PLANT STRATEGIES AND THE DYNAMICS AND STRUCTURE OF PLANT COMMUNITIES, Monographs in Population Biology, No. 26

Tilman, David (Univ. of Minnesota)

ISBN 10: 0691084890 / ISBN 13: 9780691084893

Published by Princeton Univ. Press, c. 1988, 2nd ptg. [, 1988

About this Item

] Trade paperback, 5 1/4 x 8 1/2 inches (13.75 x 21.5 cm), olive green printing on ochre-gold paper covers, xii + 360 pages, Fine. Tight, square, unmarked, no signs of wear, no problems. Numerous graphs + b&w photos, tables, etc. At the rear: References, Author Index, Subject Index. RWR5 Plant Biology Ecology Species Competition Resources.

Seller Inventory # 04092

Bibliographic Details

• Title: PLANT STRATEGIES AND THE DYNAMICS AND STRUCTURE OF PLANT COMMUNITIES, Monographs in Population Biology, No. 26
• Publisher: Princeton Univ. Press, c. 1988, 2nd ptg. [
• Publication Date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691084890
• ISBN 13: 9780691084893
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: Fine

About this title

Synopsis

Although ecologists have long considered morphology and life history to be important determinants of the distribution, abundance, and dynamics of plants in nature, this book contains the first theory to predict explicitly both the evolution of plant traits and the effects of these traits on plant community structure and dynamics. David Tilman focuses on the universal requirement of terrestrial plants for both below-ground and above-ground resources. The physical separation of these resources means that plants face an unavoidable tradeoff. To obtain a higher proportion of one resource, a plant must allocate more of its growth to the structures involved in its acquisition, and thus necessarily obtain a lower proportion of another resource. Professor Tilman presents a simple theory that includes this constraint and tradeoff, and uses the theory to explore the evolution of plant life histories and morphologies along productivity and disturbance gradients. The book shows that relative growth rate, which is predicted to be strongly influenced by a plant's proportional allocation to leaves, is a major determinant of the transient dynamics of competition. These dynamics may explain the differences between successions on poor versus rich soils and suggest that most field experiments performed to date have been of too short a duration to allow unambiguous interpretation of their results.

From the Back Cover

This work shows how plant traits, such as relative growth rate, seed size, maximal height, and allocation to stems, roots and leaves, should depend on the productivity and disturbance rate of habitat.