Resource Use by Chaparral and Matorral: A Comparison of Vegetation Function in Two Mediterranean Type Ecosystems (Ecological Studies, 39)

The comparative study of mediterranean type ecosystems has gained considerable momentum during the past two decades. Modem studies on these systems date from the work of Ray Specht, who studied the dynamics of the heath vegetation of southƯ ern Australia. The results of these studies first appeared in 1957 (Specht and Rayson, 1957) and were summarized in 1973 (Specht, 1973). Specht followed this detailed work, which pointed to the central role of nutrients in limiting the productivity of the Australian heath, with a general comparison of the structural features of woody plant communities in mediterranean type ecosystems of Australia, southern France, and southern California (Specht, 1969a, b). The comparative studies emphasized remarkƯ able convergent features of these ecosystems, particularly in relation to structural features affecting primary production. Naveh (l967) also did comparative studies focusing on grassland types that occur in the mediterranean climatic zones of CaliforƯ nia and IsraeL About this same time, independent studies by Mooney and Dunn (1970 a, b) and Mooney et al. (1970) made preliminary structural and functional comparisons of the vegetations of mediterranean type ecosystems in California and Chile in an atƯ tempt to derive an evolutionary model explaining the basis of their convergent natures. Much of the knowledge of these ecosystems up to 1973 was summarized in volume 7 of Ecological Studies, Medite"anean Type Ecosystems: Origin and Structure (di Castri and Mooney, 1973). This volume builds on its series predecessor in many ways Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Conceptual Basis and Organization of Research....Pages 1-15 Resource Availability and Environmental Characteristics of Mediterranean Type Ecosystems....Pages 17-41 The Plant Communities and Their Environments....Pages 43-68 Biomass, Phenology, and Growth....Pages 69-96 Microclimate and Energy Exchange....Pages 97-121 Water Utilization....Pages 123-149 Energy and Carbon Acquisition....Pages 151-183 Carbon Allocation and Utilization....Pages 185-235 Mineral Nutrient and Nonstructural Carbon Utilization....Pages 237-257 Nutrient Cycling in Mediterranean Type Ecosystems....Pages 259-285 Models of Plant and Soil Processes....Pages 287-368 Similarities and Limitations of Resource Utilization in Mediterranean Type Ecosystems....Pages 369-407 Back Matter....Pages 409-457