North American Terrestrial Vegetation Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1989 404 Pp., Hardback Edited by M.G
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704 S.-Afr.Tydskr. Plantk., 1990,56(6) Book Reviews Plant Pheno-Morphological Studies in Mediterranean Type Ecosystems Edited by Gideon Orshan North American Terrestrial Vegetation Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1989 404 pp., hardback Edited by M.G. Barbour and W.o. Billings Price: US$ 169 (approx R440) ISBN 90-6193-656-X Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1988 434 pp. This book forms one of a growing series of volumes devoted ISBN 0-521-26198-8 to intercontinental comparisons between the world's mediter ranean-type ecosystems. It addresses the theme of phenomor phology, that is the study of temporal changes in the This book is written for - in the words of the editors - morphology of plants and plant organs during their whole life knowledgeable laypeople, advanced undergraduates, span. The book aims to develop an understanding of the graduate students and professional ecologists in both basic growth and development of the plant on one hand and of and applied fields. There are 14 contributing and indeed plant-environment relationships on the other, through eminent authors whose labours are spread across 13 chapters intercontinental comparisons. covering (1) Arctic Tundra and Polar Desert Biome, (2) The book examines a sample of plant species from four Boreal Forest, (3) Forests of the Rocky Mountains, (4) broad regions: France (77 species), Israel (32 species), South Pacific Northwest Forests, (5) Californian Upland Forests Africa (93 species) and Chile (23 species). The mediterranean and · Woodlands, (6) Chaparral, (7) Intermountain Deserts, regions of Australia and North America are not represented. Shrub Steppes and Woodlands, (8) Warm Deserts, (9) Following a brief introductory chapter, each region is dealt Grasslands, (10) Deciduous Forest, (11) Vegetation of the with by means of a short descriptive account of the study Southeastern Coastal Plain, (12) Tropical and Subtropical sites, followed by phenomorphological diagrams for each of Vegetation of Meso-America and (13) Alpine Vegetation. the species examined. The diagrams show seasonal changes Chapters vary, but typically include coverage of the and growth of buds, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits, and physical environment, community types and dynamics, each diagram is accompanied by a short descriptive account disturbance, paleoecology and areas for future research. The for the species concerned. The regional accounts are conclu geographical distribution of the vegetation types covered ded by means of a short analysis of the seasonality of pheno prefaces each chapter. Much of the wide range in vegetation phases. The book as a whole is concluded by means of a short variation is illustrated with black and white photographs. general synthesis. Numerous line drawings and tables amplify the text. The The South African species are divided into fynbos (inclu scope of the book is definitely upper-level. It goes far beyond ding renosterveld), succulent karoo and Namaqualand a simple flora guide and the text is packed with information. Broken Veld. Taking fynbos as an example, 45 species are There is a welcome departure from conventional categori presented, but these do not include several of the important zation and species listing to explanation of process in time families (e.g. Cyperaceae or Restionaceae) or genera (e.g. and space. The style is terse and the authors have assumed Pro tea or Leucadendron). There is no indication of how the that readers understand succession, gradient analysis, species presented were selected, and one is left wondering. photosynthetic pathways, climatograms, the precipitation whether the selection is representative enough for the evaporation surplus or deficit, plant-water relations, the analyses that are presented, to be ecologically meaningful. USDA soil classification system, and quite a bit more. On reading the general synthesis, one is not left with the The chief merit of the book is that it is a concise overview impression that much progress has been made towards a of North American terrestrial vegetation written by the major aim of the book, namely to gain an understanding of professional for the professional. plant-environment relationships. Though some patterns do Of what value might this book be to South Africans? emerge, many questions still remain. Firstly, a wide range in vegetation is covered, and this in The data that are included in the book are undoubtedly of itself is of heuristic value. Secondly, the professional plant interest to ecologists, especially those involved in studies scientist visiting North America will find the book a useful within the mediterranean-type ecosystems. The method of travelling companion. Thirdly, the references cited and listed presenting pheno-morphological data is in itself a useful and at the end of each chapter, give the professional a quick guide constructive approach, deserving of attention by any serious to the original and classical works for the various regions. student in the field. However, there are several drawbacks Fourthly, the knowledgeable layperson could use the book, which may influence the potential purchaser. Surprisingly, but I suspect he or she would find it tough reading. for a book that contains so much species-specific informa tion, there is no index. This will undoubtedly cause consider M.T. MENTIS able frustration to a potential user. Secondly, it is thin on text Department of Botany, University of the Witwatersrand. P.O. with 354 of the 404 pages (88%) being taken up by the Wits, 2050 diagrams. The price is high in rand terms and this will S.Afd.Bot., 1990,56(6) 705 effectively mean that only institutional libraries (or indepen dead standing crop, biomass contributions by various species, dently wealthy individuals) would even consider purchasing the effects of grazing, and root/shoot ratios. the book. Chapter 8 is a preliminary investigation into the decompo sition of the plant matter in the wetland. This is followed by a B.W. VAN WILGEN short chapter (Chapter 9) on the primary productivity of the Division of Forest Science and Technology, CSIR, Private wetland using the data from Chapters 6 and 7. Bag X5011 , Stellenbosch, 7600 Every season, these grasslands produce much biomass which decomposes slowly and dries out in winter. Fire thus plays an important role in the ecology and management of this area, as discussed in Chapter 10. The book generally reads well. However, the study took place over a number of years and the book was published a number of years later. There seems to be a variation in style. It is quite evident, particularly from the earlier chapters, that Ecology and Productivity of an African the author is not English speaking. Many passages would Wetland System read more easily if the sentences were shorter, or at least, included more commas. There are also a number of editorial comments to be made. Typographical errors are common. G.A. Ellenbroek Non-conformity, particularly in the captions to figures and tables, is somewhat distracting. Nowhere in the book is a Geobotany 9 (Series Editor: M.J.A. Werger) precise illustration of study area, which should also indicate Dr W. Junk Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1987 the place names used in the text. XIV + 267 pp. Price: US 129.00; UK 76.50; SA 372.00 (approx) + G.S.T. + Duties Criticisms notwithstanding, this book represents an impor ISON 90-6193-895-3 (series) tant piece of work. It contains much valuable information ISBN 90-6193-638-1 concerning the ecology and ecological interactions of the Kafue wetlands. However, the work is somewhat restricted to This work covers an extensive research programme on an the study area and there is little discussion of general important African wetland: the Kafue Flats of south-western principles applicable to wetlands. As this type of wetland is Zambia. The seasonality of rainfall in these subtropical to not commonly found in South Africa, the use of this book as a temperate areas plays a significant role in flooding patterns of reference text in this country is limited. It does, however, wetlands. This is emphasized throughout the book as most give insight to methodologies and considerations required for vegetation interaction is determined by this seasonality. Other the study of wetlands. The author is to be congratulated on his important factors regulating the vegetation are disturbances research. Wetland environments, particularly in Africa where by fire and disturbances by natural as well as pastoral grazers. xerism is the order of the day, are important, threatened and The book consists of ten chapters. The introduction sets the abused. This study does illustrate important ecological inter general scene and places the importance of the wetland into actions which must be taken into account in the formulation perspective with regard to nature and the indigenous human of conservation policies. population. This is followed by a fairly extensive discussion of the physical environment under various headings to M.O'CALLAGHAN include geology and geomorphplogy, climate, hydrology, National Botanical Institute, P.O. Box 471, Stellenbosch, soils and relief. 7600 Analyses of the vegetation form the major part of the book. The vegetation is introduced in Chapter 3 with a discussion of the major vegetation zones. In the remaining chapters, emphasis is placed on the lower-lying vegetation zones as these form the wetland proper. Chapter 4 discusses the phytosociology of three major wetland types. Use is made of Braun-Blanquet classification techniques as well as PCA-ordination. This results in the Med-Checklist. A Critical Inventory of recognition of more than 10 communities. These communi Vascular Plants of the Circum ties could be better consolidated if more care was taken over the sorting of the Braun-Blanquet data. Mediterranean Countries. Volume 4. Diversity relationships of various communities are Dicotyledones (Lauraceae - Rhamnaceae) discussed in Chapter 5. This is achieved by sampling a transect across the wetland, from the river to the woodlands. Factors such as flower colour, pollination strategy, distri w.