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Zusatztext "What a desert book should be like! written in such fashion that even if you have no interest in deserts whatsoever! you will still enjoy reading the book. Most desert writing is turgid. This book is not." Informationen zum Autor Bruce M. Pavlik, Professor of Biology at Mills College, is coauthor of Oaks of California and California's Changing Landscapes: The Diversity and Conservation of California Vegetation. Klappentext “To see the natural world through Bruce Pavlik's eyes is always a delight, for he is among the finest ecologists and nature writers in the West. But to explore with Bruce the range of California's deserts—their deep history and diversity—is a special treat, for we see them not as 'big empty' wastelands, but as elegant landscapes rich with relationships. Both human and other-than-human beings contribute to these relationships, and no one has told their stories as well as Pavlik has done.”—Gary Nabhan, author of Arab/American: Landscape, Culture, and Cuisine in Two Great Deserts “A bewildering amount of biological and environmental lore has accumulated about our deserts. Bruce Pavlik's highly readable, beautifully illustrated book is a salutary antidote to confusion. It brings together the best current knowledge in a comprehensive form that makes a compelling story as well as a handy reference. Nobody who cares about California's deserts should be without it."—David Rains Wallace, author of Neptune's Ark , Beasts of Eden , and The Klamath Knot “I've been waiting for a book like this, one that captures the very essence of the desert rather than simply cataloging and describing it. Bruce Pavlik is a consummate integrator and storyteller. He makes this 'rediscovery' of the desert as exciting as its initial discovery, proving that you can discover something only once, but you can rediscover it again and again.”—Jeff Lovich, Deputy Director, U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center Zusammenfassung Explores the remarkable diversity of life in this harsh yet fragile quarter of the Golden State. This book illuminates how that diversity, created by drought and heat, has evolved with climate change since the Ice Ages. It also takes the measure of the ecological condition of these deserts, presenting issues of conservation and restoration. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface Acknowledgments INTRODUCTION: THE LOST BASKET REDISCOVERY Coming to Explore Coming to Conquer Coming to Understand Coming to Cherish A CONSPIRACY OF EXTREMES Geography of a Bioregion Climate Geology Soils Waters OPERATION AND ORIGINS Ecosystem Operations in the Desert Bioregion Origins of the Desert Bioregion REMARKABLE BIOTA Biological Diversity: The Richness of Species Evolving with Drought Drought-Susceptible Species Drought-Avoiding Species Drought-Tolerant Species GREATER THAN THE SUM OF THE PARTS Great Basin Communities Mojave Communities Sonoran Communities FUTURE OF AN ARID BIOREGION Current Threats Ecological Remedies Weaving a New Basket References Art Credits Index ...
