A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert

2. Auflage 2015
ISBN: 978-0-520-28747-1
Verlag: Regents of the Univ of CA

Buch, Englisch, 592 Seiten, Trade Paperback, Format (B × H): 181 mm x 256 mm, Gewicht: 1074 g

The landscape of the Sonoran Desert Region varies dramatically from parched desert lowlands to semiarid tropical forests and frigid subalpine meadows. Covering southeasternmost California, much of southern and central Arizona, most of Baja California, and much of the state of Sonora, Mexico, it is home to an extraordinary variety of plants and animals. A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert takes readers deep into its vast expanse, looking closely at the relationships of plants and animals with the land and people, through time and across landscapes.

In accessible language, more than forty scientists and/or naturalists examine the region’s biodiversity, geology, weather, plants, and animals (from invertebrates to fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals), as well as potential threats to the species and habitats. The text is supplemented throughout with anecdotes, essays, photographs, maps, diagrams, and 450 finely rendered drawings.

This new edition adds chapters on the Sky Islands, Sea of Cortez, desert pollinators, and conservation issues. Taxonomic nomenclature has been updated and new color plates and figures have been added. This comprehensive natural history, like the original edition, will surely become an invaluable companion for nature enthusiasts, birdwatchers, hikers, students, naturalists, and anyone interested in the desert Southwest.

Published in association with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Phillips, Steven John

Comus, Patricia Wentworth

Dimmitt, Mark Alan

Brewer, Linda M

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Umweltgeschichte & Umweltarchäologie
• Geowissenschaften Geographie | Raumplanung Trockengebiete und Wüsten

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface
Acknowledgments

1 • Welcome to the Sonoran Desert

Part One • The Big Picture
2 • Biomes and Communities of the Sonoran Desert Region
3 • Sky Islands
4 • Sea of Cortez
5 • Sonoran Desert Natural Events Calendar
6 • Nature Watching in the Sonoran Desert Region
7 • Desert Storms
8 • Desert Air and Light
9 • Deep History of the Sonoran Desert
10 • Geologic Origin of the Sonoran Desert
11 • Desert Soils
12 • Human Ecology of the Sonoran Desert
13 • Conservation Iss ues in the Sonoran Desert Region: Protecting Our Future
14 • Pollination in the Sonoran Desert Region
15 • Biodiversity: The Variety of Life that Sustains Our Own

Part Two • Plants
16 • Plant Ecology of the Sonoran Desert Region
17 • Flowering Plants of the Sonoran Desert
18 • Desert Grasses

Part Three • Animals
19 • A Vertebrate Looks at Arthropods
20 • Desert Ad aptations of Birds and Mammals
21 • Desert Ad aptations of Amphibians and Reptiles
22 • Sonoran Desert Arthropods
23 • Sonoran Desert Birds
24 • Sonoran Desert Mammals
25 • Sonoran Desert Fishes
26 • Sonoran Desert Reptiles and Amphibians

Afterword
List of Species
Glossary
Editors
Contributors
Credits
Index

Über Autor(innen)

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, located fourteen miles west of Tucson, is an internationally recognized leader in natural history interpretation and innovative exhibitry.