Serpentine Geoecology of Western North America: Geology, Soils, and Vegetation

Geoecology is a fruitful interdisciplinary field, relating rocks to soils to plant and animal communities and studying the interactions between them. Modern geoecology especially concentrates on showing how geology and soils affect the structure, composition, and distribution of plant communities in a certain research area. This book applies the principles of geoecology to Western North America, and to a specific kind of rock, the fascinating serpentine belts that run along the continental margins of the West Coast from Alaska to Baja. The authors come from different disciplines: Alexander is a soil scientist, Coleman a geologist, Harrison a biological researcher, and Keeler-Wolfe a vegetation ecologist.

It begins with an overview of the geology of this rock and this region, covering mineralogy, petrology, and stratigraphy of West Coast serpentine. It will continue with serpentine soils and their development and distribution, and serpentine effects on plants and vegetation and animals. The serpentine geoecology of the different regions of Western North America, concentrating on California, will conclude the study. So, this academic book should appeal to plant ecologists, soil scientists, researchers in geoecology, and students in advanced courses in soil science.

I. Geology and Hydrology

2. Nature of Ultramafics

3. Mineralogy and Petrology of Serpentine

4. Water in Serpentine Geoecosystems

References

II. Soils and Life in Them

5. Soils and Soil Development

6. Serpentine Soils and their Distributions

7. Living Organisms: Particularly Animals, Fungi, and Microorganisms

8. Serpentine Soils as Media for Plant Growth

References

III. Plant Life on Serpentine

9. Plant Responses to Serpentine Soils

10. Serpentine Vegetation and Floristics

11. Serpentine Plant Life of Western North America

12. Serpentine Vegetation Alliances in Western North America

References

IV. Serpentine Domains of Western North America

13. Baja California

14. Sierra Motherlode

15. Southern California Coast Ranges

16. Northern California Coast Ranges

17. Klamath Mountains

18. Blue Mountains, Oregon

19. Northern Cascade-Fraser River

20. Gulf of Alaska

21. Denali-Yukon

22

References

V. Social Issues and Epilogue

23. Serpentine Land Use and Health Concerns

24. Synthesis and Future Directions

References

Glossary

Appendix

A. Nature of Minerals in Serpentine Rocks and Soils

B. Characteristics of Chemical Elements-Ionic Properties and Toxicities

C. Soil Classification

D. Kingdoms of Life

E. Water Balance by the Thornthwaite Method

F. Protected Natural Areas

G. Endemic Plants in California