Overview

Peatlands form important landscape elements in many parts of the world and play significant roles for biodiversity and global carbon balance. This new edition has been fully revised and updated, documenting the latest advances in areas such as microbial processes and relations between biological processes and hydrology. As well as thoroughly referencing the latest research, the authors expose a rich older literature where an immense repository of natural history has accumulated. The Biology of Peatlands starts with an overview of the main peatland types (marsh, swamp, fen, and bog), before examining the entire range of biota present (microbes, invertebrates, plants, and vertebrates), together with their specific adaptations to peatland habitats. Detailed coverage is devoted to the genus Sphagnum, the most important functional plant group in northern peatlands, although tropical and southern hemisphere peatlands are also covered. Throughout the book the interactions between organisms and environmental conditions (especially wetness, availability of oxygen, and pH) are emphasized, with chapters on the physical and chemical characteristics of peat, the role of peat as an archive of past vegetation and climate, and peatland succession and development. Several other key factors and processes are then examined, including hydrology and nutrient cycling. The fascinating peatland landforms in different parts of the world are described, together with theories on how they have developed. Human interactions with peatlands are considered in terms of management, conservation, and restoration. A final chapter, new to this edition, focuses on the role of peatlands as sources or sinks for the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane, and the influences of climate change on peatlands.This timely and accessible text is suitable for students and researchers of peatland ecology, as well as providing an authoritative overview for professional ecologists and conservation biologists.

Full Product Details

Author:   Håkan Rydin (Department of Plant Ecology and Evolution, Uppsala University) ,  John K. Jeglum (Department of Forest Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Edition:   2nd Revised edition
Dimensions:   Width: 16.70cm , Height: 2.10cm , Length: 23.30cm
Weight:   0.690kg
ISBN:  

9780199603008

ISBN 10:   0199603006
Pages:   398
Publication Date:   18 July 2013
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

1: Peatland habitats 2: Diversity of life in peatlands 3: Adaptations to the peatland habitat 4: Sphagnum - the builder of boreal peatlands 5: Peat and organic soil 6: The peat archives 7: Peatland succession and development 8: Peatland hydrology 9: Nutrients, light, and temperature 10: Hydrologic systems, hydromorphology, and peatland patterns 11: Peatlands around the world 12: Productivity and peat accumulation 13: Management, conservation, and restoration of peatlands 14: Peatlands and climate change

Reviews

This is certainly the best currently available book on peatland ecosystems British Ecological Society Bulletin

Contains a wealth of information on all aspects of peatlands...both peatland practitioners and students will find this book to be a useful addition to their library. Arn Tolsma, Austral Ecology This is certainly the best currently available book on peatland ecosystems British Ecological Society Bulletin

Author Information

Håkan Rydin is a Professor in Plant Ecology at Uppsala University, where he teaches ecology courses. His research focusses on the ecology of peatlands and the biology of bryophytes, both in peatlands and in other ecosystems. Over the years he has used peatlands to discuss ecological topics such as plant community structure, succession, and vegetation dynamics. His studies on the peat mosses (Sphagnum) cover ecophysiology, competition, niche relations, and dispersal. In more applied projects, he has dealt with the effects of nitrogen deposition and increased levels of carbon dioxide on mire ecosystems across Europe, and also worked with experiments on the restoration of drained peatlands. John Jeglum is a retired Professor in Forest Peatland Science at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå, where he taught wetland ecology and peatland forestry. His research deals with forest and peatland succession, and GIS analysis of peatland distribution in relation to state factors. Previously, he was a Research Scientist with the Canadian Forest Service in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. His projects included wetland and forest ecosystem classification, multivariate analysis of ecological data, natural regeneration of black spruce (Picea mariana) by strip clearcutting, forest drainage, and best forestry practices. He has studied peatlands in Canada (Saskatchewan, Ontario, Hudson-James Bay Lowlands), Sweden, Finland, and Ireland.

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