A01=Ronald D. Quinn
A01=Sterling Keeley
A12=Marianne D. Wallace
Author_Marianne D. Wallace
Author_Ronald D. Quinn
Author_Sterling Keeley
california
california chaparral
california landscape
Category=PSAF
chaparral ecology
common plants and animals
drought resistant
ecological communities
ecologists
environment
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_science
field guide
fire beetles
fire tolerant
flora and fauna
illustrated
kangaroo rats
lizards
movie and tv plants
natural history
organisms
plants and animals
public lands
regional ecology
regional history
regional plant life
resilient ecology
seed germination
textbooks
Product details
- ISBN 9780520245662
- Weight: 499g
- Dimensions: 114 x 184mm
- Publication Date: 20 Sep 2006
- Publisher: University of California Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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The characteristic look of California Chaparral - a soft bluish-green blanket of vegetation gently covering the hills - is known to millions who have seen it as the backdrop in movies and television productions. This complex ecological community of plants and animals is not just a feature of the hills around Hollywood, but is a quintessential part of the entire California landscape. It is a highly resilient community adapted to life with recurring fires and droughts. Written for a wide audience, this concise, engaging, and beautifully illustrated book describes an ancient and exquisitely balanced environment home to wondrous organisms: Fire Beetles that mate only on burning branches, lizards that shoot blood from their eyes when threatened, Kangaroo Rats that never drink water, and seeds that germinate only after a fire, even if that means waiting in the soil for a 100 years or more. Useful both as a field guide and an introductory overview of the ecology of chaparral, it also provides a better understanding of how we might live in harmony, safety, and appreciation of this unique ecological community.
It identifies chaparral's common plants, animals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. It features 79 color illustrations, 56 black-and-white photographs, and 3 maps, and examines the role of humans and fire in chaparral, covering the placement and design of homes, landscaping, and public policy.
Ronald D. Quinn is Professor of Biological Sciences at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He has written widely on effects of chaparral wildfires Sterling C. Keeley is Professor of Botany at the University of Hawaii and editor of The California Chaparral: Paradigms Re-examined (1989).
