Ecology and Biogeography of Pinus

Pinus is a remarkable genus of trees with a very large distribution range in the northern hemisphere. Where they occur, pines usually form the dominant vegetation cover and are extremely important components of ecosystems. They also provide a wide range of products for human use. In many cases exploitation and other human pressures are threatening the survival of natural pine forests, although pines are now also widely grown in commercial plantations, both within and outside their natural range. This book presents a definitive review of pine ecology and biogeography written by forty of the world's leading authorities on this important genus. In the face of increasing human pressure and global climate change, it provides an essential source of reference for all those concerned with the management of natural and planted pine forests.

Table of Contents:
Part I. Introduction: 1. Ecology and biogeography of Pinus - an introduction D. Richardson and P. Rundel; Part II. Evolution, Phylogeny and Systematics: 2. Phylogeny and sytematics of Pinus R. Price, A. Liston and S. Strauss; 3. Early evolution of pines C. Millar; Part III. Historical Biogeography: 4. The late Quaternary history of pines in northern Asia C. Kremenetski, K. Liu and G. MacDonald; 5. The late Quaternary history of pines in Europe K. Willis, K. Bennet and J. Birks; 6. The late Quaternary history of pines in northern North America G. MacDonald, L. Cwynar and C. Whitlock; 7. The history of pines in Mexico and Central America J. Perry, A. Graham, and D. Richardson; Part IV. Macroecology and Recent Biogeography: 8. Pines of the Mediterrranean Basin M. Barbéro, R. Loisel, P. Quézel, D. Richardson and F. Romane; 9. The recent history of pinyon pines in the American southwest R. Lanner and T. van Devender; 10. Macroecological limits to the abundance and distribution of Pinus G. Stevens and B. Enquist; Part V. Ecological Themes: 11. Fire and pine ecosystems J. Agee; 12. Evolution and life histories of Pinus J. Keely and P. Zedler; 13. Genetic variation in Pinus F. Ledig; 14. Seed dispersal in Pinus R. Lanner; 15. Ecophysiology of Pinus P. Rundel and B. Yoder; 16. The mycorrhizal state of Pinus D. Read; 17. Effects of pines on soil properties and processes M. Scholes and T. Nowicki; 18. Insect-pine interactions P. de Groot and J. Turgeon; 19. Diseases and the ecology of indigenous and exotic pines T. Harrington and M. Wingfield; Part VI. Pines and Humans: 20. Pines in cultivation: a global view D. Le Maitre; 21. Pinus radiata: a narrow endemic of North America takes on the world P. Lavery and D. Mead; 22. Pines as invaders in the southern hemisphere D. Richardson and S. Higgins; Glossary; Glossary of English common names for pines; Taxonomic index; Subject index.

Review :
'… covers a wide range of topics relating to pine with sufficient depth and clarity to be of interest to the specialist and general reader alike … [a] huge achievement.' Janice Fuller, The Holocene 'To put a book like this together … is a major task and Dave Richardson is to be congratulated with the result as are the 40 contributors … a most welcome and beautifully executed new 'handbook' to the ecology and biogeography of Pinus … highly recommended to all serious students and aficionados of the pines of the world.' Aljos Farjon, Commonwealth Forestry Review 'This book presents a definitive review of pine ecology and biogeography … an essential reference for all concerned with the management of natural and planted pine forests.' Cab Abstracts 'It is something that all serious ecologists, foresters and biogeographers should read, and will no doubt be an important reference for many years to come.' B. W. van Wilgen, South African Journal of Science 'This book presents a definitive view of pine ecology and biogeography. It is an essential source of reference for all those concerned with the management of natural and planted pines.' Agroforestry News 'This book deserves to remain the standard reference work on the genus for many years.' John Parnell, Journal of Ecology 'David Richardson … has expertly edited an extremely useful manual on the genus Pinus.' S. Woodward, Forestry ' … all concerned are to be congratulated upon the production of this splendid book, which should be on the shelves of all libraries covering trees and forests.' Arboricultural Journal 'The resulting book is a monumental synthesis of these topics for arguably the most important tree genus in the world.' BioScience 'The editors, authors, Cambridge University Press and all concerned are to be congratulated upon the production of this splendid book, which should be on the shelves of all libraries covering trees and forests.' Arboricultural Journal