Introduction to California soils and plants : serpentine, vernal pools, and other geobotanical wonders / Arthur R. Kruckeberg.

Incluye referencias bibliográficas (p. 249-258) e índice.

Introduction : how geology shapes plant life -- The evolution of species with limited ranges -- The taxonomy of restricted plants -- 1. Landforms and plant life -- Mountains, climate, and flora -- The Channel Islands : insularity of landforms and plant life -- The Great Central Valley -- Vernal pools -- Dunes -- Pygmy pine barrens -- Wetlands : creations of landform diversity -- Final thoughts on landforms and plant life -- 2. Plants and their soils -- The study of geoedaphics -- Making soils from rocks -- Soil profiles -- A primer in plant-soil chemistry -- 3. The serpentine story -- What is serpentine? -- Plant tolerance to serpentine -- The serpentine landscape -- Serpentine dwellers -- Serpentine endemics -- Soil wanderers -- 4. Other strange plant-soil relationships -- The limestone problem -- Bristle-cone pine forests -- The snow-wreath discovery -- Other limestone floras -- Plant life on sterile rock and soils -- The Pine Hill flannel bush -- Salty places and their plant life -- Geothermal areas : power or flora? -- Pine islands in a sea of sagebrush -- Normal rocks and soils -- Bogs and fens -- Guano habitats -- 5. Plant distribution over space and time -- The beginnings of plant geography -- The general purpose genotype -- Endemics and the California floristic province -- Indicator species -- 6. Human influences -- From early Spanish mines to the present -- The Gold Rush -- Habitat loss and exotic species -- Habitats meriting protective status -- Epilogue : geology gone wild -- Exploring California's geology and plant life -- Glossary.

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