Plant Functional Types
Their Relevance to Ecosystem Properties and Global Change
Published on 13. May 1997
Book
Hardback
383 pages
978-0-521-48231-8 (ISBN)
Description
Attempts to model the effects of global change are inhibited by a lack of information about how individual plant and animal species will respond. One way of reducing the problem is to develop models treating a smaller number of groups or 'functional types' with similar characteristics. This 1977 book describes approaches and methods for defining these functional types in ways which maximize our potential to predict accurately the responses of real vegetation with real species diversity.
Reviews / Votes
"...an excellent introduction to the concept and use of PFT's and a valuable overview of the state of plant ecology in the 1990's." David A. Wedin, Ecoscience "The strengths of the book are the consistently good quality of the chapters, its continuity of themes and its variety of perspectives...it is excellent for anyone interested in tundra or particularly arid and semiarid ecosystems... I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in functional plant ecology and vegetation response to global change." David Hooper, The Quarterly Review of Biology "Rooted in game theory and treating plants as strategists and gamblers, Plant Functional Types, an undergraduate textbook, considers shape and form as functions of differential energy allocation during the lifetime of plants. The Achilles heel of each strategy is made poignant by looking at the effects of global climate change on species' survival and community composition. A fine example of how to integrate theoretical and applied biology." New Scientist "...the depth and breadth of coverage are impressive....This book is an important addition to a growing library of knowledge related to global change." Thomas R. Crowe, EcoscienceMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
113 line figures 5 halftones 5 plates 25 tables
Dimensions
Height: 255 mm
Width: 179 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
965 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-48231-8 (9780521482318)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
T. M. Smith | H. H. Shugart | F. I. Woodward
Plant Functional Types
Their Relevance to Ecosystem Properties and Global Change
Book
05/1997
Cambridge University Press
€63.00
Shipment within 15-20 days
Additional editions
T. M. Smith | H. H. Shugart | F. I. Woodward
Plant Functional Types
Their Relevance to Ecosystem Properties and Global Change
Book
05/1997
Cambridge University Press
€63.00
Shipment within 15-20 days
Persons
Content
List of contributors; Preface; Part I: 1. What are functional types and how should we seek them? H. Gitay and I. R. Noble; 2. Plant and ecosystem functional types H. H. Shugart; Part II: 3. Plant functional types: towards a definition by environmental constraints F. I. Woodward and C. K. Kelly; 4. Can we use plant functional types to describe and predict responses to environmental change? R. J. Hobbs; 5. Functional types in non-equilibrium ecosystems B. H. Walker; 6. Categorizing plant species into functional types M. Westoby and M. Leishman; 7. Functional types: testing the concept in Northern England J. P. Grime, J. G. Hodgson, R. Hunt, K. Thopson, G. A. F. Hendry, B. D. Campbell, A. Jalili, S. H. Hillier, S. Diaz and M. J. W. Burke; Part III: 8. Plant functional types and ecosystem change in arctic tundras G. R. Shaver, A. E. Giblin, K. J. Nadelhoffer and E. B. Rastetter; 9. Functional types for predicting changes in biodiversity: a case study in Cape Fynbos W. J. Bond; 10. Defining functional types for models of desertification J. F. Reynolds, R. A. Virginia and W. H. Schlesinger; 11. Plant functional types in temperate semi-arid regions O. E. Sala, W. K. Lauenroth and R. A. Golluscio; 12. Interactions between demographic and ecosystem processes in a semi-arid and an arid grassland: a challenge for plant functional types W. K. Lauenroth, D. P. Coffin, I. C. Burke and R. A. Virginia; 13. Plant functional types in African savannas and grasslands R. J. Scholes, G. Pickett, W. N. Ellery and A. C. Blackmore; Part IV: 14. Using plant functional types in a global vegetation model W. Cramer; 15. The use of plant functional type classifications to model the global land cover and simulate the interactions between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere R. Leemans; Part V: 16. Examining the consequences of classifying species into functional types: a simulation model analysis T. M. Smith; 17. Ecosystem function of biodiversity: the basis of the viewpoint H. A. Mooney; 18. Defining plant functional types: the end view F. I. Woodward, T. M. Smith and H. H. Shugart; Index.