Forest Ecology

Forest Ecology provides comprehensive coverage of the field, focusing on traditional plant ecology topics of tree structure and growth, regeneration, effects of light and temperature on tree physiology, forest communities, succession, and diversity. The work also reviews abiotic factors of light, temperature, physiography (landforms and topography), soil, and disturbance (especially fire), and provides coverage of ecosystem-level topics including carbon storage and balance, nutrient cycling, and forest ecosystem productivity.

The 5th edition of Forest Ecology retains the readability and accessibility of the previous editions and includes important additional topical material that has surfaced in the field. All topics are approached with a landscape ecosystem or geo-ecological view, which places biota (organisms and communities) in context as integral parts of whole ecosystems that also include air (atmosphere and climate), topography, soil, and water. As such, the book fills a niche utilized by no other forest ecology text on the market, helping students and researchers consider whole ecosystems at multiple scales.

Sample topics covered in Forest Ecology include:

• Contemporary components of forest ecology, including climate change, invasive species, diversity, ecological forestry, landscape ecology, and ecosystem services.
• Characteristics of physiography important for forest ecosystems, including its effects on microclimate, disturbance, soil, and vegetation.
• Genetic diversity of woody plants and genecological differentiation of tree species, including the importance of hybridization, polyploidy, and epigenetics.
• Site quality estimation using tree height and ground flora, and multiple-factor approaches to forest site and ecosystem classification and mapping.

Forest Ecology is a highly accessible text for students, but it also serves as an excellent reference for academics. In addition, practitioners of forest ecology can also harness the information within to gain better insight into the field for practical application of concepts.

Contents:

Preface xxiii

PART 1 Forest Ecology and Landscape Ecosystems

1 Concepts of Forest Ecology 3

2 Landscape Ecosystems at Multiple Scales 15

PART 2 The Forest Tree

3 Forest Tree Variation 35

4 Regeneration Ecology 69

5 Tree Structure and Growth 95

PART 3 The Physical Environment

6 Light 123

7 Temperature 143

8 Physiography 167

9 Soil 195

10 Fire 219

11 Site Quality and Ecosystem Evaluation and Classification 237

PART 4 Forest Communities

12 Animals in Forest Ecosystems 269

13 Forest Communities 291

14 Diversity in Forests 327

PART 5 Forest Ecosystem Dynamics

15 Long-Term Forest Ecosystem and Vegetation Change 367

16 Disturbance 381

17 Forest Succession 413

18 Carbon Balance of Trees and Ecosystems 449

19 Nutrient Cycling 487

PART 6 Forests of the Future

20 Climate Change and Forest Ecosystems 537

21 Invasive Species in Forest Ecosystems 587

22 Forest Landscape Ecology 611

23 Sustainability of Forest Ecosystems 639

References 651

Scientific Names of Trees and Shrubs 731

Index 739