Terrestrial Ecosystems

Part I. Introduction: The Nature of Ecosystem Studies. The Development of Ecosystem Concepts. Survey of Terrestrial. Methods of Ecosystem Measurement I: Carbon Balance. Methods of Ecosystem Measurement II: Water and Nutrient Balance. Concepts and Terminology. Part II. Mechanisms: Processes Controlling Ecosystem Function. Resource Availability, Resource Use and Primary Production. Energy, Water and Carbon Balances on Leaves. Canopy Structure and Total Potential Photosynthesis. Soil Chemistry and Nutrient Availability. Biological Allocation and Net Primary Productivity. Resource Allocation and Net Primary Productivity. Organic Matter Breakdown: Mechanisms of Carbon and Nutrient Release. Decomposition of Litter. Humus Formation, Stabilization and Decomposition. Summary Effects of Production and Decomposition on Generalized Nutrient Cycles. Factors Limiting Consumption: Plant-Herbivore Interactions. Characteristics of Ecosystems with High Rates of Herbivory. The Role of Fire in Carbon and Nutrient Balances. Part III. Synthesis: Disturbance, Succession and Ecosystem Function in Specific Ecosystems. A Fire-Dominated Ecosystem: The Taiga of Interior Alaska. The Serengeti: An Herbivore-Dominated Ecosystem. A Decomposition-Dominated Ecosystem: The Northern Hardwood Forests of the Northeastern U.S.. Part IV. Application: Ecosystem Principles Applied to Management and Regional and Global Environmental Problems. Computer Modeling and an Application to Forest Management. Agricultural Ecosystems. Acid Deposition and Northern Forests. Global Ecology and the Global Carbon Question.