Preface to the Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols Used xiii 1. The Importance of Islands 3 2. Area and Number of Speicies 8 3. Further Explanations of the Area-Diversity Pattern 19 4. The Strategy of Colonization 68 5. Invasibility and the Variable Niche 94 6. Stepping Stones and Biotic Exchange 123 7. Evolutionary Changes Following Colonization 145 8. Prospect 181 Glossary 185 References 193 Index 201

The Theory of Island Biogeography

There is growing recognition that classifying terrestrial plant species on the basis of their function (into 'functional types') rather than their higher taxonomic identity, is a promising way forward for tackling important ecological questions at the scale of ecosystems, landscapes or biomes. These questions include those on vegetation responses to and vegetation effects on, environmental changes (e.g. changes in climate, atmospheric chemistry, land use or other disturbances). There is also growing consensus about a shortlist of plant traits that should underlie such functional plant classifications, because they have strong predictive power of important ecosystem responses to environmental change and/or they themselves have strong impacts on ecosystem processes. The most favoured traits are those that are also relatively easy and inexpensive to measure for large numbers of plant species. Large international research efforts, promoted by the IGBP–GCTE Programme, are underway to screen predominant plant species in various ecosystems and biomes worldwide for such traits. This paper provides an international methodological protocol aimed at standardising this research effort, based on consensus among a broad group of scientists in this field. It features a practical handbook with step-by-step recipes, with relatively brief information about the ecological context, for 28 functional traits recognised as critical for tackling large-scale ecological questions.

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A handbook of protocols for standardised and easy measurement of plant functional traits worldwide

Perp. punya vol. X. Flowering plant, eudicots : sapindales, cucurbitales, myrtaceae. Perp.punya: 1eks.

The Families And Genera Of Vascular Plants

Wood performs several essential functions in plants, including mechanically supporting aboveground tissue, storing water and other resources, and transporting sap. Woody tissues are likely to face physiological, structural and defensive trade-offs. How a plant optimizes among these competing functions can have major ecological implications, which have been under-appreciated by ecologists compared to the focus they have given to leaf function. To draw together our current understanding of wood function, we identify and collate data on the major wood functional traits, including the largest wood density database to date (8412 taxa), mechanical strength measures and anatomical features, as well as clade-specific features such as secondary chemistry. We then show how wood traits are related to one another, highlighting functional trade-offs, and to ecological and demographic plant features (growth form, growth rate, latitude, ecological setting). We suggest that, similar to the manifold that tree species leaf traits cluster around the 'leaf economics spectrum', a similar 'wood economics spectrum' may be defined. We then discuss the biogeography, evolution and biogeochemistry of the spectrum, and conclude by pointing out the major gaps in our current knowledge of wood functional traits.

Towards a worldwide wood economics spectrum

Biological materials: Structure and mechanical properties

Pieter Baas – Leiden, The Netherlands Nadezhda Blokhina – Vladivostok, Russia Tomoyuki Fujii – Ibaraki, Japan Peter Gasson – Kew, UK Dietger Grosser – Munich, Germany Immo Heinz – Munich, Germany Jugo Ilic – South Clayton, Australia Jiang Xiaomei – Beijing, China Regis Miller – Madison, WI, USA Lee Ann Newsom – University Park, PA, USA Shuichi Noshiro – Ibaraki, Japan Hans Georg Richter – Hamburg, Germany Mitsuo Suzuki – Sendai, Japan Teresa Terrazas – Montecillo, Mexico Elisabeth Wheeler – Raleigh, NC, USA Alex Wiedenhoeft – Madison, WI, USA

Pieter Baas

Papers

IAWA list of microscopic features for softwood identification

IAWA list of microscopic features for hardwood identification : with an appendix on non-anatomical information

Wood Anatomy and Identification of Trees and Shrubs from Israel and Adjacent Regions

Wood Anatomy and Identification of Trees and Shrubs from Israel and Adjacent Regions

Some Ecological Trends in Vessel Characters