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Regional and Local Vegetation Patterns: The Responses of Vegetation Diversity to Subcontinental Air Masses

  • Chapter
Landscape Boundaries

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 92))

Abstract

The prospect of global change, fostered by human impacts on the global climate and by extensive alteration of the natural landscape, has raised concerns over the fate of the earth’s natural biological diversity. Unfortunately, a definitive theory on the causes of biological diversity has been elusive. The absence of such a theory makes it difficult to project the consequences of global change on biodiversity. The ideal theory of biodiversity must, at least, be able to explain the spatial patterns of biodiversity and their changes through time. Our intent, in this chapter, is to explore some of the spatial patterns of biodiversity and to propose a few mechanisms that appear to account for much of this pattern. We are particularly attentive to the potential climatic drivers of spatial patterns of biodiversity.

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Authors
  1. Ronald P. Neilson
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  2. George A. King
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  3. Robert L. DeVelice
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  4. James M. Lenihan
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Andrew J. Hansen

  2. UNESCO, Place de Fontenoy, 75700, Paris, France

    Francesco di Castri (Coordinator for the Environment) (Coordinator for the Environment)

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© 1992 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.

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Neilson, R.P., King, G.A., DeVelice, R.L., Lenihan, J.M. (1992). Regional and Local Vegetation Patterns: The Responses of Vegetation Diversity to Subcontinental Air Masses. In: Hansen, A.J., di Castri, F. (eds) Landscape Boundaries. Ecological Studies, vol 92. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2804-2_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2804-2_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7677-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-2804-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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