Introduction -- The soil factor : Importance of soil to plants ; Soil defined ; The parent materials ; The organic increment ; Soil organism ; Soil moisture and air ; Soil solutes ; Soil development ; The U.S. Department of Agriculture system of classification -- The water factor : Importance of water to plants ; Atmospheric moisture ; Precipitation ; Soil moisture ; The water-balance problem of land plants ; Quantity of water used by plants ; Classification of plants based on water relationships ; Role of water in plant reproduction -- The temperature factor : Some physical terms and concepts ; Temporal variations in temperature ; Spatial variations in temperature ; Importance of temperature to plants ; Temperature measurement and control -- The light factor : Subdivisions of radiant energy and units of measurement ; Relative importance of quality of light ; Spatial variations in light intensity ; Temporal variations in light ; Importance of light to plants ; Light influences as modified by temperature and other factors ; Light measurement and control -- The atmospheric factor : Metabolic aspects ; Wind -- The biotic factor : Classification of symbiotic phenomena ; Herbivorous animals ; Carnivorous plants ; Pollination by animals ; Dissemination by animals (Zoochory) ; Lianas ; Epiphytes ; Parasitic vascular plants ; Lichens ; Symbiotic N fixation ; Mycotrophy -- The fire factor : KInds of fire ; Adaptations related to fire ; Indirect effects of fire on plants ; Practical value of vegetation burning -- The environmental complex : Ecologic versus nonecologic behaviorisms ; Multiplicity of factors ; Heterogeneity of environment ; Dynamic nature of environment ; Variability of plant requirements ; Factor interaction ; Optima and limiting factors ; The ecologic viewpoint in experimental work ; The phytometer method -- Ecologic adaptation and evolution : Adaptation ; Origin of adaptations ; Fate of adaptations ; The genecologic classification ; Isolation and evolution.
Summary
A background in biology and the earth sciences will be useful to the student seeking an understanding of the complexities involved in the ecology of plant communities as presented in this text.
