J L Cloudsley Thompson Editor (1 results)
- Hardcover
- First Edition
Seller: killarneybooks, Inagh, CLARE, Irelandkillarneybooks
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Hardcover, xii + 177 pages, 84 b&w figures in text, NOT ex-library. Missing the front blank endpaper. Book is clean, untanned, with unmarked text, free of inscriptions and stamps, firmly bound. Issued without a dust jacket. -- This is a landmark study in desert plant ecology, synthes…izing over thirty years of field research across arid regions of Southwest Asia, southern Africa, and the southwestern United States. It offers a systematic exploration of the environmental, morphological, and ecological factors that shape plant life in dune ecosystems. The volume stands out not only for its geographic breadth but for its attention to the interplay between plant structure, life strategy, and the physical and biological dynamics of sand dune habitats. Beginning with a global overview of sand deserts, Danin outlines the patterns and mechanisms of sand mobility - ripples, dune formation, and wind-driven processes - laying the foundation for understanding the physical stresses desert plants must navigate. The text underscores how plants modify dune topography and stabilize substrates, notably through root systems and microbiotic crusts. Central to the book is a detailed classification of dune habitats and corresponding plant strategies. Danin distinguishes between mobile dunes, stabilized sand sheets, and mixed substrates (e.g., sand over bedrock, aquifers, or salt marshes), each associated with distinct vegetation assemblages. The core chapters consist of extensive case studies arranged into ecomorphological types, where specific species are grouped according to their adaptive responses - ranging from deep sand tolerance, deflation resistance, and moisture retention strategies to reproductive dispersal mechanisms. This section, covering genera such as Stipagrostis, Calligonum, Swallenia, and Convolvulus, functions as a typology of desert life forms, linking structure and function to environmental stressors. The author's transect studies across regions such as the Haluza dunes, the Sinai Peninsula, and California's Kelso and Eureka dunes ground his broader ecological theory in empirical data. These transects not only document plant distribution relative to topographic and edaphic gradients but also illuminate successional dynamics, soil texture changes, and zonal community patterns. The comparison of floristic composition across deserts and coastal dunes further sharpens the distinction between ecophysiological constraints of different arid systems. Chapter 7 offers an anatomically grounded analysis of plant adaptations. Danin describes how canopy architecture, stem structures (including rhizomes and rhizodes), leaf morphology (e.g., indumentum, shape), and root systems (including rhizosheaths and mycorrhizal associations) are calibrated to mitigate abrasion, maximize water acquisition, and anchor the plant in unstable substrates. He also categorizes dispersal strategies - dragging, rolling, bouncing diaspores - as functional responses to wind and terrain, drawing comparisons with island biogeography to show convergent evolution in dispersal ecology. In the final comparative chapter, Danin differentiates dune plants from those in extreme deserts and coastal regions through morphological and ecological criteria. This synthesis reinforces the idea that dune environments foster a distinct suite of plant traits shaped by the twin forces of mobility and aridity. Plants of Desert Dunes serves multiple academic purposes: it is a taxonomically rich field guide, a conceptual model of desert adaptation, and a methodological template for ecological fieldwork. Researchers in botany, desert ecology, geomorphology, and environmental science will find it a foundational resource. Its combination of rigorous morphological detail, habitat-specific case studies, and ecological generalization exemplifies the interdisciplinary character of contemporary ecological research in arid environments.
