Trees, truffles, and beasts : how forests function / / Chris Maser, Andrew W. Claridge, and James M. Trappe

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910811314403321
• Autore: Maser Chris
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: New Brunswick, N.J., : Rutgers University Press, c2008
• ISBN: 1-281-39721-0; 9786611397210; 0-8135-4465-3
• Edizione: [1st ed.]
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (300 pages)
• Altri autori (Persone): ClaridgeAndrew W. <1966->; TrappeJames M
• Disciplina: 577.3
• Soggetti: Forest ecology; Forest ecology - United States; Forest ecology - Australia
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references (p. [241]-258) and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Front matter -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. The Forest We See -- 2. The Unseen Forest -- 3. Trees, Truffles, and Beasts: Coevolution in Action -- 4. Of Animals and Fungi -- 5. The Importance of Mycophagy -- 6. Landscape Patterns and Fire -- 7. Forest Succession and Habitat Dynamics -- 8. Of Lifestyles and Shared Habitats -- 9. Lessons from the Trees, the Truffles, and the Beasts -- Appendix A: North American Common and Scientific Names -- Appendix B: Australian Common and Scientific Names -- Notes -- Glossary -- Index
• Sommario/riassunto: In today's world of specialization, people are attempting to protect the Earth's fragile state by swapping limousines for hybrids and pesticide-laced foods for organic produce. At other times, environmental awareness is translated into public relations gimmicks or trendy commodities. Moreover, simplistic policies, like single-species protection or planting ten trees for every tree cut down, are touted as bureaucratic or industrial panaceas. Because today's decisions are tomorrow's consequences, every small effort makes a difference, but a broader understanding of our environmental problems is necessary to ; the development of sustainable ecosystem policies. In Trees, Truffles, and Beasts, Chris Maser, Andrew W. Claridge, and James M. Trappe make a compelling case that we must first understand the complexity and interdependency of species and habitats from the microscopic level to the gigantic. Comparing forests in the Pacific Northwestern United States and Southeastern mainland of Australia, the authors show how easily observable speciesùtrees and mammalsùare part of a complicated infrastructure that includes fungi, lichens, and organisms invisible to the naked eye, such as microbes. Eminently readable, this important book shows that forests are far more complicated than most of us might think, which means simplistic policies will not save them. Understanding the biophysical intricacies of our life-support systems just might.