits Ted Turner's progressive--and controversial--Montana ranch. In an exploration of the grasslands that is both sweeping and intimate, Manning shows us how we can successfully inhabit this and all landscapes.
Download or read book Grasses and Grassland Ecology written by David J. Gibson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the most up to date and thorough account of the natural history of the plants that comprise the most important food crop on Earth, the grasses and grasslands.
Download or read book California Grasslands written by Mark R. Stromberg and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2007-12-03 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This highly synthetic and scholarly work brings together new and important scientific contributions by leading experts on a rich diversity of topics concerning the history, ecology, and conservation of California's endangered grasslands. The editors and authors have succeeded admirably in drawing from a great wealth of recent research to produce a widely accessible and compelling, state-of-the-art treatment of this fascinating subject. Anyone interested in Californian biodiversity or grassland ecosystems in general will find this book to be an invaluable resource and a major inspiration for further research, management, and restoration efforts."—Bruce G. Baldwin, W. L. Jepson Professor and Curator, UC Berkeley "Grasses and grasslands are among the most important elements of the California landscape. This is their book, embodying the kind of integrated view needed for all ecological communities in California. Approaches ranging across an incredibly broad spectrum -- paleontology and human history; basic science and practical management techniques; systematics, community ecology, physiology, and genetics; physical factors such as water, soil nutrients, atmospherics, and fire; biological factors such as competition, symbiosis, and grazing -- are nicely tied together due to careful editorial work. This is an indispensable reference for everyone interested in the California environment."—Brent Mishler, Director of the University & Jepson Herbaria and Professor of Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley "The structure and function of California grasslands have intrigued ecologists for decades. The editors of this volume have assembled a comprehensive set of reviews by a group of outstanding authors on the natural history, structure, management, and restoration of this economically and ecologically important ecosystem."—Scott L. Collins, Professor of Biology, University of New Mexico
Download or read book Forgotten Grasslands of the South written by Reed F. Noss and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2012-12-03 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forgotten Grasslands of the South is the study of one of the biologically richest and most endangered ecosystems in North America. In a seamless blend of science and personal observation, renowned ecologist Reed Noss explains the natural history of southern grasslands, their origin and history, and the physical determinants of grassland distribution, including ecology, soils, landform, and hydrology. In addition to offering fascinating new information about these little-studied ecosystems, Noss demonstrates how natural history is central to the practice of conservation. Although theory and experimentation have recently dominated the field of ecology, ecologists are coming to realize how these distinct approaches are not divergent but complementary, and that pursuing them together can bring greater knowledge and understanding of how the natural world works and how we can best conserve it. This long-awaited work sets a new standard for scientific literature and is essential reading for those who study and work to conserve the grasslands of the South as well as for everyone who is fascinated by the natural world.
Download or read book The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States written by Chris Helzer and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2009-05 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most prairies exist today as fragmented landscapes, making thoughtful and vigilant management ever more important. Intended for landowners and managers dedicated to understanding and nurturing their prairies as well as farmers, ranchers, conservationists, and all those with a strong interest in grasslands, ecologist Chris Helzer’s readable and practical manual educates prairie owners and managers about grassland ecology and gives them guidelines for keeping prairies diverse, vigorous, and viable. Chapters in the first section, "Prairie Ecology," describe prairie plants and the communities they live in, the ways in which disturbance modifies plant communities, the animal and plant inhabitants that are key to prairie survival, and the importance of diversity within plant and animal communities. Chapters in the second section, "Prairie Management," explore the adaptive management process as well as guiding principles for designing management strategies, examples of successful management systems such as fire and grazing, guidance for dealing with birds and other species that have particular habitat requirements and with the invasive species that have become the most serious threat that prairie managers have to deal with, and general techniques for prairie restoration. Following the conclusion and a forward-thinking note on climate change, eight appendixes provide more information on grazing, prescribed fire, and invasive species as well as bibliographic notes, references, and national and state organizations with expertise in prairie management. Grasslands can be found throughout much of North America, and the ideas and strategies in this book apply to most of them, particularly tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies in eastern North Dakota, eastern South Dakota, eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma, northwestern Missouri, northern Illinois, northwestern Indiana, Iowa, southwestern Wisconsin, and southwestern Minnesota. By presenting all the factors that promote biological diversity and thus enhance prairie communities, then incorporating these factors into a set of clear-sighted management practices, The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States presents the tools necessary to ensure that grasslands are managed in the purposeful ways essential to the continued health and survival of prairie communities.
Download or read book The Desert Grassland written by Mitchel P. McClaran and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2023-05-23 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mixed grass and shrub vegetation known to scientists as desert grassland is common to the basins and valleys that skirt the mountain ranges throughout southwestern North America, extending from Arizona, New Mexico and Texas down through thirteen Mexican states. This variegated ground cover is crucial to life in an arid environment. The Desert Grassland offers the most comprehensive study to date of these flora and the rich biotic communities they support. Leading experts in geography, biology, botany, zoology, and geoscience present new research on the desert grassland and review a vast amount of earlier work. They reveal that present-day grasses once grew in the ice-age forests that existed in these areas before the climate dried and the trees vanished and how the intensity and frequency of fire can influence the plant and animal species of the grassland. They also document how the influence of humans—from Amerindians to contemporary ranchers, public land managers, and real estate developers—has changed the relative abundance of woody and herbaceous species and how the introduction of new plants and domesticated animals to the area has also affected biodiversity. The book concludes with a review of the attempts, both failed and successful, to reestablish plants in desert grasslands affected by overgrazing, drought, and farm abandonment. Meticulously researched and copiously illustrated, The Desert Grassland is a major contribution to ecological literature. For advanced lay readers as well as students and scholars of history, geography, and ecology, it will be a standard reference work for years to come.
Download or read book Grasslands and Climate Change written by David J. Gibson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-03-21 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive assessment of the effects of climate change on global grasslands and the mitigating role that ecologists can play.
Download or read book Grassland Restoration and Management written by David Blakesley and published by Pelagic Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2016-04-11 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following the destruction of 95% of meadows during the twentieth century, there is an urgent need to understand what little unspoiled habitat remains in order to plan the management and restoration of existing sites, as well as re-creating future grassland habitats. This book is a much-needed guide to grassland restoration and management. Providing a thorough overview of recent research on grassland restoration and its implications for practical grassland restoration and management, it introduces grassland communities and the wildlife they support, including examples of species of conservation concern, and considers the management of semi-natural grassland habitats with particular emphasis on drier grassland habitats. Chapters cover: - Grassland character and communities - Introduction to grassland wildlife - Managing semi-natural grassland - Grassland restoration – threats and challenges - Opportunities in grassland restoration - Plant material for grassland restoration - Defining success in grassland restoration. A variety of management techniques are examined, including soil amendment, cultivation, harvesting and maintenance in creating suitable conditions for the successful restoration of species-rich grasslands. It is essential reading for conservationists, site owners or managers, practitioners, conservation organizations and students of ecological restoration with an interest in the creation of new grassland habitats, the restoration of semi-natural grassland, as well as the continuing management of semi-natural (unimproved) grassland communities.
Download or read book Population Biology of Grasses written by G. P. Cheplick and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1998-03-28 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dynamics.
Download or read book Grassland a global resource written by D.A. McGilloway and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2023-08-28 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The concept of grasslands as a global resource is not new. Indeed many recognised authorities have been canvassing for a global approach to understanding, managing and exploiting this resource for many years. This is the first book that gathers together leading experts from around the world to outline our current understanding of this complex ecosystem, the ways in which it can be enhanced and utilised and where the research challenges are for the future. The following themes unite the book: - Efficient production from grassland; - Grassland and the environment; - Delivering the benefits from grassland. The reader is given an in depth understanding of the biology of the system and how grasslands are crucial for soil stabilisation and water quality. Secondly, much attention is given to how grasslands offer the possibility of increasing food supply and income generation, which is a hugely important but often ignored facet in today’s climate of extensification and biodiversity. Current advances in the grassland sciences have a proven potential to promote the economic development and environmental stability of regions, nations and peoples, particularly in some of the most resource-limited areas of the world. Approaches for achieving the most effective development and adoption of new technology are reviewed."
Download or read book Grassland Invertebrates written by Jim P. Curry and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 1993-11-30 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Grasslands comprise more than a quarter of the Earth's land surface. In addition to supporting a wide range of vertebrates such as domestic livestock and a variety of games species, grassland is the natural habitat for a wide range of invertebrate species, and this book considers those which occur in grassland and their impact on soil fertility and herbage growth. It describes grassland as a habitat for invertebrates, the groups which occur there and their abudance. An extensive literature on grassland invertebrates scattered through numerous scientific journals and reports is drawn on in an attempt to develop an overview. In the opening chapter the major grassland types are considered and the features which influence the distribution and abudance of the invertebrates which inhabit them are discussed. Next the major taxonomic groups are reviewed in turn, with a brief account of their biology and ecology and of their ecosystem role. Some general features of grassland invertebrate communities are then described and teh factors which influence th epopulation densities of their constituent species are considered. Particular attentionm is given to the ways in which populations are influenced by management practices. The final and largest chapterdeals with the various ways in which invertebrates influence important grassland processes through ingestion of organic matter, interaction with injurious species is considered, with particular emphasis on the potential for achieving this through manipulating grassland management practices.
Download or read book The Biology and Utilization of Grasses written by V Younger and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 447 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Biology and Utilization of Grasses reviews current knowledge about grass biology, and it highlights the important role of grasses in human existence. It discusses many fundamental aspects of grass biology, including evolution and genetics, morphology, physiology, and ecology, with emphasis on the relationship of these basic concepts to the use of grasses for forage, turf, and rangelands. Comprised of 28 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the evolution and genetics of the grass family, followed by a discussion on practical grass-breeding problems. The reader is also introduced to vegetative growth and development of seedlings and mature plants; the ecological aspects of grasses; soils and mineral nutrition in relation to grass growth; the effects of defoliation (moving or grazing); carbohydrate reserves; physiology of flowering; and grass seed production and culture treatments. Other chapters consider the role of polyploidy in the evolution and distribution of grasses; selection and breeding of grasses for forage and other uses; seedling vigor and seedling establishment; environmental modification for seedling establishment; the microclimate of grass communities; effects on turf grass of cultural practices in relation to microclimate; and competition within the grass community. This book will be of benefit to plant breeders, ecologists, botanists, and biologists.
Download or read book Perspectives in Grassland Ecology written by Norman R. French and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Production Ecology of British Moors and Montane Grasslands written by O.W. Heal and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The International Biological Programme (IBP) was a cooperative effort on the part of scientists throughout the world, whose goal was an integrated study of the basic processes of biological productivity. The challenge of meeting the increasing food needs of a growing population demands optimum productivity from natural and managed ecosystems, which has not hitherto appeared to be compatible with the maintenance of environmental quality. The basic problem in natural resource development is how to transfer the high productivity and stability characteristic of natural ecosystems to managed ecosystems whose yield is in more useable form. The IBP studies aimed to investigate the basic production parameters of natural ecosystems, for use as base lines to assess the factors which control agricultural production (Worthington, 1975). It was realised that much was to be gained by close cooperation between the countries within IBP, to describe global patterns of production and to utilise fully the limited financial resources and scientifically qualified personel available in the various disciplines in individual countries. Within the Terrestrial Productivity section (PT) four major habitat types (Biomes) have been recognised-woodland, grassland, aridland and tundra. In each Biome the ecosystem structure and production, the interrelationships of the various components, and the factors influencing the operation of the systems, have been analysed.
Download or read book Ecology of the Shortgrass Steppe written by W. K. Lauenroth and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2008-08-28 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecology of the Shortgrass Steppe: A Long-Term Perspective summarizes and synthesizes more than sixty years of research that has been conducted throughout the shortgrass region in North America. The shortgrass steppe was an important focus of the International Biological Program's Grassland Biome project, which ran from the late 1960s until the mid-1970s. The work conducted by the Grassland Biome project was preceded by almost forty years of research by U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers-primarily from the Agricultural Research Service-and was followed by the Shortgrass Steppe Long-Term Ecological Research project. This volume is an enormously rich source of data and insight into the structure and function of a semiarid grassland.
Download or read book About Habitats written by Cathryn P. Sill and published by Peachtree Publishers. This book was released on 2007 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new series for the very young highlights the defining characterisitics of habitats, including the plant and animal life, using examples from around the world. Award-winning author Cathryn Sill and her husband, noted wildlife illustrator John Sill, offer young readers a first glimpse into desert habitats. In simple, easy-to-understand language, this guide teaches children what deserts are, what kinds of animals and plants live there, and how certain species have adapted to the unique challenges of surviving in this harsh environment. John Sill's beautifully detailed, full-color illustrations reflect the diversity of desert topography-from the vast dunes of the Arabian Desert to the rocky Chihuahuan Desert in the southwestern U.S.-and the astonishing varieties of desert wildlife. A glossary and afterword provide young readers with further fascinating details on the desert, its creatures, and its conditions.
