Ecology of North America

North America contains an incredibly diverse array of natural environments, each supporting unique systems of plant and animal life. These systems, the largest of which are biomes, form intricate webs of life that have taken millennia to evolve. This richly illustrated book introduces readers to this extraordinary array of natural communities and their subtle biological and geological interactions.

Completely revised and updated throughout, the second edition of this successful text takes a qualitative, intuitive approach to the subject, beginning with an overview of essential ecological terms and concepts, such as competitive exclusion, taxa, niches, and succession. It then goes on to describe the major biomes and communities that characterize the rich biota of the continent, starting with the Tundra and continuing with Boreal Forest, Deciduous Forest, Grasslands, Deserts, Montane Forests, and Temperature Rain Forest, among others.  Coastal environments, including the Laguna Madre, seagrasses, Chesapeake Bay, and barrier islands appear in a new chapter. Additionally, the book covers many unique features such as pitcher plant bogs, muskeg, the polar ice cap, the cloud forests of Mexico, and the LaBrea tar pits.  “Infoboxes” have been added; these include biographies of historical figures who provided significant contributions to the development of ecology, unique circumstances such as frogs and insects that survive freezing, and conservation issues such as those concerning puffins and island foxes.  Throughout the text, ecological concepts are worked into the text; these include biogeography, competitive exclusion, succession, soil formation, and the mechanics of natural selection.

Ecology of North America 2e is an ideal first text for students interested in natural resources, environmental science, and biology, and it is a useful and attractive addition to the library of anyone interested in understanding and protecting the natural environment.

FOREWORD

PREFACE

CHAPTER ONE Introduction

A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF ECOLOGY

The Ecosystem

Abiotic Limits

Climate and Topography

Soils and Soil Profiles

Biotic Community

COMMUNITY SUCCESSION

Plant Succession: from Pioneer to Climax

Primary and Secondary Succession

Succession and Species Abundance

The Biome Concept

BIODIVERSITY

The “Species Diversity Gradient”

Biodiversity Hotspots

PATTERNS OF DISTRIBUTION

Continental patterns

Geographical and Ecological Distribution

SOME ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS

Niches

Ecological Equivalents

Bergmann’Rule

Allen’s Rule

READINGS AND REFERENCES

CHAPTER TWO Tundra

CLIMATIC AND GLACIAL INFLUENCES

Soils and Geological Influences

Permafrost

Patterned Ground

Eskers and Tundra Wildlife

Glacial Refugia

FEATURES AND ADAPTATIONS

Plant Adaptations to Harsh Conditions

Plant Growth and Reproduction

Decomposition and Soil Nutrients

Some Animal Adaptations

MAJOR VEGETATIVE COMMUNITIES

Shrub Tundra

Dwarf Birch–Heath

Cottongrass–Heath

Fellfields

INVERTEBRATES AND TUNDRA ECOLOGY

SELECTED TUNDRA MAMMALS

Lemmings

Arctic Ground Squirrels

Arctic Foxes

Barren–Ground Caribou

SELECTED TUNDRA BIRDS

Gryfalcons

Snowy Owl

Ross’ Goose

HIGHLIGHTS

Absentees – Amphibians and Reptiles

Lichens and “Reindeer Moss”

Snow Goose “Eat Outs”

ALPINE TUNDRA

FRAGILE TUNDRA

Impacts of Human Activity

Global Warming

READINGS AND REFERENCES

CHAPTER THREE Boreal Forest

CLIMATIC BOUNDARIES AND SOILS

FEATURES AND ADAPTATIONS

Plant Adaptations

Animal Adaptations

Frequent Fires

Niches in the Boreal Forest

SELECTED BIOTIC COMMUNITIES

Tree Line and Forest–Tundra

Muskeg

Coniferous Swamps

Comparative Ecology of Lakes

Appalachian Extension

Mountain Balds

HIGHLIGHTS

The 10–Year Cycle

Wolves and Moose

A Wealth of Salamanders

Red Squirrels

ECOLOGICAL CHALLENGES

Acid Rain

Spruce Budworm and DDT

Balsam Wooly Adelgid

THE BOREAL FOREST AGREEMENT

READINGS AND REFERENCES

CHAPTER FOUR Eastern Deciduous Forest

CLIMATIC BOUNDARIES AND SOILS

FEATURES AND ADAPTATIONS

The Forest Primeval

The Layered Forest 

Autumn Leaves

Ground and Leaf Litter

Mast

BIOTIC ASSOCIATIONS

Northern Hardwoods–Conifer Forests

Beech–Maple–Basswood

Mesophytic Forest

Oak–Hickory

Mississippi Alluvial Plain

Southern Mixed Forest

SOME ASSOCIATED COMMUNITIES

Longleaf Pine Forests

New Jersey Pine Barrens

Carolina Bays

HIGHLIGHTS

Acorns and Blue jays

Deer Yards

Kirtland’s Warblers and Fire

Franklin’s Lost Tree

Cicadas: A Buzz in the Forest

ECOLOGICAL CHALLENGES

Declines of Neotropical Migrants

Forest Destruction by Exotic Organisms

Reintroduction of Red Wolves

READINGS AND REFERENCES

CHAPTER FIVE Grasslands: Prairies and Plains

MAJOR ASSOCIATIONS

Tallgrass Prairie

Midgrass Prairie

Shortgrass Prairie

TRANSITION ZONES

Aspen Parklands

Cross Timbers

Western Transition

FEATURES AND ADAPTATIONS

Seasonal Grasses

Soils

Role of Fire

Prairie Streams

Prairie Wetlands and Waterfowl

PLEISTOCENE EXTINCTIONS

SELECTED PRAIRIE MAMMALS

Bison

Prairie Dogs

Pronghorns

SELECTED PRAIRIE BIRDS

Prairie Chickens

Burrowing Owls

HIGHLIGHTS

Riparian Forests

The Platte River

Nebraska Sandhills

Ants

Isolation and Contact on the Great Plains

GRASSLAND SETTLEMENT

PRAIRIE PRESERVATION

READINGS AND REFERENCES

CHAPTER SIX Regional Grasslands and Related Areas

REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Palouse Prairie

California Annual Grasslands

Southwestern Desert Grasslands

Edwards Plateau

Tamaulipan Mezquital

HIGHLIGHTS

Rodents and Vegetation

Channeleed Scablands

Snake River Birds of Prey Area

Mima Mounds

DESERTIFICATION

READINGS AND REFERENCES

CHAPTER SEVEN Deserts

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Why Deserts are Dry

Desert Mountains and Bajadas

Ancient Lakes

FEATURES AND ADAPTATIONS

Desert Soils and Surfaces

Plant Adaptations   

Animal Adaptations

THE MAJOR DESERTS

Chihuahuan Desert

Sonoran Desert

Mojave Desert

Great Basin Desert

HIGHLIGHTS

Nurse Trees

“Trees” for Desert Woodpeckers

Boojums and Elephants: Unique Trees

Yucca Moths

Desert Fishes

Realm of Reptiles

Of Soils and Mice

Deserts and Predators

Pygmies of the Sagebrush Steppe

Desert Quail, Rainfall, and Vitamin A

Sailing Stones

WHEELED THREATS TO DESERTS

READINGS AND REFERENCES

CHAPTER EIGHT Chaparral and Pinyon–Juniper Woodlands

FEATURES AND ADAPTATIONS OF CHAPARRAL

COASTAL (CALIFORNIA) CHAPARRAL

Chamise Chaparral

Manzanita Chaparral

Ceanothus Chaparral

Other Chaparral Communities

INTERIOR (ARIZONA) CHAPARRAL

PINYON–JUNIPER WOODLANDS

Distribution and Ecology

Human Uses

CHAPARRAL AND FIRE

Water–Repellant Soils

Post–Fire Vegetation

Wildlife and Chaparral Fire

HIGHLIGHTS

Allelopathy in Chaparral

Animal Associates of Chaparral

Lizards and Burned Chaparral

Pinyon Jays

HUMAN INFLUENCES

READINGS AND REFERENCES

CHAPTER NINE Montane Forests

FEATURES AND ADAPTATIONS

MONTANE FOREST ZONES

Lower Montane Zone

Upper Montane Zone

Subalpine Zone

ASSOCIATED HABITATS

Mountain Parks and Meadows

Black Hills

Redwoods and Sequoias

Bristlecone Pine Forest

FIRE IN MONTANE FORESTS

Western Chipmunks and Competitive Exclusion

Squirrels, Bears, and Pine Cones

Sky Islands in Arizona

Monarchs in Winter

Bears and Moths

READINGS AND REFERENCES

CHAPTER TEN Temperate Rain Forest

WHAT IS OLD–GROWTH FOREST?

FEATURES AND ADAPTATIONS

Valleys of Rain Forest

Epiphytes, Canopy Roots, and “Scuzz”

More About Logs

Succession on Glacial Till

HIGHLIGHTS

Bears, Salmon, and Forest Enrichment

A Seabird in the Forest

Some Mammals and Their Ecology

Bananna Slugs

Pacific Yew

Giant Salamanders and Other Amphibians

Mount St. Helens

ECOLOGICAL CONTROVERSY

READINGS AND REFERENCES

CHAPTER ELEVEN Coastal Environments

CURRENTS AND CLIMATES

FEATURES AND ADAPTATIONS

Rocky Seashores and Tidal Pools

Sandy Seashores

Chesapeake Bay

The Mother Lagoon

SUBMERGENT COMMUNITIES

Seagrass Meadows

Forests in the Ocean

Oyster Reefs

EMERGENT COMMUNITIES

Atlantic Tidal Marshes

Marshes of the Gulf Coast

Mangrove Islands and Thickets

SOME ASSOCIATED COMMUNITIES

Barrier islands

Coral Reefs

Maritime Forests

HIGHLIGHTS

Synchrony at Delaware Bay

Waterbird Colonies

A Whale of a Success

ECOLOGICAL CHALLENGES

Natural Disturbances

Sea Level Rise

READINGS AND REFERENCES

CHAPTER TWELVE A Selection of Special Environments

SPECIAL ENVIRONMENTS

Niagara Escarpment

Caves

Arctic Ice Cap

The Grand Canyon

Father of Waters

The Everglades

Fossil Lagerstätten

The Florida Keys

The Great Lakes

HABITAT HIGHLIGHTS

Rivers of Ice

Hot Springs and Geysers

Forest in the Clouds

Granite Outcrops and Inselbergs

Palm Forest

Mineral Licks

Bogs and Their Carnivorous Plants

READINGS AND REFERENCES

APPENDIX

GLOSSARY

INDEX

Brian R. Chapman was raised in Texas and earned degrees in zoology at Texas A&M University–Kingsville (BS) and Texas Tech University (MS, PhD). Before his present appointment as the Senior Research Scientist at the Texas Research Institute for Environmental Studies, Sam Houston State University, he held professorships at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi and the University of Georgia; he also served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Sam Houston State University and provost and vice president for academic affairs at universities in Texas and North Carolina.  He is the author or coauthor of more than 150 refereed articles and book chapters. 

Eric G. Bolen earned degrees in wildlife ecology and management at the University of Maine (BS) and Utah State University (MS, PhD).  Before retiring, he taught at Texas A&M Kingsville, Texas Tech University and the University of North Carolina Wilmington where he served as dean of the Graduate School; he also held the position of assistant director of the Welder Wildlife Foundation. He is the author or coauthor of more than 200 publications, including several editions of the textbooks Wildlife Ecology and Management and Waterfowl Ecology and Management.