Ecohydrology: Darwinian Expression of Vegetation Form and Function

by Peter S. Eagleson

Overview

This volume is devoted to the derivation and application of simplified bioclimatic boundary conditions at vegetated land surfaces using natural selection of vegetation characteristics driven by productivity maximization. It investigates the internal control of forest growth by the vertical fluxes of light, CO2, water vapor, and heat within the canopy, as well as the external control offered by the balances of thermal energy and water. Through these means it seeks to determine how the physical characteristics and productivity of forest communities are related to the climates and soils in which they are found. Ecohydrology bridges the fields of hydrology and ecology and proposes new unifying principles derived from the concept of natural selection. It also has potential application in determining the response of vegetation to slow variations in climate and will provide fascinating reading for graduate-level students and research scientists working in ecohydrology, hydroclimatology, forest ecology, and surface water hydrology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521619912
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	02/17/2005
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	484
Product dimensions:	7.44(w) x 9.69(h) x 0.98(d)

About the Author

Peter Eagleson is Emeritus Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a leading authority on the subject of ecohydrology.

Table of Contents

Foreword Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe; Preface; Acknowledgements; List of notation; List of units; List of common and scientific names; 1. Introduction and overview; Part I. Biophysics: 2. Canopy structure; 3. Radiant fluxes; 4. Turbulent fluxes; 5. Thermal energy balance; 6. Water balance; Part II. Darwinian Ecology: 7. Optimal canopy conductance; 8. Optimal bioclimate; 9. Natural habitats and climax communities; 10. Net primary productivity and ecotones; 11. Summary, speculations and opportunities; Appendices; Glossary; References; Indexes.

Editorial Reviews

'This new book is undoubtedly a pioneering work, providing the readership with a theoretical background in water-soil-vegetation-atmosphere relationships, thus referring to a very important border region between several sciences … illustrated with ample good quality black and white photographs of trees.' Hydrological Sciences Journal

'Ecohydrology: Darwinian Expression of Vegetation Form and Function, written by one of the most renowned hydrologists, has provided a major contribution through novel interpretation of natural selection in forested communities based on insolation and rainfall … Splendid photographs of trees, many by the author, appear throughout the text and provide a continuous reminder of the form and function described mathematically … Eagleson's Ecohydrology is a monumental work that will engage students and researchers from all backgrounds of ecohydrology.' EOS

'This new book is undoubtedly a pioneering work, providing the readership with a theoretical background in water-soil-vegetation-atmosphere relationships, thus referring to a very important border region between several sciences. … The book is undoubtedly of interest to an international audience …'. Zbigniew W. Kundzewicz, Hydrological Sciences Journal

From the Publisher