Read more
This handbook in two volumes synthesises our knowledge about the ecology of Central Europe's plant cover with its 7000-yr history of human impact, covering Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Based on a thorough literature review with 5500 cited references and nearly 1000 figures and tables, the two books review in 26 chapters all major natural and man-made vegetation types with their climatic and edaphic influences, the structure and dynamics of their communities, the ecophysiology of important plant species, and key aspects of ecosystem functioning. Volume I deals with forests and scrub vegetation and analyses the ecology of Central Europe's tree flora, whilst Volume II is dedicated to the non-forest vegetation covering mires, grasslands, heaths, alpine habitats and urban vegetation. The consequences of over-use, pollution and recent climate change over the last century are explored and conservation issues addressed.
List of contents
1. Salt marshes and inland saline habitats.- 2. Sand dunes and their vegetation series.- 3. Mires.- 4. Vegetation of freshwater habitats.- 5. Vegetation of the alpine and nival belts.- 6. Dwarf shrub heaths and Nardus grasslands.- 7. Nutrient-poor dry grasslands.- 8. Agricultural grassland on mesic to wet soils.- 9. Communities on heavy metal-rich soils.- 10. Banks, shorelines and muddy habitats influenced by man.- 11. Ruderal communities on drier soils.- 12. Vegetation of arable fields, gardens and vineyards.- 13. Vegetation of human settlements.- 14. Syntaxonomic overview of the vascular plant communities of Central Europe: Non-forest formations.
Summary
A comprehensive overview and up-to-date synthesis of Central Europe’s open land (non-forest) vegetation including about 3000 references
Gives a complete account of all non-forest vegetation types such as dunes and saltmarshes, mires, ponds and rivers, and alpine vegetation, as well as managed grasslands, heaths, arable and ruderal communities, and urban vegetation, analysing their structure, community ecology, biogeochemistry and dynamics
Includes nearly 500 informative figures, tables and photographs
