Ebook: Terrestrial Vegetation of California

Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Contributors -- Preface -- 1. The History of Vegetation Classification and Mapping in California -- Introduction -- Early Mapping Efforts -- Large Regional Remote Sensing Efforts -- Vegetation Classification in California -- Integrated Vegetation Mapping and Classification -- Developments and Future Directions -- 2. Climate, Paleoclimate, and Paleovegetation -- Introduction -- Modern Climate -- Tertiary Climate Change and Development of California Vegetation -- Summary of Tertiary-Quarternary Climate and Vegetation Change -- Areas for Future Research -- 3. California Soils and Examples of Ultramafic Vegetation -- California Soils -- Soil Taxonomy -- A Medium for Plant Growth -- Geography of Soils in California -- Ultramafic Vegetation -- 4. Nonnative Plants of California -- Introduction -- History -- Invasibility of Californian Habitats -- Control of Nonnative Invasive Plants and Restoration of California's Native Habitats -- Summary -- 5. Estuarine Wetlands -- Introduction -- Abiotic and Biotic Forcing Factors -- Distribution of Estuarine Wetland Systems -- Management and Conservation Issues -- Areas for Future Research -- 6. Beach and Dune -- Introduction -- Geologic Processes -- Vegetation of the Beach -- Vegetation of Nearshore Dunes -- Vegetation of Backdunes -- Naturalized Vegetation -- Physiological Ecology -- Conservation -- Areas for Future Research -- 7. Northern Coastal Scrub and Coastal Prairie -- Introduction -- Northern Coastal Scrub -- Coastal Prairie -- Areas for Future Research -- 8. Sage Scrub -- Introduction -- Environmental Relationships -- Community Composition and Structure -- Ecophysiology -- Disturbance Regimes -- Restoration -- Areas for Future Research -- 9. The California Channel Islands -- Introduction -- Overview of Flora and Vegetation -- Scrub Vegetation Types.;This thoroughly revised, entirely rewritten edition of what is the essential reference on California's diverse and ever-changing vegetation now brings readers the most authoritative, state-of-the-art view of California's plant ecosystems available. Integrating decades of research, leading community ecologists and field botanists describe and classify California's vegetation types, identify environmental factors that determine the distribution of vegetation types, analyze the role of disturbance regimes in vegetation dynamics, chronicle change due to human activities, identify conservation issues, describe restoration strategies, and prioritize directions for new research. Several new chapters address statewide issues such as the historic appearance and impact of introduced and invasive plants, the soils of California, and more.