Forest Ecosystems

This acclaimed textbook is the most comprehensive available in the field of forest ecology. Designed for advanced students of forest science, ecology, and environmental studies, it is also an essential reference for forest ecologists, foresters, and land managers. The authors provide an inclusive survey of boreal, temperate, and tropical forests with an emphasis on ecological concepts across scales that range from global to landscape to microscopic. Situating forests in the context of larger landscapes, they reveal the complex patterns and processes observed in tree-dominated habitats. The updated and expanded second edition covers * Conservation* Ecosystem services * Climate change* Vegetation classification* Disturbance* Species interactions* Self-thinning* Genetics* Soil influences* Productivity* Biogeochemical cycling* Mineralization* Effects of herbivory* Ecosystem stability

Table of Contents:
Preface 1. Introduction 1.1. Why Study Ecosystems? 1.2. State of the World's Forests 1.3. The Study of Nature: Balance and Flux 1.4. A Brief Overview of the Book 1.5. Summary 2. Basic Terminology and Concepts 2.1. Some Basic Concepts 2.2. The Subdisciplines of Ecology 2.3. The Nature of Systems 2.4. Summary 3. Forests as Part of the Global Ecosystem 3.1. A Brief Look at the Global Ecosystem 3.2. Ecosystem Services Provided by Forests 3.3. Forests and Human Health 3.4. Summary 4. Major Forest Types and Their Climatic Controls 4.1. The Influence of Climate on Forest Type 4.2. Latitudinal Gradients in Forest Characteristics 4.3. How Will Global Climate Change Affect the Distribution of Forests? 4.4. Summary 5. Local Variation in Community Type: The Landscape Mosaic 5.1. A Case History 5.2. Topoedaphic Influences on Vegetation Patterns 5.3. The Emergent Landscape: Integration of Topography, Soils, and Disturbance 5.4. Vegetation Classification 5.5. Summary 6. Change in Time: An Overview 6.1. Earth Music 6.2. Summary 7. Disturbance in Forest Ecosystems 7.1. The Complex Nature of Disturbance 7.2. Fire 7.3. Wind 7.4. Tectonic Activity 7.5. Flooding 7.6. Invasive Species 7.7. Summary 8. Patterns and Mechanisms of Succession 8.1. Historical Notes 8.2. Compositional and Structural Change during Succession 8.3. Mechanisms of Succession 8.4. Ecosystem Changes during Succession 8.5. The Emergent Landscape Revisited 8.6. Summary 9. The Structure of Local Ecosystems 9.1. Forest Structure 9.2. Habitat and Niche 9.3. Food Webs: Pathways of Energy Flow within Ecosystems 9.4. Niche Overlap and Diversification 9.5. The Tradeoff between Dominance and Diversity 9.6. Scales of Diversity 9.7. Summary 10. How Biodiversity Is Created and Maintained 10.1. Forces That Generate and Maintain Diversity within Communities 10.2. The Variation of Species Richness amongEnvironments 10.3. Relationships between Forest Structure and the Diversity of Animals and Microbes 10.4. Forces Producing Diversity in Trees and Other Forest Plants 10.5. Summary 11. The Biological Web: Interactions among Species 11.1. The Structure of Relationships within Communities 11.2. Interactions between Two Species: Basic Concepts 11.3. Mutualisms 11.4. Competition 11.5. Higher-Order Interactions 11.6. Summary 12. Size-Density Relationships in Forests over Time and across Space 12.1. Self-Thinning: An Orderly Process 12.2. Size-Density Relationships in Forests: The Spatial Dimension 12.3. Summary 13. Genetic and Evolutionary Aspects of Species Interactions 13.1. The Role of Biotic Interactions in Evolution 13.2. Community and Ecosystem Genetics 13.3. The Selection of Cooperation within Groups 13.4. Summary 14. Soil: The Fundamental Resource 14.1. What Is Soil? 14.2. The Soil Profile 14.3. Physical Properties of Soils 14.4. Chemical Properties of Soils 14.5. Biological Properties of Soils 14.6. Soil Development 14.7. Soil Classification 14.8. Summary 15. Primary Productivity 15.1. Light Capture and Gas Exchange in Canopies 15.2. Respiration by Trees and Ecosystems 15.3. Net Primary Productivity 15.4. Carbon Allocation in Different Environments 15.5. The Limiting Factors of the Environment 15.6. Trees Are Not Prisoners of the Environment 15.7. Productivity in the Twenty-first Century 15.8. Summary 16. Forest Nutrition 16.1. The Essential Nutrients and Their Physiological Roles 16.2. Nutrient Requirements and Limitations 16.3. Diagnosing Nutrient Deficiencies 16.4. The Concept of Relative Addition Rate 16.5. Summary 17. Biogeochemical Cycling: Nutrient Inputs to and Losses from Local Ecosystems 17.1. An Overview of Nutrient Inputs to Local Ecosystems 17.2. Atmospheric Inputs 17.3. Inputs from Weathering of Primary Minerals 17.4. Biological Nitrogen Fixation 17.5. Nutrient Losses from Undisturbed Forests 17.6. Nutrient Losses from Disturbed Forests 17.7. Summary 18. Biogeochemical Cycling: The Intrasystem Cycle 18.1. Overview of the Intrasystem Nutrient Cycle 18.2. The Contribution of Nutrient Cycling to Primary Productivity 18.3. Detritus 18.4. The Intratree Nutrient Cycle 18.5. Throughfall and Stem Flow 18.6. Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling: Some Basic Concepts 18.7. Broad Patterns of Decomposition: The k Value 18.8. Factors Controlling the Rate of Decomposition 18.9. Effects of Food-Chain Interactions on Decomposition, Immobilization, and Mineralization 18.10. Biodiversity Affects Decomposition 18.11. A Closer Look at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur Cycles 18.12. Plant Uptake 18.13. Nutrient Cycling through Succession 18.14. Global Change and Nutrient Cycling 18.15. Summary 19. Herbivores in Forest Ecosystems 19.1. Effects of Herbivory on Primary Productivity 19.2. Factors Controlling Herbivores 19.3. Coevolutionary Balance in Forests 19.4. Summary 20. Ecosystem Stability I: Introduction and Case Studies 20.1. Stability of What? 20.2. Resistance, Resilience, Robustness 20.3. Pollution 20.4. Degrading Forests through Mismanagement 20.5. Loss of Bioregulation: Breaking the Links between Plants and Soils 20.6. Loss of Bioregulation: Breaking the Top-Down Links 20.7. Balls, Dancers, and Dances 20.8. Summary 21. Ecosystem Stability II: The Role of Biodiversity 21.1. May's Paradox 21.2. Intensive Forest Management Simplifies Natural Ecosystems 21.3. Does Biodiversity Stabilize Ecosystems? Yes, But . . . 21.4. Understanding Stabilization Requires Understanding Structure-Function Interactions 21.5. Summary 22. Ecosystem Stability III: Conserving Species 22.1. Conserving Species Means Protecting Habitat 22.2. What Kind of Habitat? A Matter of Balance 22.3. Fine Filters, Coarse Filters, and Pluralism 22.4. Viable Populations 22.5. Landscape Patterns: Fragmentation, Variegation, and Permeation 22.6. Summary 23. The Future 23.1. The Implications of Global Warming 23.2. Maintaining Biological Diversity in Managed Forests 23.3. Coda: The New and the Renewed 23.4. Summary Bibliography Index

About the Author :
David A. Perry is a professor of ecosystem studies at Oregon State University. He is lead editor of Maintaining Long-Term Productivity of Pacific Northwest Ecosystems. Ram Oren is a professor of ecology and chair of the Environmental Sciences and Policy Division of the Nichols School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University. Stephen C. Hart is a professor at Northern Arizona University's School of Forestry.

Review :
In this revised edition, Perry has added leading scientists Oren and Hart to the authorship of this large volume, the most comprehensive book on forest ecosystem ecology so far... The work is easily readable and very exciting... This well-written volume is a must read for graduate students, ecologists, and managers in forestry, ecosystem ecology, and forest management. Choice This acclaimed textbook is the most comprehensive available in the field of forest ecology. Southeastern Naturalist