1: Introduction
2: Abiotic factors
3: Morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants to
the abiotic environment
4: Morphological, physiological, and behavioural adaptations of
desert animals to the abiotic environment
5: The role of competition and facilitation in structuring desert
communities
6: The importance of predation and parasitism
7: Plant-animal interactions in deserts
8: Desert food webs and ecosystem ecology
9: Biodiversity and biogeography of deserts
10: Human impacts and desertification
11: Conservation of deserts
David Ward is Art and Margaret Herrick Endowed Professor of Plant
Biology at Kent State University. His research interests lie in the
field of the ecology of plant species redistributions. This
includes studying both invasive and encroaching plant species. He
is also interested in studying the natural process of succession.
Most of his research involves trees but he also studies the effects
of herbivory by large mammals (such as elephants) on the
population
biology, community ecology and conservation of plant populations.
He believes in the value of field experiments to allow us to gain a
mechanistic understanding of the factors that create
large-scale
vegetation patterns.
Wards book is a highly readable introduction to the many facets of
desert biology and is rich in fascinating details. Theory and
examples are nicely interwoven and supplemented by numerous figures
and illustrations ... a must read for any biologist curious about
desert ecosystems
*Yael Lubin, Conservation Biology*
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