The Ecozones of the World: The Ecological Divisions of the Geosphere

Jürgen Schultz

Springer Science & Business Media, Jul 20, 2005 - Nature - 252 pages

Recent studies have greatly contributed to a better understanding of the earth's ecosystem. This abundantly illustrated book provides a fundamental introduction to the ecological zones of the geosphere. Nine terrestrial ecozones have been distinguished and described in individual chapters with respect to: distribution, climate, relief/hydrology, soil vegetation/animal lifeand land use. The first chapter provides the reader with a general introduction to each subject area.

The second edition is a competely revised and updated version. A large number of new Anglo-American ecological studies are included.  The book also includes more than 70 new figures and tables and detailed maps on global agricultural regions and soil classification. Another new feature is the discussion of the correlation between northern ecosystems and the carbon dioxide balance in the global atmosphere.

Contents

• Distribution: 7
• Climate: 11
• 22 The growing season and conditions for plant growth: 14
• Relief and drainage: 17
• Soils: 21
• 42 Soil water budget: 23
• 43 Soil units and soil zones: 26
• Vegetation and animals: 35
• 52 Ecosystem model of ecozone: 38
• 53 Available supply of organic matter in the ecosystem: 40
• 542 Primary production from plant stands: 42
• 543 Production capacity of the worlds plant cover: 43
• 55 Consumption by animals and secondary production: 48
• 56 Waste and decomposition: 49
• 57 Turnover of minerals: 51
• Land use: 55
• The individual ecozones: 61
• Polar subpolar zone: 63
• 72 Climate: 64
• 722 Annual temperature changes in the soil and air layer next to the soil: 65
• 723 Summer solar radiation and heat budget: 67
• 73 Relief and drainage in periglacial areas: 68
• 74 Soils: 72
• 75 Vegetation and fauna in the tundra and polar deserts: 73
• 751 Distribution of vegetation: 74
• 752 Biomass and primary production: 75
• 753 Animals and animal feed: 76
• 754 Decomposition and turnover of minerals: 77
• 755 Model of a tundra ecosystem: 78
• 76 Land use: 80
• Synoptic diagram for the tundra: 81
• Boreal zone: 83
• 82 Climate: 84
• 83 Relief and drainage: 87
• 84 Soils: 89
• 85 Vegetation and animals: 91
• 852 Peat bogs: 92
• 853 Forest tundra polar and forest tree lines: 93
• 854 Biomass and primary production: 94
• 856 Boreal coniferous forest ecosystems: 98
• Synoptic diagram for the Boreal zone: 100
• Temperate midlatitudes: 103
• 93 Relief and drainage: 105
• 94 Soils: 107
• 95 Vegetation and animals: 108
• 951 Seasonally in deciduous forests: 109
• 952 Water budget in forests: 111
• 953 Biomass and primary production growth and litter production: 112
• 954 Mineral budget in midlatitude deciduous broadleaf and boreal coniferous forests: 113
• 955 Model of an ecosystem of a deciduous forest: 118
• Synoptic diagram for the Temperate midlatitudes: 121
• Dry midlatitudes: 123
• 102 Climate: 124
• 103 Relief and drainage: 125
• 1042 Halomorphic soils: 128
• 1051 Types of steppes: 129
• 1052 Lifeform and adaptation to winter cold and summer drought: 130
• 1054 Biomass primary production and decomposition: 131
• 1055 Available supply and turnover of minerals: 134
• 1062 Extensive pasture economy: 136
• Synoptic diagram for steppes: 138
• Subtropics with winter rain: 141
• 112 Climate: 142
• 113 Relief and drainage: 143
• 115 Vegetation and animals: 144
• 1152 Adaptation to summer drought: 146
• 1153 Animals: 148
• 1155 Biomass and primary production: 150
• 116 Land Use: 152
• Synoptic diagram for the Subtropics with winter rain: 154
• Subtropics with yearround rain: 157
• 122 Climate: 158
• 123 Relief and drainage: 159
• 124 Soils: 160
• 125 Vegetation: 161
• 1252 Available supply and turnover in a semievergreen oak forest in the southeastern United States: 162
• 126 Land use: 165
• Synoptic diagram for the Subtropics with yearround rain: 166
• Dry tropics and subtropics: 169
• 132 Climate: 170
• 133 Relief and drainage: 172
• 1333 Stream erosion and wash denudation: 173
• 134 Soils: 174
• 135 Vegetation and animals: 175
• 1351 Vegetation and soil water budget: 176
• 1352 Adaptation to drought and stress: 180
• 1353 Animals in the desert: 183
• 1354 Biomass and primary production: 184
• 136 Land use: 185
• 1362 Oasis agriculture: 187
• Synoptic diagram for tropical thorn savannas and subtropical thorn steppes in the semiarid Dry tropics and subtropics: 189
• Tropics with summer rain: 193
• 142 Climate: 194
• 143 Relief and drainage: 195
• 144 Soils: 198
• 1442 Soil types: 200
• 145 Vegetation and animals: 202
• 1452 Animals: 203
• 1453 Savanna fires: 204
• 1455 Zoomass and animal feed: 206
• 1456 Decomposition of litter: 208
• 1457 Mineral supplies and turnovers: 209
• 146 Land use: 210
• Synoptic diagram for the Tropics with summer rain: 213
• Tropics with yearround rain: 215
• 152 Climate: 216
• 153 Relief and drainage: 217
• 154 Soils: 218
• 155 Vegetation and animals: 221
• 1552 Dynamics of the vegetation: 224
• 1554 Biomass and primary production: 225
• 1555 Animal feed: 226
• 1557 Mineral supplies and turnovers: 227
• 1558 Rainforest ecosystem: 229
• 156 Land use: 230
• Synoptic diagram for the Tropics with yearround rain: 235
• References: 237

Popular passages

Page 243 - Biological Production in a Warm-Temperate Evergreen Oak Forest of Japan. JIBP Synthesis, vol. 18.

Page 239 - Cole, DW; Rapp, M. (1981) Elemental cycling in forest ecosystems. In: Reichle, DE, ed. Dynamic properties of forest ecosystems.

Page 239 - Svoboda, eds, 1992. Arctic Ecosystems in a Changing Climate: An Ecophysiological Perspective. Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Page 243 - Climate warming and the carbon cycle in the permafrost zone of the former Soviet Union, Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 4, pp.

Page 244 - Ludwig, J., Tongway, D., Freudenberger, D., Noble, J. and Hodgkinson, K. (1997). Landscape ecology, function and management: principles from Australia's rangelands. CSIRO Publishing, Canberra.

Page 241 - Hegarty, EE 1991. Leaf litter production by lianes and trees in a subtropical Australian rain forest.

Page 246 - Nadelhoffer, KJ, Giblin, AE, Shaver, GR, and Linkins, AE (1992). Microbial processes and plant nutrient availability in arctic soils. In "Arctic Ecosystems in a Changing Climate, an Ecophysiological Perspective.

Page 246 - WT (1991): Atmospheric deposition and foliar leaching in a regenerating southern Appalachian forest canopy.

Page 237 - AOKI, M., YABUKI, K. & KOYAMA, H. 1975. Micrometeorology and assessment of primary production of a tropical rain forest in West Malaysia.

Page 238 - Boose, ER, Foster, DR, Fluet, M., 1994. Hurricane impacts to tropical and temperate forest landscapes. Ecol. Monogr. 64, 369400.

About the author

Jurgen Schultz is professor of physical geography at the Technical University (Rheinisch-Westfalische Hochschule, RWTH) in Aachen.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Ecozones of the World: The Ecological Divisions of the Geosphere
• Author: Jürgen Schultz
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media, 2005
• ISBN: 3540200142, 9783540200147
• Length: 252 pages
• Subjects: Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection; Science / Earth Sciences / Geography; Science / Earth Sciences / Geology; Science / Life Sciences / Biology; Science / Life Sciences / Ecology; Technology & Engineering / Agriculture / General