Institute of British Geographers Studies in Geography S.
1 total work
This global account of soils, vegetation, fauna and their interactions will meet the needs of university students of geography and environmental science in their first year. The chapters in the first half of the book provide an account of soil formation, of world soils and vegetation and their distributions, and of zoo-geography, including changing species distribution, paleo-biogeography, links with plate tectonics and species invasions and extinction. The second part of the book provides two detailed case studies of vegetation history, one European and the other American. The author then considers the nature of the human impact on tropical and dryland ecosystems, and moves from there to a consideration of soil degradation, conservation, classification and surveys. The role of climate, weather and long and short-term climatic change is considered throughout the book. The book is extensively illustrated with maps, diagrams and photographs, and contains guides for further reading arranged by subject.