Arid Land Ecosystems Volume 2 Structure Functioning And Management

This comprehensive account of arid-land ecosystems will be of importance to university teachers and professional ecologists throughout the world.

This volume was first published in 1981. The history of man's use of arid lands is a sad record of deterioration of the natural resource base and of low and declining living standards for the 300 million people who live in them. One prerequisite to meeting the challenge of reversing the deterioration and of raising living standards is a sound knowledge of the natural ecosystems.

This volume was first published in 1981. The history of man's use of arid lands is a sad record of deterioration of the natural resource base and of low and declining living standards for the 300 million people who live in them. One prerequisite to meeting the challenge of reversing the deterioration and of raising living standards is a sound knowledge of the natural ecosystems.

Over the last twenty years there has been a major expansion of knowledge in the field of landforms and landforming processes of deserts. This advanced-level book provides a benchmark for the current state of science, and is written by an international team of authors who are acknowledged experts in their fields.

In arid lands, where vegetation is sparse or absent, the open ground is not bare but generally covered by a community of small, highly specialized organisms. Cyanobacteria, algae, microfungi, lichens, and bryophytes aggregate soil particles to form a coherent skin - the biological soil crust. It stabilizes and protects the soil surface from erosion by wind and water, influences water runoff and infiltration, and contributes nitrogen and carbon to desert soils. Soil surface disturbance, such as heavy livestock grazing, human trampling or off-road vehicles, breaks up the fragile soil crust, thus compromising its stability, structure, and productivity. This book is the first synthesis of the biology of soil crusts and their importance as an ecosystem component. Composition and functioning of different soil-crust types are discussed, and case studies are used to show the impact of crusts on landscape hydrology, soil stability, nutrient cycles, and land management.

First published in 1995. This title presents the proceedings of The Second International Conference on Range Management in the Arabian Gulf, 1990. The objectives of the Conference were to: evaluate progress made following the First Conference; exchange information on range management development; review advances in applicable technologies; discuss potential strategies for range enhancement and assemble pertinent recommendations for enactment. As such, these proceedings will serve as a reference base for researchers, professors, lecturers, and students alike, both at advanced undergraduate and graduate levels.

This book demonstrates the measurement, monitoring, mapping, and modeling of forest resources. It explores state-of-the-art techniques based on open-source software & R statistical programming and modeling specifically, with a focus on the recent trends in data mining/machine learning techniques and robust modeling in forest resources. Discusses major topics such as forest health assessment, estimating forest biomass & carbon stock, land use forest cover (LUFC), dynamic vegetation modeling (DVM) approaches, forest-based rural livelihood, habitat suitability analysis, biodiversity and ecology, and biodiversity, the book presents novel advances and applications of RS-GIS and R in a precise and clear manner. By offering insights into various concepts and their importance for real-world applications, it equips researchers, professionals, and policy-makers with the knowledge and skills to tackle a wide range of issues related to geographic data, including those with scientific, societal, and environmental implications.