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The Cactaceae family, with about 1,600 species, is cultivated worldwide for fruits, forage, fodder, and even as a vegetable. Cacti are recognized for their attractive flowers, special stem shapes, and ability to tolerate drought. Because of their efficient use of water and other adaptations, biological and agronomic interest in cacti has soared. These plants also have much to teach us about biodiversity and conservation. This book, compiled by a well-known cactus biologist, includes chapters by 35 contributors from around the world on topics ranging from evolution to biotechnology. It compiles information on cactus biology, ecology, and uses in one place. The first half of the book provides an overview of cactus biology and morphology, and discusses the environmental and conservation issues that affect the plants, including a discussion of the evolution of the family which pays particular attention to new genetic and molecular approaches. The second half of the book focuses on the practical concerns of cultivating cacti, such as pest control and diseases, horticultural and forage applications, and techniques for agronomy. Other chapters cover the different markets for cacti and products that are made from them.

Grasslands are one of California's most important ecosystems in terms of both biodiversity and economic value. Bringing together the large amount of research conducted in recent years on California's grasslands, this comprehensive, state-of-the-art sourcebook addresses the pressing need to understand this unique habitat. Providing a summary of current grassland science and management, scholars examine the history of grasslands from the Pleistocene through European settlement; describe resources that influence grassland structure and productivity, focusing on water, nutrient dynamics, global environmental change, and soil biology; explore genetics, ecological interactions, grazing systems, and fire; and discuss grassland management, restoration, and public policy.

Early Spanish explorers in the late eighteenth century found springtime California covered with spectacular carpets of wildflowers from San Francisco to San Diego. Yet today, invading plant species have devastated this nearly forgotten botanical heritage. The book synthesizes a unique and wide-ranging array of sources—from the historic accounts of those early explorers to the writings of early American botanists in the nineteenth century, newspaper accounts in the twentieth century, and modern ecological theory—to give the most comprehensive historical analysis available of the dramatic transformation of California's wildflower prairies. At the same time, this book challenges much current thinking on the subject, critically evaluating the hypothesis that perennial bunchgrasses were once a dominant feature of California's landscape. Instead, it argues that wildflowers filled this role. As the book examines the changes in the state's landscape over the past three centuries, it brings new perspectives to topics including restoration ecology, conservation, and fire management.

Based on work spanning a decade, this study of the Maquipucuna area on the western slopes of the Andes discusses the climate, vegetation, ecological relationships, and flora, and emphasizes the importance of the Maquipucuna area as a biological reserve. In addition to the checklist of the flora, which enumerates 1,650 species (including 228 species of pteridophytes and over 200 species of orchids), appendices give information on the floristic composition of communities, distribution of epiphytes, and elevational ranges of families and genera. The illustrations include a map, landscapes, and characteristic species.

This study, the result of nearly a quarter-century of research, examines the island biogeography of plants on continental islands in Barkley Sound, British Columbia. The book summarizes the diversity, dynamics, and distribution of the approximately three hundred species of plants on more than two hundred islands. The author uses his extensive data set to test various aspects of island biogeographic theory. His analysis, constrained by taxon and region, elucidates and enhances the understanding of the biogeographic patterns and dynamics. The author provides an overview of the basic theory, concepts, and analytical tools of island biogeography. Also discussed are island relaxation to lower equilibrium species numbers post-isolation, plant distributions variously limited by island area, isolation and climatic differences, adaptation to local abiotic and biotic environments within islands, and the evolution of different island phenotypes. The book concludes with a valuable consideration of equilibrium concepts and of the interplay of coexistence and competition.

Serpentine soils have long fascinated biologists for the specialized floras they support and the challenges they pose to plant survival and growth. This book focuses on what scientists have learned about major questions in earth history, evolution, ecology, conservation, and restoration from the study of serpentine areas, especially in California. Results from molecular studies offer insight into evolutionary patterns, while new ecological research examines both species and communities. The book highlights research whose breadth provides context and fresh insights into the evolution and ecology of stressful environments.

This thoroughly revised, entirely rewritten edition of what is the essential reference on California's diverse and ever-changing vegetation now brings readers a state-of-the-art view of California's plant ecosystems. Integrating decades of research, community ecologists and field botanists describe and classify California's vegetation types, identify environmental factors that determine the distribution of vegetation types, analyze the role of disturbance regimes in vegetation dynamics, chronicle change due to human activities, identify conservation issues, describe restoration strategies, and prioritize directions for new research. Several new chapters address statewide issues such as the historic appearance and impact of introduced and invasive plants, the soils of California, and more.