Results by Title
27 books about Geographical distribution
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The Anoles of Honduras: Systematics, Distribution, and Conservation
James R. McCranie and Gunther Köhler
Harvard University Press, 2015
Library of Congress QL666.L268M38 2015 | Dewey Decimal 597.9548097283
The lizard genus Anolis contains more species than any other genus of reptile, bird, or mammal. Caribbean members of this group have been intensively studied and have become a model system for the study of ecology, evolution, and biogeography, but knowledge of the anoles of Central and South America has lagged behind. In this landmark volume, veteran herpetologists James R. McCranie and Gunther Köhler take a step toward rectifying this shortcoming by providing a detailed account of the rich anole fauna of Honduras.
Generously illustrated with 157 photos and drawings, The Anoles of Honduras includes information on the evolutionary relationships, natural history, distribution, and conservation of all 39 Honduran anole species. The work is the result of decades of study both in the field and in museums and is the first synthetic discussion of the complete anole fauna of any Central or South American country. Each species is described in great detail with locality maps. Bilingual (English and Spanish), extensively illustrated identification keys are also included.
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Atlas of Nevada Conifers: A Phytogeographic Reference
David Alan Charlet
University of Nevada Press, 1996
Library of Congress QK494.C48 1996 | Dewey Decimal 585.209793
Atlas of Nevada Conifers is a major scientific contribution to our understanding of the ecology of Nevada. It documents in great detail the distribution of all native conifer species in the state—critical information because of the primary ecological importance of conifers for all organisms and because of the lack of documentation of these distributions in the scientific literature before now. Charlet maps and documents the exact location of herbarium records for 1,600 individual trees. The data found in 23 tables and 22 range maps will serve as a primary reference for botanists, land managers, and conservation biologists for years to come.
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Atlas of Wintering North American Birds: An Analysis of Christmas Bird Count Data
Terry Root
University of Chicago Press, 1989
Library of Congress QL681.R66 1988 | Dewey Decimal 598.297
The Atlas of Wintering North American Birds represents the effects of thousands of people who have participated in the Christmas Bird Counts, an annual event sponsored since 1900 by the National Audubon Society. Unlike a conventional field guide, the Atlas doesn't show what birds look like, but rather tells where to find them in the winter months.
Terry Root has used the data from the 1963-72 counts to provide the first large-scale biogeographical account of birds wintering in North America. Using sophisticated computer techniques, Root has translated the data into both traditional contour maps and innovative new maps that stimulate three dimensions. The maps show at a glance that, for example, the Baltimore Oriole winters primarily along the eastern seaboard, with the densest populations in Florida between Tallahassee and Gainesville and in North Carolina from Rocky Mount to the Croatan National Forest.
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Bones, Clones, and Biomes: The History and Geography of Recent Neotropical Mammals
Edited by Bruce D. Patterson and Leonora P. Costa
University of Chicago Press, 2012
Library of Congress QL721.8.B66 2012 | Dewey Decimal 599.098
As explorers and scientists have known for decades, the Neotropics harbor a fantastic array of our planet’s mammalian diversity, from capybaras and capuchins to maned wolves and mouse opossums to sloths and sakis. This biological bounty can be attributed partly to the striking diversity of Neotropical landscapes and climates and partly to a series of continental connections that permitted intermittent faunal exchanges with Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and North America. Thus, to comprehend the development of modern Neotropical mammal faunas requires not only mastery of the Neotropics’ substantial diversity, but also knowledge of mammalian lineages and landscapes dating back to the Mesozoic.
Bones, Clones, and Biomes offers just that—an exploration of the development and relationships of the modern mammal fauna through a series of studies that encompass the last 100 million years and both Central and South America. This work serves as a complement to more taxonomically driven works, providing for readers the long geologic and biogeographic contexts that undergird the abundance and diversity of Neotropical mammals. Rather than documenting diversity or distribution, this collection traverses the patterns that the distributions and relationships across mammal species convey, bringing together for the first time geology, paleobiology, systematics, mammalogy, and biogeography. Of critical importance is the book’s utility for current conservation and management programs, part of a rapidly rising conservation paleobiology initiative.
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Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds
David W. Steadman
University of Chicago Press, 2006
Library of Congress QL694.O25S73 2006 | Dewey Decimal 598.1752099
Sprinkled across the tropical Pacific, the innumerable islands of Oceania are home to some of the most unique bird communities on the planet, and they sustain species found nowhere else on earth. Many of the birds that live in this region are endangered, however; many more have become extinct as a result of human activity, in both recent and prehistoric times.
Reconstructing the avian world in the same way archeologists re-create ancient human societies, David Steadman—a leading authority on tropical Pacific avian paleontology—has spent the past two decades in the field, digging through layers of soil in search of the bones that serve as clues to the ancient past of island bird communities. His years of indefatigable research and analysis are the foundation for Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds, a monumental study of the landbirds of tropical Pacific islands—especially those from Fiji eastward to Easter Island—and an intricate history of the patterns and processes of island biology over time.
Using information gleaned from prehistoric specimens, Steadman reconstructs the birdlife of tropical Pacific islands as it existed before the arrival of humans and in so doing corrects the assumption that small, remote islands were unable to support rich assemblages of plants and animals. Easter Island, for example, though devoid of wildlife today, was the world’s richest seabird habitat before Polynesians arrived more than a millennium ago. The forests of less isolated islands in the Pacific likewise teemed with megapodes, rails, pigeons, parrots, kingfishers, and songbirds at first human contact.
By synthesizing data from the distant past, Steadman hopes to inform present conservation programs. Grounded in geology, paleontology, and archeology, but biological at its core, Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds is an exceptional work of unparalleled scholarship that will stimulate creative discussions of terrestrial life on oceanic islands for years to come.
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Ferns
Robert H. Mohlenbrock
Southern Illinois University Press, 1999
Library of Congress QK525.5.I4M6 1999 | Dewey Decimal 587.309773
Perhaps no other group of plants attracts more interest among both professional and amateur botanists than ferns. As early as 1846, when one of the first lists of Illinois plants was published, sixteen species of ferns were already known in the state. The longtime interest of a great many people makes the distribution of ferns better known than that of any other group of plants in Illinois.
This detailed account of ferns and fern-allies was first published in 1967 as the first volume in the series The Illustrated Flora of Illinois. Eminent botanist Robert H. Mohlenbrock has now revised Ferns to include twenty-five additional taxa of ferns that have since been discovered in Illinois. In addition, numerous nomenclatural changes have occurred for plants already known in the state.
The introductory information of Ferns includes discussions of the morphology and life history of the ferns and fern-allies, the taxonomic history of the group in Illinois, and the habitats where they can be found.
The semitechnical keys and descriptions, familiar to the professional botanist, have been simplified for the novice and are accompanied by a glossary and a profuse use of illustrations. A new key has been included for the additional ferns. Two general keys enable the reader to identify the order and the genus of the fern or fern-ally in question. One of these is designed for use with specimens that have sporangia; the other is for use with sterile specimens. The keys are composed of a hierarchy of characteristics for determining the order, family, and genus of any given specimen. Once a genus is ascertained, the reader can apply its key to more than one species of the same genus.
Each species has its own description, statement of habitat and range, Illinois distribution, map, discussion, synonymy, and full-page line illustration showing its diagnostic characteristics.
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Flowering Plants: Basswoods to Spurges
Robert H. Mohlenbrock
Southern Illinois University Press, 1982
Library of Congress QK157.M614 1982 | Dewey Decimal 582.1309773
This is the fourth volume in The Illustrated Flora of Illinois devoted to dicotyledons, or dicot plants. Dicots are the greatest group of flowering plants, exceeding the monocotyledons, or monocots. Dicots produce a pair of seed leaves during germination while monocots produce only a single seed leaf.
This volume contains four orders and ten families of dicots. The orders included in this volume are Malvales, Urticales, Rhamnales, and Euphorbiales. Within the Malvales are the families Tiliaceae, Sterculiaceae, and Malvaceae. The families Ulmaceae, Moraceae, and Urticaceae comprise the Urticales. Rhamnaceae and Elaeagnaceae make up the Rhamnales. The Euphorbiales include only the Thymelaeceae and the Euphorbiaceae.
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Flowering Plants: Lilies to Orchids
Robert H. Mohlenbrock
Southern Illinois University Press, 1970
Library of Congress QK157.M62 | Dewey Decimal 584
A continuation of “The Illustrated Flora of Illinois” series, this volume features Illinois flowering plants. This series is designed to provide a working reference for the identification and classification of all the plant forms found in the state. This series is the first of its kind, as no other study of this sort has been undertaken in any other state, and as such, is an unparalleled contribution to its field.
In his introduction to this volume, Mr. Mohlenbrock discusses some of the terms and procedures used in the identification and classification of the plants. He outlines the life histories and morphologies of some of the representative monocots, and also illustrates some of their habits and frequencies in Illinois. Since these volumes are meant to be used by the amateur as well as the professional botanist, the methods and terms used in the text are explained. The directions for the use of the various identification keys are given so that even the novice plant lover will be able to identify the species encountered. For the uninitiated, a glossary is provided which gives definitions for all terms that might be unfamiliar.
All necessary aids to identification are included in the text itself. The identification keys make it initially possible to classify the plants according to order, family, genus and finally, species and the identifying characteristics of each descending class are given in detail. The morphology of each species is outlined, along with data on frequency of occurrence, related soil and climate conditions and history of past collections, and history of past collections. An illustration showing the more important features of the species in detail is included with the description, as well as a map indicating its geographical locations in Illinois.
This book will be invaluable to students, teachers and professionals; particularly those who are interested in observing the plants in their natural habitat. Those who use it will find it possible to obtain a broad view of changing plant forms as they relate to soil and climate variations throughout the state. And it will provide a delightful diversion for all who enjoy viewing beautiful forms in nature. A walk through the forest will become an opportunity for discovery and appreciation.
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Flowering Plants: Magnolias to Pitcher Plants
Robert H. Mohlenbrock
Southern Illinois University Press, 2017
Library of Congress QK157.M622 1981 | Dewey Decimal 583.049773
This volume, the eighth devoted to flowering plants in the Illustrated Flora of Illinois series, is the third of several devoted to dicotyledons, which include such well-known plants as roses, peas, mustards, mints, nightshades, milkweeds, and asters. Mohlenbrock here represents four orders (Annonales, Berberidales, Nymphaeales, and Sarraceniales) and fifteen families of plants. As in previous volumes in this series, the common names are those used locally in Illinois. An illustration of each species depicts the distinguishing features and the habitat in Illinois.
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Flowering Plants: Nightshades to Mistletoe
Robert H. Mohlenbrock
Southern Illinois University Press, 1990
Library of Congress QK157.M6223 1990 | Dewey Decimal 583.09773
This sixth volume of dicots contains three orders and eight families. The orders included are Solanales, Campanulales, and Santalales. Within the Solanales are the families Solanaceae, Convolvulaceae, Cuscutaceae, and Polemoniaceae. The Campanulales contain only the family Campanulaceae. The Santalales include the families Celastraceae, Santalaceae, and Viscaceae. As with each volume in this series Mohlenbrock includes a complete plant description, illustrations showing diagnostic features, distribution maps, and ecological notes.
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Flowering Plants: Willows to Mustards
Robert H. Mohlenbrock
Southern Illinois University Press, 1980
Library of Congress QK157.M623 | Dewey Decimal 582.1309773
This eighth volume in the comprehensive Illustrated Flora of Illinois series is the seventh volume devoted to flowering plants (the eighth volume is devoted to ferns) and the second treating dicotyledons, which include such well-known plants as roses, peas, mustards, mints, nightshades, milkweeds, and asters. The previous volume on dicots, Flowering Plants: Hollies to Loasas, was published in 1978.
In the present volume, Mohlenbrock includes three orders of vascular plants encompassing five families. The orders are Salicales and Tamaricales, of the Salicaceae and Tamaricaceae families, and Capparidales, of the Capparidaceae, Resedaceae, and Brassicaceae families. In all, 44 genera and 117species are treated in this volume, each species illustrated in detail.
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Freshwater Fish Distribution
Tim M. Berra
University of Chicago Press, 2007
Library of Congress QL624.B47 2007 | Dewey Decimal 597.176
With more than 29,000 species, fishes are the most diverse group of vertebrates on the planet. Of that number, more than 12,000 species are found in freshwater ecosystems, which occupy less than 1 percent of the Earth’s surface and contain only 2.4 percent of plant and animal species. But, on a hectare-for-hectare basis, freshwater ecosystems are richer in species than more extensive terrestrial and marine habitats. Examination of the distribution patterns of fishes in these fresh waters reveals much about continental movements and climate changes and has long been critical to biogeographical studies and research in ecology and evolution.
Tim Berra’s seminal resource, Freshwater Fish Distribution,maps the 169 fish families that swim in fresh water around the world. Each family account includes the class, subclass, and order; a pronunciation guide to the family name; life cycle information; and interesting natural history facts. Each account is illustrated, many with historical nineteenth-century woodcuts.
Now available in paperback, this heavily cited work in ichthyology and biogeography will serve as a reference for students, a research support for professors, and a helpful guide to tropical fish hobbyists and anglers.
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Grasses: Bromus to Paspalum, Second Edition
Robert H. Mohlenbrock
Southern Illinois University Press, 2002
Library of Congress QK495.G74M56 2002 | Dewey Decimal 584.909773
Since the publication of the first edition of Grasses: Bromus to Paspalumin 1972, twenty-two additional taxa of grasses have been discovered in Illinois that are properly placed in this volume. In addition, numerous nomenclatural changes have occurred for plants previously discovered, and many distributional records have been added. New keys have been prepared for each genus where additional species from Illinois are known. For new species, full-page illustrations are provided. This second edition updates the status of Illinois grasses. The book features 263 figures from the first edition plus 21 new figures for this edition by Paul W. Nelson.
Genera of grasses included in this work are Aegilops, Agropyron, Agrostis, Aira, Alopecurus, Anthoxanthum, Avena, Beckmannia, Briza, Bromus, Calamagrostis, Cinna, Dactylis, Deschampsia, Elyhordeum, Elymus, Elytrigia, Festuca, Hierochloe, Holcus, Hordeum, Koeleria, Lolium, Milium, Paspalum, Pennisetum, Phalaris, Phleum, Poa, Puccinellia, Sclerochloa, Secale, Sphenopholis, Torreyochloa, Triticum, and Vulpia.
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Grasses: Panicum to Danthonia, Second Edition
Robert H. Mohlenbrock
Southern Illinois University Press, 2001
Library of Congress QK495.G74M563 2001 | Dewey Decimal 584.909773
Since the publication of the first edition of Grasses: Panicum to Danthonia in 1973, twenty additional taxa of grasses have been discovered in Illinois that are properly placed in this volume. In addition, numerous nomenclatural changes have occurred for plants already known from the state, and many distributional records have been added. This second edition updates the status of grasses in Illinois. Paul W. Nelson has provided illustrations for all of the additions.
Because the nature of grass structures is generally so different from that of other flowering plants, a special terminology is applied to them. In his introduction, Robert H. Mohlenbrock cites these terms, with descriptions that make the identification of unknown specimens possible. Mohlenbrock’s division of the grass family into subfamilies and tribes is a major departure from the sequence usually found in most floristic works in North America.
Synonyms that have been applied to species in the northeastern United States are given under each species. A description based primarily on Illinois material covers the more important features of the species. The common names—Paflic Grass, Billion Dollar Grass or Japanese Millett, Thread Love Grass, and Goose Grass—are the ones used locally in the state. The habitat designation and dot maps showing county distribution of each grass are provided only for grasses in Illinois, but the overall range for each species is also given.
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Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas
Laura Spess Jackson
University of Iowa Press, 1996
Library of Congress QL684.I6J33 1996 | Dewey Decimal 598.29777
The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas—the first comprehensive statewide survey of Iowa's breeding birds—provides a detailed record of the composition and distribution of the avifauna of the Hawkeye State. The atlas documents the presence of 199 species, 158 of which were confirmed breeding. This landmark volume will alert Iowans to the limited distribution of numerous species and serve as a guide to the management practices—such as forest and wetland management, set-aside programs, reduction in farm chemical use, and crop diversity—which could help insure that many future changes are positive ones. The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas provides a welcome and much-needed baseline for future comparisons of changes in Iowa's birdlife and, by extension, the lives of all animals in the state.
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The Lizards, Crocodiles, and Turtles of Honduras: Systematics, Distribution, and Conservation
James R. McCranie
Harvard University Press, 2018
Library of Congress QL656.H8M337 2018 | Dewey Decimal 597.9097283
Based on years of field work and the examination of thousands of museum specimens, The Lizards, Crocodiles, and Turtles of Honduras is the final installment of a series of volumes by James R. McCranie documenting the amphibians and reptiles of Honduras.
Thoroughly illustrated by color photographs and maps of geographic distribution, the book describes in detail 86 species of Honduran lizards, crocodilians, and turtles. Identification keys in both English and Spanish allow the ready identification of all species, and discussions of conservation status review current threats to all species. The publication of this work represents the completion of the most comprehensive and detailed study of the amphibian and reptilian faunas of any country in Latin America.
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Mammals of South America, Volume 1: Marsupials, Xenarthrans, Shrews, and Bats
Edited by Alfred L. Gardner
University of Chicago Press, 2008
Library of Congress QL725.A1M36 2007 | Dewey Decimal 599.098
The vast terrain between Panama and Tierra del Fuego contains some of the world’s richest mammalian fauna, but until now it has lacked a comprehensive systematic reference to the identification, distribution, and taxonomy of its mammals. The first such book of its kind and the inaugural volume in a three-part series, Mammals of South America both summarizes existing information and encourages further research of the mammals indigenous to the region.
Containing identification keys and brief descriptions of each order, family, and genus, the first volume of Mammals of South America covers marsupials, shrews, armadillos, sloths, anteaters, and bats. Species accounts include taxonomic descriptions, synonymies, keys to identification, distributions with maps and a gazetteer of marginal localities, lists of recognized subspecies, brief summaries of natural history information, and discussions of issues related to taxonomic interpretations.Highly anticipated and much needed, this book will be a landmark contribution to mammalogy, zoology, tropical biology, and conservation biology.
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Mammals of South America, Volume 2: Rodents
Edited by James L. Patton, Ulyses F. J. Pardiñas, and Guillermo D’Elía
University of Chicago Press, 2015
Library of Congress QL725.A1M36 2007 | Dewey Decimal 599.098
The second installment in a planned three-volume series, this book provides the first substantive review of South American rodents published in over fifty years. Increases in the reach of field research and the variety of field survey methods, the introduction of bioinformatics, and the explosion of molecular-based genetic methodologies have all contributed to the revision of many phylogenetic relationships and to a doubling of the recognized diversity of South American rodents. The largest and most diverse mammalian order on Earth—and an increasingly threatened one—Rodentia is also of great ecological importance, and Rodents is both a timely and exhaustive reference on these ubiquitous creatures.
From spiny mice and guinea pigs to the oversized capybara, this book covers all native rodents of South America, the continental islands of Trinidad and Tobago, and the Caribbean Netherlands off the Venezuelan coast. It includes identification keys and descriptions of all genera and species; comments on distribution; maps of localities; discussions of subspecies; and summaries of natural, taxonomic, and nomenclatural history. Rodents also contains a detailed list of cited literature and a separate gazetteer based on confirmed identifications from museum vouchers and the published literature.
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The Mollusks of the Arid Southwest: With an Arizona Check List
Joseph C. Bequaert and Walter B. Miller
University of Arizona Press, 1973
Library of Congress QL415.A6B46 | Dewey Decimal 594.09791
A wealth of firsthand information combined with major sources provides an understanding of desert zoogeography and evolution.
Part I: Zoogeography of Southwestern Nearctic Mollusks
Integrates and evaluates information of interest to students of variation, evolution, zoogeography, and ecology of the fauna of the arid Southwest.
Part II: Annotated Check List of Recent Arizona Mollusks
Treatment of 173 valid species and 46 recognized subspecies gives nomenclature, type localities, distribution in Arizona, occurrence elsewhere in the Southwestern Molluscan Province, general Recent distribution, presence or absence in Late Cenozoic deposits, and synonymy.
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Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation
Douglas F. Stotz, John W. Fitzpatrick, Theodore A. Parker III, and Debra K. Moskovits
University of Chicago Press, 1996
Library of Congress QL685.7.N46 1996 | Dewey Decimal 598.298
Four of the world's leading ornithologists and ardent conservationists have produced this unique synthesis of the ecological information on all 4,037 species of birds found from Mexico south to Tierra del Fuego. In tables that cover more than 300 pages and include much of their own unpublished data, the authors summarize details on 40 key ecological parameters for each bird species. Additional data and further analyses are provided for migratory species.
Because bird communities are good indicators of habitat type and condition, and because extensive bird surveys can be done quickly, bird communities are critical to rapid evaluations of an ecosystem's biological value and integrity. The authors analyze the bird species of major habitats from a conservation perspective, and develop specific guidelines to illustrate how governments, conservation organizations, and wildlife managers can use this ecological information to anchor conservation strategies on sound biological reality.
"Students of ecology and wildlife management, as well as conservationists, will benefit from this book . . . . Governmental and conservation agencies should use this book when making critical decisions about where to focus their efforts as they work to preserve the environment in fragile regions of the world." —Edward I. Saiff, Science Books & Films
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Nevada Mountains: Landforms, Trees, and Vegetation
David Alan Charlet
University of Utah Press, 2019
Library of Congress GB525.5.N3+ | Dewey Decimal 551.43209793
Nevada is one of the most mountainous states in the US. Yet mapping out exactly where one range begins and another ends has never been done—until now. In this volume David Charlet provides maps and descriptions for all 319 mountain ranges in the state.
Divided into three parts, the book presents a simple system recognizing the primary landscape features of Nevada. Part I describes the methods used to define the boundaries of the ranges and divides the state into meaningful landforms. Part II describes the ecological life zones and their vegetation types. Part III describes the individual mountain ranges. Each mountain range entry contains a descriptive narrative and a data summary that includes the county or counties in which the range occurs, whether the author has visited and collected plants there, the highest point, the base elevation, a brief discussion of the geology, any historic settlements or post offices located in the range, the distribution of life zones, and a list of all conifers and flowering trees.
The result of over thirty years of exploration and study throughout the state, this is a long-overdue compendium of Nevada’s mountains and associated flora. This book is a required reference for anyone venturing out into the Nevada wilds.
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Northwest Birds in Winter
Alan Contreras
Oregon State University Press, 1997
Library of Congress QL683.N75C65 1997 | Dewey Decimal 598.09795
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Sedges: Carex
Robert H. Mohlenbrock
Southern Illinois University Press, 2011
Library of Congress QK495.C997M63 2011 | Dewey Decimal 584.84
Sedges: Carex is the fourteenth volume of the Illustrated Flora of Illinois series and the sixth and last volume devoted to monocots—plants that have a single seed leaf, or cotyledon, upon germination.
Since the volume’s original publication in 1999, thirty-four additional species of plants have been recognized in Illinois. Some are discoveries from recent field work, some are from more thorough searches of herbaria, and others are from different taxonomic philosophies.
For each species of Carex in Illinois, there is a full illustration showing the habit of the plant and close-ups of various vegetative and reproductive structures that are crucial for the identification of the individual species. There is also a complete description of each species as well as a detailed discussion of the nomenclature and habitats. Range maps show the county distribution of each species in Illinois. A new and detailed key is provided for identification of the species.
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Sedges: Carex
Robert H. Mohlenbrock. Illustrated by Paul Nelson
Southern Illinois University Press, 1999
Library of Congress QK495.C997M63 | Dewey Decimal 584.8409773
Sedges: Carex is the fourteenth volume of the Illustrated Flora of Illinois series and the sixth and last volume devoted to monocots, or plants that have a single seed-leaf, or cotyledon, upon germination. For each of the 159 species of Carex in Illinois, there is a full illustration showing the habit of the plant and close-ups of various vegetative and reproductive structures that are crucial for the identification of the individual species. There is also a complete description of each species as well as a discussion of the nomenclature and habitats. Range maps show the county distribution of each species in Illinois. A detailed key is provided for identification of the species.
Unique in several respects, Carex is by far the most numerous genus of plants in Illinois. Because of the vast number of species, the similarity of many of the species, and the relatively small size of the critical reproductive structures, the members of this genus are extremely confusing to identify. This book, with its detailed descriptions, key, and precise illustrations, should aid the interested person in the identification of these plants.
Since more than three-fourths of the species of Carex in Illinois are inhabitants of wetlands, an understanding of the genus is critical for those working in wetlands. Amateur and professional botanists will find the information extremely valuable, as well as environmental and conservation groups, garden clubs, farm bureaus, home extension groups, scout organizations, and school libraries. Persons working in natural areas programs and in rare and endangered species programs and those working on environmental impact assessments and wildlife management projects will also find the information pertinent.
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Sedges: Cyperus to Scleria
Robert H. Mohlenbrock
Southern Illinois University Press, 2001
Library of Congress QK495.C997M63 2001 | Dewey Decimal 584.8409773
This second edition of Sedges: Cyperus to Scleria brings up to date the identification of species of sedges in Illinois (except Carex) since publication of the first edition in 1976.
During the intervening years, several additions to the sedge flora of Illinois have been made, and many new distributional records have been added. Also, a large number of nomenclatural changes have taken place, resulting in several alterations of scientific names. New illustrations have been provided for all of the additions.
In his introductory material, Robert H. Mohlenbrock discusses the morphology of sedges and the habitats where they can be found. Although the semitechnical keys and descriptions are familiar to experienced botanists, he has simplified them as much as possible to accommodate the novice in sedge identification. He has also included a new key to the sedges and to each genus in which additional species have been added.
For each species, Mohlenbrock has provided a description, statement of habitat and range, Illinois distribution map, discussion, synonymy, and line illustrations showing its diagnostic features. Sedges: Cyperus to Scleria contains 128 illustrations.
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Sonoran Desert Plants: An Ecological Atlas
Raymond M. Turner, Janice E. Bowers, and Tony L. Burgess
University of Arizona Press, 1995
Library of Congress QK142.T87 1995 | Dewey Decimal 581.97917
The Sonoran Desert, a fragile ecosystem, is under ever-increasing pressure from a burgeoning human population. This ecological atlas of the region's plants, a greatly enlarged and full revised version of the original 1972 atlas, will be an invaluable resource for plant ecologists, botanists, geographers, and other scientists, and for all with a serious interest in living with and protecting a unique natural southwestern heritage.
An encyclopedia as well as an atlas, this monumental work describes the taxonomy, geographic distribution, and ecology of 339 plants, most of them common and characteristic trees, shrubs, or succulants. Also included is valuable information on natural history and ethnobotanical, commercial, and horticultural uses of these plants. The entry for each species includes a range map, an elevational profile, and a narrative account. The authors also include an extensive bibliography, referring the reader to the latest research and numerous references of historical importance, with a glossary to aid the general reader. Sonoran Desert Plants is a monumental work, unlikely to be superseded in the next generation. As the region continues to attract more people, there will be an increasingly urgent need for basic knowledge of plant species as a guide for creative and sustainable habitation of the area. This book will stand as a landmark resource for many years to come.
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Turtles of Alabama
Craig Guyer, Mark A. Bailey, and Robert H. Mount
University of Alabama Press, 2015
Library of Congress QL666.C5G89 2015 | Dewey Decimal 597.9209761
For nearly 200 million years, Earth has been occupied by reptiles—a lineage of terrestrial vertebrates that includes some, like birds, that have invaded the aerial environment, and others, like turtles, that have invaded aquatic environments. With thirty-nine known species, Alabama harbors more turtle species than any other state in the nation, and its Mobile River basin is the center of the world's greatest biodiversity in turtles, surpassing all other river systems around the globe, including the Amazon and the Nile. Turtles of Alabama documents that extraordinary wealth and presents each species in full, describing its physical appearance, habitat and range, behavior, conservation and management, and taxonomy.
In addition to providing sixty-five full-color photographs of juveniles and adults along with forty-two colorfully detailed distribution maps, this volume features an introductory section explaining the physiography, climate, and habitats of the state, and offers illustrated taxonomic keys for all the species considered, including the oceanic behemoths that lay their eggs on Alabama's gulf beaches and the lumbering gopher tortoise that provides safe haven for countless other animals and arthropods in its underground burrows of the Coastal Plain. With fine line drawings to highlight various distinguishing attributes of the animals, this volume is the definitive guide to the state’s fascinating and diverse turtle populations—freshwater, marine, and terrestrial.
Although they are notoriously slow-moving, turtles still survive on Earth because of their remarkable adaptations—an exterior shell for body protection, long lives, high reproductive output, stamina, and a capacity for doing without. Turtles are cold-blooded reptiles that were here long before mammals, and they're still around, continuing to adapt to many different habitats and ecological niches, still interbreeding, evolving, and speciating. Turtles of Alabama is a fitting celebration of that phenomenal variety and strength.
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