Titre :	The biology of deserts
Type de document :	livre
Auteurs :	David Ward, Auteur
Mention d'édition :	1st ed.
Editeur :	New York : Oxford University Press, NY
Année de publication :	2009
Collection :	The biology of habitats
Importance :	339 p.
ISBN/ISSN/EAN :	978-0-19-921147-0
Langues :	Anglais (eng)
Mots-clés :	Biodiversity  Desert ecology  Resource conservation  Species interactions
Résumé :	Le site éditeur indique : This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology, and adopts a strong evolutionary focus. As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in the book is on the organisms that dominate this harsh environment, although conservation and experimental aspects are also considered. Deserts are defined by their arid conditions; a consequence of this aridity is that most of the area occupied by desert is barren and monotonous, leading many people to regard it as wasteland. However, deserts are widespread and represent surprisingly biodiverse environments, although it is the relative simplicity of these ecosystems that makes them more tractable for study than more complex environments. In these resource-poor locations, natural selection is working at its greatest extreme, and provides some of the best-known examples of Darwinian selection. The Biology of Deserts includes a wide range of ecological and evolutionary issues, including morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants and animals, species interactions, the importance of predation and parasitism, food webs, biodiversity, and conservation. It features a balance of plant and animal (both invertebrate and vertebrate) examples, and also emphasizes topical applied issues such as desertification and invasive species. The book concludes by considering the positive aspects of desert conservation.
En ligne :	https://academic.oup.com/book/11717

The biology of deserts [livre] / David Ward, Auteur  . -  1st ed. . - New York : Oxford University Press, NY, 2009 . - 339 p.. - (The biology of habitats) .
ISBN : 978-0-19-921147-0
Langues : Anglais (eng)

Mots-clés :	Biodiversity  Desert ecology  Resource conservation  Species interactions
Résumé :	Le site éditeur indique : This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology, and adopts a strong evolutionary focus. As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in the book is on the organisms that dominate this harsh environment, although conservation and experimental aspects are also considered. Deserts are defined by their arid conditions; a consequence of this aridity is that most of the area occupied by desert is barren and monotonous, leading many people to regard it as wasteland. However, deserts are widespread and represent surprisingly biodiverse environments, although it is the relative simplicity of these ecosystems that makes them more tractable for study than more complex environments. In these resource-poor locations, natural selection is working at its greatest extreme, and provides some of the best-known examples of Darwinian selection. The Biology of Deserts includes a wide range of ecological and evolutionary issues, including morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants and animals, species interactions, the importance of predation and parasitism, food webs, biodiversity, and conservation. It features a balance of plant and animal (both invertebrate and vertebrate) examples, and also emphasizes topical applied issues such as desertification and invasive species. The book concludes by considering the positive aspects of desert conservation.
En ligne :	https://academic.oup.com/book/11717