Inselbergs are isolated rock outcrops that stand out abruptly from surrounding plains. Despite the widespread occurrence of granite inselbergs throughout all climatic and vegetational zones, their remarkably rich plant life was largely neglected in the recent literature. This richly and partly in color illustrated volume provides a detailed survey of all major abiotic and biotic features characteristic for inselbergs. The extreme environmental conditions on inselbergs are described in depth as well as specific adaptive traits of rock outcrop plants including their morphological, anatomical and physiological responses. The diversity and structure of inselberg plant communities are examined on a global scale with detailed regional accounts for different tropical and temperate zones.
The Origins of Mountains approaches mountains from facts about mountain landscapes rather than theory. The book illustrates that almost everywhere, mountains arose by vertical uplift of a former plain, and by a mixture of cracking and warping by earth movements, and erosion by rivers and glaciers, the present mountainous landscapes were created. It also gives evidence that this uplift only occured in the last few million years, a time scale which does not fit the plate tectonics theory. Another fascinating part of the evidence, shows that mountain uplift correlates very well with climatic change. Mountain building could have been responsible for the onset of the ice age. It certainly resulted in the creation of new environments. Fossil plants and animals are used in places to work out the time of mountain uplift, which in turn helps to explain biogeographical distributions.
During the past few decades climatic geomorphology has been substantially enlarged in knowledge, thanks to numerous detailed investigations, the application of a large number of techniques, and the acquisition of abundant absolute dates. The challenge of predicting the effects of the prophesied future global warming on morphogenetic processes and landforms has encouraged geomorphologists to study the Late Pleistocene and Holocene climatic changes from the geomorphological and geological record. The advances achieved in the field of climatic geomorphology during the past years are reflected by the publication of several specific monographs about the different morphoclimatic zones. The aim of this book is to provide an up-to-date general view of this branch of geomorphology. It includes a chapter on applied geomorphology for each morphoclimatic zone providing an approximation of the main environmental problems. Geoscientists, geomorphologists
This book provides a detailed coverage of the landforms of Planet Earth and the processes that shaped them. The study of these morphologies, some of which formed during past geological periods under environmental conditions very different from those of today, makes it possible to reconstruct the evolution of relief and to infer environmental changes that have involved geological media, the climate, or human activity. A major advance of Geomorphology in recent decades is the development of techniques that make it possible to quantify morphogenetic processes and rates at which forms change under different environmental conditions. The development of Geochronology, or absolute dating methods, is helping us correct the limitations of relative dating that have prevailed in Geomorphology for many years. The ability to assign numerical ages to both landforms and deposits opens up multiple possibilities for reconstructing the evolution of relief, making correlations, calculating rates, and estimating recurrence periods. A theme of major concern facing people today is the possible warming of the planet due to the release of greenhouse gases into the environment. Investigations conducted by the scientific community show that this temperature increase is at least partially anthropogenic. Given this more-than-probable cause and effect relationship, the most sensible and prudent path is to design and apply mitigation measures to alleviate this heating that can negatively affect both the natural environment and human society. The information that Geomorphology can provide on the recent past (Historical Geomorphology) may be very useful in making predictions on the activity of these potentially dangerous processes in the future and on the possible effects of environmental changes. The aim of this book is to provide a general vision of the multiple aspects of Geomorphology and to provide a methodological foundation to approach the study of various branches of geomorphology. To this end, the book contains a basic bibliography that can be used for future research. In addition, applied aspects of Geomorphology are covered at the end of each chapter to provide knowledge of the activities of geomorphologists in the professional world.
A major area of interest in French geomorphology during the last quarter of a cen- tury has been to understand denudation chronologies and the legacies of environ- mental change in shield regions. The mechanisms and consequences on landform patterns of differential erosion in plutonic, metamorphic and related cover rocks have been approached from the double angle of structural landforms in the landscape and petrographical, mineralogical and geochemical analysis in the laboratory. The detailed study of layered igneous intrusions has been particularly helpful in making progress more generally in the understanding of crystalline landform configurations of base- ment terrains. The Laboratoire de Geographic Physique CNRS-URAiai. nowreformed as twin research units (Paris: CNRS-UMR8591, and Clermont-Ferrand: CNRS-UPRES- A6042), and itsprecursor research group at the Sorbonne under the guidance of Pierre Birot, constituted the spawning ground for French research on the geomorphology of basement terrains. Alain Godard masterminded much of the research synthesised in this volume, which isbased on apreviously publishededition in French. YannickLageat and Jean-Jacques Lagasquie have not only upheld the spirit of this school of geomor- phology but also introduced novel concepts and methods to the investigation of crys- talline terrains. They have also maintained geomorphological research abreast of con- temporarydevelopments in the geosciences. YanniGunnell translated the original text into English, adapted the figures and introduced a measure of editing, updating and explicating in order to make the volume more accessible - not only to a non franco- phone audience, but to an audience unfamiliarwith the intellectual undercurrents and 30 years.
"Fundamentals of Biogeography presents an appealing introduction for students and all those interested in gaining a deeper understanding of key topics and debates within the fields of biogeography, ecology, and the environment. Revealing how life has been and is adapting to its biological and physical surroundings, Huggett stresses the role of ecological, historical, and human factors in fashioning animal and plant distributions, and explores how biogeography can inform conservation practice."--Jacket.
This Encyclopedia of Tropical Biology and Conservation Management is a component of the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Tropical environments cover the most part of still preserved natural areas of the Earth. The greatest biodiversity, as in terms of animals and plants, as microorganisms, is placed in these hot and rainy ecosystems spread up and below the Equator line. Additionally, the most part of food products, with vegetal or animal origin, that sustain nowadays human beings is direct or undirected dependent of tropical productivity. Biodiversity should be looked at and evaluated not only in terms of numbers of species, but also in terms of the diversity of interactions among distinct organisms that it maintains. In this sense, the complexity of web structure in tropical systems is a promise of future to nature preservation on Earth. In the chemicals of tropical plant and animals, could be the cure to infinite number of diseases, new food sources, and who knows what more. Despite these facts tropical areas have been exploited in an irresponsible way for more than 500 years due the lack of an ecological conscience of men. Exactly in the same way we did with temperate areas and also tropical areas in the north of Equator line. Nowadays, is estimated that due human exploitation, nation conflicts and social problems, less than 8% of tropical nature inside continental areas is still now untouchable. The extension of damage in the tropical areas of oceans is unknown. Thus so, all knowledge we could accumulate about tropical systems will help us, as in the preservations of these important and threatened ecosystems as in a future recuperation, when it was possible. Only knowing the past and developing culture, mainly that directed to peace, to a better relationship among nations and responsible use and preservation of natural resources, human beings will have a long future on Earth. These volumes, Tropical Biology and Natural Resources was divided in sessions to provide the reader the better comprehension possible of issue and also to enable future complementation and improvements in the encyclopedia. Like we work with life, we intended to transform this encyclopedia also in a “life” volume, in what new information could be added in any time. As president of the encyclopedia and main editor I opened the theme with an article titled: “Tropical Biology and Natural resources: Historical Pathways and Perspectives”, providing the reader an initial view of the origins of human knowledge about the tropical life, and what we hope to the future. In the sequence we have more than 100 chapters distributed in tem sessions: Tropical Ecology (TE); Tropical Botany (TB); Tropical Zoology (TZ); Savannah Ecosystems (SE); Desert Ecosystems (DE); Tropical Agriculture (TA); Natural History of Tropical Plants (NH); Human Impact on Tropical Ecosystems (HI); Tropical Phytopathology and Entomology (TPE); Case Studies (CS). This 11-volume set contains several chapters, each of size 5000-30000 words, with perspectives, applications and extensive illustrations. It is the only publication of its kind carrying state-of-the-art knowledge in the fields of Tropical Biology and Conservation Management and is aimed, by virtue of the several applications, at the following five major target audiences: University and College Students, Educators, Professional Practitioners, Research Personnel and Policy Analysts, Managers, and Decision Makers and NGOs.
It may well be said that there can be no geography which concerns itself with the actual shape and form of the land surface, solid rode, the configuration and extent of the seas and oceans, the enveloping atmosphere without which life as we know it content exist, the physical process which take place in that atmosphere. This book has been designed to cover the syllabus of physical geography required for the B.A. Students of the Indian Universities. The subject matter has been arranged so as to provide clear and integrated approach to the subject with all essential tools of application geography for B.A. curriculum. Contents: Weathering and Mass Movement, Lakes and Plains, Wind and Aeolian Landforms, Glaciers and Glaciated Topography, Periglacial Processes and Landforms, Running Water (River) and Fluvial Landforms, Groundwater and Karst Topography, Sea Waves and Coastal Landforms, Cycle of Erosion, Rejuvenation and Polycyclic Reliefs, Cyclones, Anticyclones and Frontogenesis, Drainage System and Patterns.
