02663nam 2200469 450 991042463310332120210401235739.03-030-45854-710.1007/978-3-030-45854-6(CKB)4100000011508764(DE-He213)978-3-030-45854-6(MiAaPQ)EBC6381315(PPN)258307056(EXLCZ)99410000001150876420210401d2020 uy 0engurnn|008mamaatxtrdacontentcrdamediacrrdacarrierDesert weeds personal narrative on botanical first responders /Garry Rogers1st ed. 2020.Cham, Switzerland :Springer,[2020]©20201 online resource (XIII, 353 p. 307 illus., 194 illus. in color.) 3-030-45853-9 Includes bibliographical references and index.Preface -- The weed problem -- The lives of weeds -- Controlling weeds -- Weeds, nature conservation, and global warming -- Coldwater farm habitats -- Drawings, paintings, and photographs -- Plant names -- Desert weeds identification -- Field guide -- Conclusion -- Afterword -- References -- Index.In their rapid colonization of soil exposed by fires, floods, and grazing animals, weeds resemble the human specialists we label Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Weeds are the first responders when disasters occur in nature. They occupy bare soil and prevent erosion by wind and water. In extreme cases such as a landslide, weeds are essential to the healing processes that replace the lost soil. Like a Band-Aid on a skinned knee, weeds protect the land while it recovers. Besides protecting the soil after disaster, weeds provide food for wildlife, and some of them provide food and medicine for people. Able to withstand harsh conditions, weeds will proliferate as global warming and other human impacts intensify. Thus, nature’s EMTs will increase while all other plants decline. The book provides a succinct definition of weeds according to their form and function in ecosystem processes. The narrative uses a representative set of weed species from a desert location to illustrate the full range of weed characteristics.Desert plantsDesert ecologyDesert plants.Desert ecology.581.754Rogers Gary1938-1064169MiAaPQMiAaPQMiAaPQBOOK9910424633103321Desert weeds2536680UNINA