Plant Disturbance Ecology: The Process And The Response

Disturbance ecology is still an active area of research and there have been many advances in new areas. One emerging direction in disturbance studies is the increased coupling of physical and ecological processes, and not just their forcing. Disturbances are increasingly traced back further in space and time to mechanisms that are causing the disturbances themselves (e.g. earth surface processes and mesoscale and larger meteorological processes), and the ecological effects being studied are becoming more physiological.

This fully updated second edition will encourage movement away from the informal, conceptual approach traditionally used in defining natural disturbances and clearly present how scientists can use a multitude of approaches in plant disturbance ecology. The three fire chapters from the previous edition have been combined into one, more extensive chapter on fire disturbance. The two beaver chapters have been combined into one, more inclusive chapter on beaver disturbance. There are also new chapters on windstorms, droughts and tree uprooting. All other chapters from the first edition remain and have been updated to include the latest research.

Edited by leading experts in the field with chapters by renowned scientists, Plant Disturbance Ecology 2nd edition, will be an essential resource for scientists interested in understanding plant disturbance and ecological processes.

• Advances understanding of natural disturbances by combining geophysical and ecological processes
• Provides a framework for collaboration between geophysical scientists and ecologists studying natural disturbances
• A fully updated second edition with five new chapters, deletion of six chapters, and revision of the 11 remaining chapters from the first edition