β Scribed by Albert W. Johnson (auth.), Francesco di Castri, Harold A. Mooney (eds.)
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
No other disjunct pieces of land present such striking similarities as the widely sepaΒ 1 rated regions with a mediterranean type of climate, that is, the territories fringing the Mediterranean Sea, California, Central Chile and the southernmost strips of South Mrica and Australia. Similarities are not confined to climatic trends, but are also reflected in the physiognomy ofthe vegetation, in land use patterns and frequently in the general appearance of the landscape. The very close similarities in agricultural practices and sometimes also in rural settlements are dependent on the climatic and edaphic analogies, as well as on a certain commonality in qdtural history. This is certainly true for the Mediterranean Sea basin which in many ways represents a sort of ecological-cultural unit; this is also valid for CaUfornia and Chile, which were both settled by Spaniards and which showed periods of vigorous commercial and cultural interchanges as during the California gold rush. One other general feature is the massive interchange of cultivated and weed species of plants that has occurred between the five areas of the world that have a mediterranean-type climate, with the Mediterranean basin region itself as a major source. In spite of their limited territorial extension, probably no other parts of the world have played a more fundamental role in the history of mankind. Phoenician, Etruscan, Hellenic, Jewish, Roman, Christian andArab civilizations, among others,haveshapedmanyofman's present attitudes, including his position and perception vis-a-vis nature.
Front Matter....Pages I-XII
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Historical View of the Concept of Ecosystem Convergence....Pages 3-7
Front Matter....Pages 9-10
Distribution and Peculiarity of Mediterranean Ecosystems....Pages 11-19
Climatographical Comparisons between Chile and the Western Coast of North America....Pages 21-36
The Physiography of the Mediterranean Lands with Special Emphasis on California and Chile....Pages 37-52
Geomorphological Processes and Characteristic Landforms in the Mediterranean Regions of the World....Pages 53-60
Analogies between the Soil and Vegetation Types of Italy, Greece, and California....Pages 61-80
Front Matter....Pages 81-82
Structure and Function of the California Chaparral β an Example from San Dimas....Pages 83-112
Structure and Functional Response of Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Climate of Australia....Pages 113-120
The Role of the Secondary Plant Chemistry in the Evolution of the Mediterranean Scrub Vegetation....Pages 121-155
Comparative Anatomy of Sclerophylls of Mediterranean Climatic Areas....Pages 157-167
Front Matter....Pages 169-170
Soil Animals in Latitudinal and Topographical Gradients of Mediterranean Ecosystems....Pages 171-190
Microbial Activity under Seasonal Conditions of Drought in Mediterranean Climates....Pages 191-198
Soil-Vegetation Relationships in Mediterranean Ecosystems of Southern France....Pages 199-210
Front Matter....Pages 211-212
The Evolution of Mediterranean Floras....Pages 213-224
History of the Mediterranean Ecosystem in California....Pages 225-277
Front Matter....Pages 279-283
Biogeography of Soil Beetles in Mediterranean Regions....Pages 285-294
Biogeography of Pseudoscorpions in the Mediterranean Regions of the World....Pages 295-305
Parallel Evolution and Bird Niches....Pages 307-338
Ecological Convergence of the Lizard Faunas of the Chaparral Communities in Chile and California....Pages 339-348
Segregation of Lizard Niches in the Mediterranean Region of Chile....Pages 349-360
Front Matter....Pages 361-361
Manβs Impact on the Several Regions with Mediterranean Climates....Pages 363-371
The Human Degradation of Mediterranean Landscapes in Israel....Pages 373-390
Back Matter....Pages 391-408
Life Sciences, general; Biomedicine general
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