This volume on botanical research in tundra represents the culmination of four years of intensive and integrated field research centered at Barrow, Alaska. The volume summarizes the most significant results and interpretations of the pri mary producer projects conducted in the U.S. IBP Tundra Biome Program (1970-1974). Original data reports are available from the authors and can serve as detailed references for interested tundra researchers. Also, the results of most projects have been published in numerous papers in various journals. The introduction provides a brief overview of other ecosystem components. The main body presents the results in three general sections. The summary chapter is an attempt to integrate ideas and information from the previous papers as well as extant literature. In addition, this chapter focuses attention on pro cesses of primary production which should receive increased emphasis. Although this book will not answer all immediate questions, it hopefully will enhance future understanding of the tundra, particularly as we have studied it in Northern Alaska.

Covers elements of alpine and lowland ecosystems, the role of wind, cold, snow and permafrost, animal and plant survival techniques, tundra food chains and food webs, the fragility and resistance of plants, animals and the land, and conservation issue investigations.

The Arctic is often portrayed as being isolated, but the reality is that the connectivity with the rest of the planet is huge, be it through weather patterns, global ocean circulation, and large-scale migration patterns to name but a few. There is a huge amount of public interest in the ‘changing Arctic’, especially in terms of the rapid changes taking place in ecosystems and exploitation of resources. There can be no doubt that the Arctic is at the forefront of the international environmental science agenda, both from a scientific aspect, and also from a policy/environmental management perspective. This book aims to stimulate a wide audience to think about the Arctic by highlighting the remarkable breadth of what it means to study its ecology. Arctic Ecology seeks to systematically introduce the diverse array of ecologies within the Arctic region. As the Arctic rapidly changes, understanding the fundamental ecology underpinning the Arctic is paramount to understanding the consequences of what such change will inevitably bring about. Arctic Ecology is designed to provide graduate students of environmental science, ecology and climate change with a source where Arctic ecology is addressed specifically, with issues due to climate change clearly discussed. It will also be of use to policy-makers, researchers and international agencies who are focusing on ecological issues and effects of global climate change in the Arctic. About the Editor David N. Thomas is Professor of Arctic Ecosystem Research in the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki. Previously he spent 24 years in the School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Wales. He studies marine systems, with a particular emphasis on sea ice and land-coast interactions in the Arctic and Southern Oceans as well as the Baltic Sea. He also edited a related book: Sea Ice, 3rd Edition (2017), which is also published by Wiley-Blackwell.

The arctic region is predicted to experience the earliest and most pronounced global warming response to human-induced climatic change. This book synthesizes information on the physiological ecology of arctic plants, discusses how physiological processes influence ecosystem processes, and explores how climate warming will affect arctic plants, plant communities, and ecosystem processes. - Reviews the physiological ecology of arctic plants - Explores biotic controls over community and ecosystems processes - Provides physiological bases for predicting how the Arctic will respond to global climate change

Following in the footsteps of the successful first edition, Functional Plant Ecology, Second Edition remains the most authoritative resource in this multidisciplinary field. Extensively revised and updated, this book investigates plant structure and behavior across the ecological spectrum. It features the ecology and evolution of plant crowns and a

Although, as W.D. Billings notes in his chapter in this book. the development of physiological ecology can be traced back to the very beginnings of the study of ecology it is clear that the modern development of this field in North America is due in the large part to the efforts of Billings alone. The foundation that Billings laid in the late 1950s came from his own studies on deserts and subsequently arctic and alpine plants, and also from his enormous success in instilling enthusiasm for the field in the numerous students attracted to the plant ecology program at Duke University. Billings' own studies provided the model for subsequent work in this field. Physiological techniques. normally confined to the laboratory. were brought into the field to examine processes under natural environmental conditions. These field studies were accompanied by experiments under controlled conditions where the relative impact of various factors could be assessed and further where genetic as opposed to environmental influences could be separated. This blending of field and laboratory approaches promoted the design of experiments which were of direct relevance to understanding the distribution and abundance of plants in nature. Physiological mechanisms were studied and assessed in the context of the functioning of plants under natural conditions rather than as an end in itself.

O. L. LANGE, P. S. NOBEL, C. B. OSMOND, and H. ZIEGLER In the last volume of the series 'Physiological Plant Ecology' we have asked contributors to address the bases of ecosystem processes in terms of key plant physiological properties. It has often been suggested that it is not profitable to attempt analysis of complex living systems in terms of the properties of component individuals or populations, i. e. , the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Nevertheless, assessments of ecological research over the last century show that other approaches are seldom more helpful. Although it is possible to describe complex systems of living organisms in holistic terms, the most useful descriptions are found in terms of the birth, growth and death of individ uals. This allows analysis of performance of the parts of the whole considering their synergistic and antagonistic interrelationships and is the basis for a synthe sis which elucidates the specific properties of a system. Thus it seems that the description of ecosystem processes is inevitably anchored in physiological under standing. If enquiry into complex living systems is to remain a scientific exercise, it must retain tangible links with physiology. Of course, as was emphasized in Vol. 12A, not all of our physiological understanding is required to explore ecosystem processes. For pragmatic purposes, the whole may be adequantely represented as a good deal less than the sum of its parts.

The Handbook of Vegetation Science is growing. After the first volumes und er my editorship have appeared the interest of the scientific community has been revived and many new volume editors have started their work. The present volume wasjointly designed by Drs. J. White and W. Beeftink. Due to unforseen developments Dr. White signs now as the sole editor. The development of this volume within the series had a special history as Dr. White pointsout in his preface. Adding to this I need only to state that I found it essential to include the topic of this volume into a Hand book of Vegetation Science. lt was included therefore in my first revised Iist of topics to be included in the Handbook when I took over from Dr. Tüxen. It is a great pleasure for me to see this volume appear. Having read through the many contributions to this volume I can certainly congratu late Drs. White and Beeftink for their success in generating so much interest in this volume among their colleagues. The cooperation on this volume is forme the first sign that the new concept of the Handbook has been understood by the generation of scientists which I have to address. The influence this volume will have on the field ofplant population studies only time can teil. It appears to me, however, that this volume will become a standard resource for some future. Dr. White asked me to have this volume dedicated to Dr. Rabotnov.

By demonstrating the importance of communication among social scientists, scientists in the natural sciences and stakeholders living in the Arctic, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the region's rapidly changing physical and human dimensions. In response to the tremendous challenges and opportunities facing the Arctic it is an essential resource for all Arctic researchers and those developing multidisciplinary projects. Representing a state-of-the-art overview of key areas of Arctic research by renowned specialists in the field, each chapter forms a detailed, varied and accessible account of current knowledge. Each author introduces the subject to a non-specialist readership, while retaining intellectual integrity and relevance for specialists. Overall, the richness of the material presented in this volume reflects the ecological and cultural diversity of this vast and environmentally critical part of the globe.