Bookreviews

A. W. K~(~HLER et I. S. ZOm~VELD [eds.] VEGETATION

MAPPING

Han(~book of vegetation Science. Volume I0. Kluwer Academia Publishers. Dordrecht/Boston/ /London 1988, 635 pp., colour section (32 pp.). Price s 154.00. Vegetation mapping has to be approached from various scientific point of view (vegetation science, aerial survey techniques, cartography, ecological monitoring, computer processing etc.). Therefore, the forty chapters of this volume comprise a collection of papers o n more or less related topics. A certain redundance of t h e t e x t is due p a r t l y to alternation of chapters o f t h e American a n d E u r o p e a n schools (an overlapping of certain items), p a r t l y to repetition of some common knowledge of vegetation in chapters more remote from each other (e.g., in those of sections B and G). I n t h e Contents the chapters are grouped into sections: A. Introduction, B. Basic Considerations, C. Cartographic Considerations, D. Methods a n d Procedures of Mapping, E. Examples of Vegetation Mapping Schools, F. Ecological Information in Vegetation and Related Landscape Maps, G. The Application of Vegetation Maps, H. Conclusion. There is no evident need to discuss separately all 40 chapters or to point out t h e numerous printing mistakes particularly in the L a t i n names of plants (Scrirpus instead of Scirpus, p. 29; Ceniza instead of Conyza, Aster pilesus instead of A. pilosus, Fig. 1, p. 325; Rubus caeseus instead of R. caesi~.s., Hippophad instead of Hippophae, p. 485, etc.). I t is more rewarding to p a y a t t e n t i o n to occasional confrontations in the t e x t which are highly stimulating or wake t h e appetite for more details. Clearly, the geobotanist will prefer " b o t a n i c a l " chapters to technical, he will be more interested in central E u r o p e a n references~ t h e i r absence in the book causes a slight loss in t h e context (for examples, only of t h e Czechoslovak authors HEJN~, ]~-R~Z et SA~rEK, NEWHXUSL are all of a n older date, not to mention KRAJINA who is working in Canada). I n general, t h e volume provides a source book for everyone interested in vegetation mapping and its application in agriculture, forestry, or ecology. Also, vegetation mapping is a useful tool in the application of vegetation science to landscape ecology. The Historical Sketch shows t h e roots of maps with t h e vegetation, a differentiation between t h e USA and Europe i n our century a n d global trends to produce small scale vegetation maps b y t e a m s (countries, continents), a n d those of a large scale b y individual scientists (ecosystems in small areas). The democracy of t h e volume becomes first evident in Chapter 3. The n a t u r e of vegetation (KuCHLER) a n d Chapter 4. Structure a n d floristic composition (Zo~EvELD). The first a u t h o r places "growth forms" in s y n o n y m y with "life f o r m s " and prefers the former term, while t h e second author uses "lifeform". However, in Chapter 36. E n v i r o n m e n t a l Indication, the latter accepts also " g r o w t h f o r m " and distinguishes t h e first from the second "as genetically fixed a d a p t a t i o n to the e n v i r o n m e n t " , while "growthform of individual plants can he genotypical b u t also phenotypical". B o t h authors agree t h a t b o t h aerial a n d field surveys have to be based o n analyses of vegetation morphology. I t is not quite clear why of all the factors controlling t h e geographical distribution of species, only tolerance a n d competition are mentioned in Chapter 3, a n d what role is played b y these key-terms of p0pulation biology in the theory of vegetation mapping. TA~Sv.EY*s s t e r m ecosystem is regarded as synonymous with S u ~ c H ~ v ' s biogeocenose ( ~ Zlatnlk's geobiocenose) (p. 14} in spite of t h e widely used funetionalistic definition of the t e r m ecosystem and a r a t h e r topographical use of the t e r m biogeoconose. I n the subchapter Dynamism (p. 18}, vegetation stability is treated in a generalized m a n n e r (stability " m e a n s a lack of change or at leagt a m i n i m u m of change"), without distinguishing between i m p o r t a n t concepts associated mainly with succession (resistance, resilience, etc.} -- and, in this connection, a very simplified s t a t e m e n t t h a t " W h e n t h e n a t u r a l vegetation is altered or destroyed, the resulting p l a n t eommuni-

440

FOLIA GEOBOTANICA ET PHYTOTAXONOMICA, 25. 1990

ties are u n s t a b l e " a n d t h e conclusion: "The n a t m ' e of vegetation is now clear." (p. 22). A t e r m not quite common to t h e central E u r o p e a n will be "messicol vegetation" (p. 19). Several chapters deal with a survey of m e t h o d s in the classification a n d evaluation of vegetation. A small item of interest are the Examples of combined scales (p. 65): D O ~ N (1923) modif. b y DAKL. Also of common use in central Europe is an l l - g r a d e scale, Do•nv (1923) modifi b y HADA~. The two modifiers first used a n l l - g r a d e scale in 1941 (DAwrr. et ~[ADA~: Strandgesellschaften der Insel Ostog in Oslofjord, l~ytt Magasin for Naturvidenskapene, B. 82). When discussing t h e use of t h e B~Au~-BLA~QUET method in tropical areas, the authors failed to cite J. J~Nix (and I~AT,T~)who b e t h participated in establishing the BP~u~-BLAIVq~ET system of classification mainly in savannas. These studies do not confirm, e.g., the s t a t e m e n t (allegedly made b y B~Au~BLA~QUET himself) t h a t classification of Z.-M. school can be used only in vegetation maps of a large scale a n d for types of vegetation which are not too rich in species. The convergent evolution of life (growth) forms under analogous e n v i r o n m e n t a l conditions implies the necessity for ecological research a n d site analysis (p. 93). A point for discussion can be the significance of ecological average values for mapping and indication (resulting from ranges of tolerance of t h e component species in the communities). Highly instructive is Chapter 8. Aspects of Maps, particularly w i t h regard to relationships between the information and t h e scale of the map. The spectrum of " t e c h n i c a l " problems is enlarged in the following chapters (9. Boundaries, Transitions and Continua, 10. Patterns, Colour and Symbols, 11. The Legend: Organizing t h e Map Content; a n d examples, 12. Language of Map Text and 13. O t h e r Technicalities). I m p o r t a n t (relatively autonomous) aspects are discussed in Chapter 14. A u t o m a t e d Cartog r a p h y a n d Electronic Geographic I n f o r m a t i o n Systems. There ought to have been references to R. G. H. Bu~cE a n d co-workers from t h e I n s t i t u t e of Terrestrial Ecology, U.K. (responsible for t h e working group for GIS within I n t e r n a t i o n a l Association of Landscape Ecology). Chapters on d a t a collection a n d interpretation (section D) deal with a n a r r a y of problems. Common to all approaches is repeated confrontation of field research w i t h t h a t performed b y means of a v a r i e t y of modes of remote sensing. Ecologists will certainly be greatly interested in Chapter 23. Mapping Dynamic Vegetation using p e r m a n e n t plots for successive mapping. Mapping Land-use (25) a n d Mapping t h e Potential N a t u r a l Vegetation (26), are interconnected b y monitoring methods a n d concepts of climax a n d succession. Examples of Vegetation Mapping Schools (section E) provide an u n d e r s t a n d i n g of KiJCBLER'S Comprehensive Method (28), ZONNEVELD'S ITC m e t h o d (29), t h e m e t h o d of BI~AUIV-BLANQUET which t h e Japanese use as a successful basis for vegetation mapping with practical implications, a n d others. Visualisation of vegetation d a t a b y ecology a n d landscape ecology is a very attractive up-to-date t h e m e which shows how to express complexity. Vegetation as a green m a n t l e or blanket portraying the surface of the earth h a s been regarded as an integrator of environnal factors. Chapters 33 to 38 discuss those aspects and show m a n y lists of principles, rules, laws, attributes and degrees of evaluation. I n m y opinion, Chapter 37. Basic Principles of L a n d E v a l u a t i o n using Vegetation and other L a n d Attributes would have benefited from t h e inclusion of a system approach to landscape a n d a m a p p i n g of the potential vegetation as a criterion which has been used m typology a n d regionalization since t h e early seventies (cfi e.g., I~AnA6 E. e t al., Landscape Planning,

4/1977). The volume is concluded b y Chapter 39. The Outlook: F u t u r e Needs a n d Possibilities and Chapter 40. The UNESCO Classification of Vegetation and a n excellent Colour Section. I n conclusion, t h e editors are to be congratulated for t h e i r excellent book. Vegetation Mapping will be of great value as a t e x t b o o k for specific lectures in universities a n d a n inspiration in botany, geography, landscape ecology a n d applied fields of research. PAVEL KovAf~

BOOKREVIEW8 J . J. B ~ a ~ x ~ DEPENDENT

441

e t K. V. S ~ x o ~ [eds.] PLANT

COMMU/~'ITIES

SPB Academic Publishing, The Hague, 1988, 10 -{- 179 p., 54 figs., 20 tab., 1 map, 1 p h o t o Das oben angeffihrte Bueh fasst die Ergebnisse des Internationalen Symposiums der Internationalen Vereinigung ffir Vegetationskunde zusammen. Schon im Vorwort waist Haupteditor J. J. BARX~A_~ darauf bin, dass die Bezeichnung "Dependent communities" an sich zur Vorstellung 4er Existenz yon unabh~ngigen Gesellschaften Ftihrt. Alle Pflanzengesellschaften stud jedoch integrale und interdependente Teile yon 0kosystemen und alle 0kosysteme sind direkt oder indirekt yon der Sonnenenergie abh~ngig. Es gibt jedoch verschiedene Grade der Abh~ngigkeit yon Aussenfaktoren -- veto relativ unabh~ngigen tropischen l~egenwal4 bis zu ganz heterotrophen 0kosystemen -- HShlen oder Meerestiefen. I n diesem Buch warden Beitr~ge angefiihrt, die die Problematik sowohl der 5kologischen, aIs aueh der syntaxonomisehen Abh~nglgkeit betreffen. Die einzelnen Arbeiten sind in Deutsch, Englisch oder FranzSsisch verSffentlicht. Das Buch ist in vier Teile gegliedert, die den Fragen der Saum- und Mantelgesellschaften, Krant- und Zwergstrauchgesellschaften im Waldunterwuchs, der Problematik der terrestrischen Moos- und Flechtengeseltschaften und der Pilzgesellschaften gewidment sind. In ersCen Beitrag yon J.-M. G ] ~ u und C.-P. BouP~IQly~ werden die Beziehungen yon Saum-, Mantel- und Waldgesellschaften in den niedrigeren Lagen Frankreichs behandelt. Interessant sind hier u. a. Beispiele yon abweichenden Saumgesellschaften derselben Waldgesellschaft am l~and oder im Innern der Waldkomplexe. Aufgrund tier syntaxonomischen Analyse empfehlen die Autoren, die Klasse t~hamno-Prunetea in den R a h m e n yon Querco-]Fagetea einzugliedern. Auch die Existenz tier selbst~ndigen Klasse Geranietea sanguinei haiten sie f'dr unwahrscheinlich (diese Frage wurde in der syntaxonomischen Literatur schon friiher oft diskutiert). Die Autoren empfehlen, nicht so viele kleine Klassen zu verwenden; sie schlagen vor, solide, gut charakterisierte synsystematische Einheiten zu wii~len. Aueh H.-D. KN)~P verweist in seinem Beitrag a u f d i e sehwierig~ floristische Trennung tier xerothermen Siiume u n d Buschw/~lder an natiirlichen Waldgrenzstanclorten. Interessant ist auch die Arbeit yon V. GLAVA~ Wffld Koll. fiber die Entwieklung der Pflanzendecke und ihrer physikalisehen Umwelt an Wacholdergebiisch-S~umen auf brachliegenden Halbtrockenrasen. I n das zweite Kapitel wurden 5 Arbeiten fiber Kraut- und Zwergstranchgesellsehaften des Waldunterwuehses aufgenommen. H. DIEI~SCHXE behandelt methodische und syntaxonomische Fragen bei der Erforschung nasser Mikrostandorte in Laubw~la~ern, D. J. W ~ r ~ R u n d U. H ~ WEG belegen mittels vieler anschaulicher Stm~kturdiagramme versehiedene Abh~ngigkeitstypen der Krautsehieht in einem Vorwald der Vulkaneifel. Der Beitrag yon R. WITTI(} und H. NEITE betrifft (tas Vorkommen yon Sauerindikatoren an Buchen-Stammbasen auf Kalkstein- oder LSsssubstrat, der yon M. J. A. W~.RGER und E. J. J. N. van LAA~ Saison~uderungen in der Struktur der Krautsehicht eines laubahwerfenden Waldes. H. MAZlYREXUnd F. ROMAlv~ untersuehen Vegetations/~nderungen und dynamische Beziehungen unter Kr~utern, Str~uchern und B~iumen in mediterranen P i n u s p/naster-beherrschten Bestiinden. Das dritte Kapitel fiber terrestrische Moos- und Flechtengesellschaften enth~lt vier Arbelten. E s warden Beziehungen in der ZusAmmenBetzung yon Bryophytengesellsehaften sowie Artengarnitur u n d DansitR$ yon Baumarten (H. J . D ~ u n d G. A. C. M. V~sc~c~aElq, J . KvuszPALO, J. Wr~G~RS) und Beziehungen zwischen biotisehen und abiotischen Ver~nderungen in den Loisel~urio-Vaccinietea-Gesellschaften (F. J. A. DANnmLS) analysiert. Der letzte Tail des Buehes ist den Pilzgesellschaften gewidmet. I n der Arbeit yon E. AR~OLDS warden Phyto- und MykozSnosen veto Gesichtspunkt ihrer Forsehtmgsmethoden, Definition u n d Klassifikation verglichen. Der Verfasser waist auf die Schwierigkeit der MykozSnosen-Forschung hin und lehnt ihre dam Braun-Blanquetschen Klassifikations-System analoge Klassifakation ab. MykozSnosen werden yon ihm fiir Bestandteile yon PhytozSnosen gehalten. Der Bodenn~ykoflora-Forschung im Tilio-A ceretum ist der Beitrag yon G. MASSA]aXund Koll. gewidmet. Das Buch wird mit einem phytozSnologisch-Sko]ogischen Vergleich der Ass. Trametet~m versicoloris und T. hir~utae von A. Ru~OE abgesehlossen. Das besprochene Sammelhuch bringt eine Reihe yon Erkenntnissen iiber Abh~ngigkeiten der Pflanzengesetlschaften oder Populationen yon biotischen oder abiotischen Faktoren. Es stellt eine QueIle yon Anregungen Ftir die weitere Erforsehung yon abhiingigen Pflanzengesellschaften und ihren Bestandteilen dar. ZDENKA NEUH~.USLOVA

442

FOLIA GEOBOTA~IC&

E T P H Y T O T A X O ] q O M I C A , ZS, 1990

E.-D. SCHLrLZEand H. ZWbL~R (eds.) POTENTIALS

AND LIMITATIONS

OF ECOSYSTEM

ANALYSIS

Ecological Studies, Vol. 61 Springer Verlag, New York, Berlin, Heidelberg, Tokyo, 1987, 435 pp., 141 Figs. While in the sixties and seventies, a number of classical textbooks and surveys were published on general ecology, the volumes published in the eighties wore mostly more specialized in t h a t t h e y treated certain aspects only such as methods, the level of organization or t h e type of biome. However, a feature common to these volumes is a collaboration of m a n y authors, often wellknown specialists. Mostly, the writing is accurate, clear and concise to make it apprehensive to the nonspecialist even. Most of these presentations are up-to-date and offer now ideas which m a y stimulate further research work. The present volume is a typical example of this type of publication. I t deals with the proceedings of an international symposium held on the occasion of the 10th anniversary o f the Bayreuth University (t~RG). A total of 25 authors (more than one half from the Federal Republic of Germany, t h e remaining mostly from the USA) participated in the 19 chapters of the volume divided into three parts: (1) I n p u t / o u t p u t analys~s of ecosystems, (2) Processes and functions at the p r i m a r y p ~ d u c o level, (3) Processes and functions at the consumer level. Each part has its own introduction. The volume is supplemented with a synthesis, a species index and a subject index. Potentials and limits of an analysis of the ecosystem are treated just marginally in t h e individual papers. In most cases, the text informs about the present knowledge available o f the problem under consideration, less frequent is a presentation of t h e author's own unpublished data. The volume is a true reflection of all the gains and all the inadequacies o f modern ecology. I t is evident t h a t hydrobiologists -- particularly those dealing with rather closed water ecosystems limited b y a distinct environmental factor, have a better understanding o f the functions of the ecosystem: e.g. saline lake ecosystems (VXRESCHI) as compared with t h a t of water and carbofluxes (J•RvIS), plant architecture and resource competition (CALDWELL), response to water and nutrients in comferous ecosystems (LIND~ER) and carbon assimilation (LY~'GE e t a l . ) . Here again, there is evidence t h a t a link-up o f theorotical ecology (LoEscnLKE) with empirical approaches ~otber contributions) is insufficient. Highly promising appear to be joined evolutionary-ecological and ecophysiological approaches (ScHuLZ~ e t CrIAPI~; BAZZAZet SrEr~), because they may lead to a uniform ecological theory connecting the present scattered methods with the ill-linked individual approaches (see BAZZAZ et SIEPE}. A most complex information is available on relatively simple ecological systems such as flowers and pollen vectors (BERTSCH), herbivorous insects in inflorescences of several composite plants (Zw6rrE~), freshwater and saline lakes (LAMPE~T; V~RESCHD, and ecosystems of marine tidal flats (REIsE). Greatly stimulating are several contributions based on physiclogieal methods and concerned with a utilization of differently available sources of plant communities (Scn-trLZE et CHAPIN), relationships between plant architecture and resource competition (C~Dw]~LL), physiological approaches to studies on the organization of plant communities (BAzzAz et SIPS.). Very valuable is the survey o f changes in the soil balance at a degradation o f forests (UL~IC~ -part 2 of his contribution); an example of a good ecological s t u d y is the article on an organic pollution o f water ( I - I E R R ~ r Most interesting are methodological aspects of a longterm investigation of forest pests in Switzerland discussed b y BAT.TENW~.ILER et FISC~LIN. The perfectness of the volume is disturbed by an unstable meaning of several terms such as ecosystem (comp. J ~ t w s ' pragmatic definition with ULRICH'S phytocoenological conception), or an omission to define vague terms such as disturbance vs. pcrturbance in the chapters on Synthesis. Also the explanation given for the terms steady-state, quasi steady-stage used in context with the development of ecosystems is not too clear. GI~ON'S analysis of the key factor of the environment is not correct: in Fig. I, p. 232, he refers to a relationship between t h e percentage of species typical of one o f the two selected plant communities and differently measured properties o f t h e environment using t h e r e b y a correlation coefficient as t h e measure o f t h e closeness of the relationship. Apparently, a more convenient nonparamotrieal measure of this relationship may change completely the author's conclusions. I t says on p. 237 of this article t h a t

:BOOKRSW~WS

443

he fotind no differences in the flora (but also in the fauna and the bacteria which h a d not been studied) of the two communities, although Table 1 of his paper shows t h a t the two communities have about 40 ~ of importan~ species in common. Also his argument t h a t more d a t a de not necessarily provide for a better understanding is not supported by Fig. 3. SuxoPP et TREPL (p. 252) referred to a decline in oak in the USA caused b y a fungal disease, but made no mention o f the fact t h a t also in Europe, over a number of years, large stands of a number of species of this genus are on the decline (e.g., in the Ukraine, Roumania, Czechoslovakia). The present volume is a valuable contribution t o the various organization levels of the problems under consideration and to the different methodological approaches employed in their study. Although not all scales and hiomes could have been treated for understandable masons such as e.g., mathematical simulations or marine and tropical ecosystems, the wide range of topics discussed b y the individual authors will certainly provide a most valuable source of thought and d a t a useful to every ecologist. In spite of various minor iusufficiencies, t h e volume illustrates very clearly the s t a t e of the ecology and the ecophysiology of ecosystems in t h e late eighties. L~o~ K I , * ~ w

F . JACOB, E. J. J~GER et E. O H ~ r ~

BOTANIK 3. fiberarbeitete Aufl. -- VEB G. Fischer Verlag, Jena 1987 (Lizenzansgabe f'tir G. Fischer Verlag Stuttgart), 578 pp., 215 figs., 29 tables, 34.80 M The comprehensive textbook is a revised and enlarged edition of the former " K o m p e n d i u m O.er Botanik" (lst ed. 1980, 2nd ed. 1983) which consists of s e v e r a l p a r t s . The individual brief introductory chapters inform about conditions of the origin and development of plants on our Earth, photosynthesis in connection with the cycling of oxygen and carbon, primary plant produetion and a division of botany into three individual sections: general botany, systematics and pla,.~t physiology. The first of these sections deals with the chemistry of plant cells (30 pp.), cytology (32 pp.), histology (26 pp.), orga.notogy (41 pp.), metamorphosis of organs (I2 pp.) and reproduction (7 pp.). I n total, general botany covers almost 150 pp. The chapter on systematies and plant evMution deals with methods of systematic botany~ taxonomical categories, basic principbs of the nor,~enclature and concepts used in an interpretation of the evolution. I t is concluded by a complete survey of plants systems, from bacteria to angiosperm~ and a table illustrating the hierarchy of the highest taxons. Most space has been given to the physiology of plants (206 pp.), the main field of activity of the two authors. The chapter deals with the physiology 9f metabolism (115 pp.), the physiology of development (48 pp.) and the physiology of plant n-otious (34 pp.). The text treated into great detail reflects the intention of the author's for considerable accuracy in its presentation. It offers a great wealth of information about the various fields of botany and phTsiology together with a complete survey of these fields and a fLmdamental knowledge of biochemistry and biophysics. An excellent complementation of the text are an exceptionally large number of pen-drawings, tables and figures. Most illustrative are mainly the bi-coloured drawings (red and black). Many tables, mostly those concerned with systematic botany, were evidently desigr~ed for a larger-format volume and this explains their considerable reduction. I n th,~ chapter dealing with organology, the order of the individual organs is som~what unusual. I t differs from our textbooks in t h a t it starts with t h e seed and t h e germination of the plant and. continues with the stalk (histoge.nesis, branching including the type of inflorescence and the secondary structure of the stalk), the leaf and the root. The flower, pollination and fertilization, t h e origin of seed and fruit are discussed as late as under Systematics. I n our opinion, this is inconvenient from a teacher's point of view. The chapter about histology ought to eomprize a survey of constant tissues, because these have been described only in the system of tissues, i.e., at a classification into functions. Disputable is the classification of the highest units (see Systematic botany). On p. 192, the authors differentiate between " ~ b e r r e i c h Procaryota" with two "Reichs" (Archaebacteriota, Bacteriota), and "Uberr~ieh Eucaryota" with 13 sections (from 2Jyxornycota to Spermatophyta)

lgOLIA GEOBOTANICA ET PHYTOTAXOI~OMICA,

25, 1990

and animals. This is in disagreement w i t h t h e conventional and practical division of organisms into the kingdoms of plants and aminals. Moreover, the division differs even from t h a t given in the Survey of Systems (p. 332). Thus, " R e i c h " comprizes Aplanobiota (Eumycota -k Rhodophyta) and Planobiot~ (all other plants and animals) which is, to say the least, not very practical. Several terms such as Protista, Chlorobionta, etc. are not in common use and superfluous and ought to be avoided. Tho t a x o n o m y of plants is in agreement with the present state of knowledge and is based on data b y renowned authors such as B~RO~.~" (microbiology), ARX (mycology), T~HWAJA~

(Tracheophyta ). Owing to the extent of the volmrie, the references cited in the volume have been restricted to a minimum. Most o f these are on physiology and general botany, absent are worldwide known studies by renowned authors. Therefore, taxonomical data in the present volume have apparently been obtained indirectly from various textbooks (LTrania-Pflanzeuroich etc.). Among the few minor ahortcommings o f the volume is a tack o f information about the rhizopedal (amoeboidal) stage of development (p. 231). I n the chapter dealing with the physiology of motabolisrn, biological processes are well explained on the basis of thermodynamic principles. Equally good explanations axe available for an accumulation of energy, the origin of energy-rich substances containing phosphorus, redox oxidation reactions and the transport of electroncs including a biological catalysis and enzyme activity. The t e x t illustrates very clearly the changes in energy occurring in plants. The next clmpter deals with respiratory processes, photosynthesis, membraneons transport, water regime of the plants and the uptake of mineral substances, heterotrophic nutrition, genetic information and basic principle of the metabolism. Although treated concisely, use of all recent knowledge has been made.. The chapter on the physiology of plants deals with growth processes, differentiation, phytohormones and the origin of the organs. Included in the t e x t are organ-, tissue- and cell cultures. The part of the t e x t dealing with "phytohormones" should have been complemented with a tabulated survey of active natural and synthetic growth substances. Problems of the physiology of motions are well explaiued. A good aid to the teacher is a division of the chapter into two parts: an explanation of the mechanism of motions; the infll~ence of external factors on their origin and control. I t is regrettable t h a t the Czechoslovak literature misses a similar publication. I n conclusion, we should like to know the answer to this question: who is the intended user of this compendium ? The introduction to the firstedition states that it is a textbook for students reading biology and biochemistry as well as a supplementary textbook for students of pharmacology and agriculture. In our opinion, the range of knowledge offered by the present volume is not wide enough to cover all the specialized fields of biology, medicine and agricultural, but is to specialized for use in secondary schools as well as for those w h o just wish to obtain a general knowledge of the various problems of biology. However, this is only a marginal remark. " V. Z ~ . L ~ and V. NOVA.K

M~T~

SCH~TZ

GENETISCH-0KOLOGISCHE U N T E R S U C I - I U N G E N AN A L P I N E : N ZENARTEN AUF VERSCHIEDENEN GESTEINSUNTERLAGEN: MUNGS- UND AUSSAATS- VERSUCHE

PFLANKEI.

Ver6ffontlichungen des Geobotanischen Institutes der Eidg. Tochn. Hochsehule, Stiftung Riibel, Ziirich, 1988, Heft 99 The author examined 60 alpine species in the eastern parts of the central Alps (near Davos), on silica and carbonate substrata. In h~;s s t u d y on the ecology of dormancy, he observed three types o f seed dormancy. He traced the influence o f the weather on seed germination during various growing seasons (1984--1987), examined the emergence and the development of the individual species as well as the influence of s t a n d conditions of the individual populations, the weight of the diaspores and the influence of short-term storage on the diaspores. Attention was given to the influence of the density of the s t a n d on the yields of diaspores and on the rate o f mortality of seedlings and young plants.

BOOKR]~VIEWS

445

Experimental results (laboratory, greenhouse) were compared with those obtained in the field, e.g., pionnering localities such as alpine debris slopes (greatly eroded) or ski runs (mostly barren). There, he a x a m i n e d t h e influence of different sowing times on seed germination, the emergence of plants a n d the development of the seedlings. Apart from purely theoretical views, also practical aspects were considered in t h a t t h e author intended to provide guidelines for the control of a biological erosion on t h e basis of his results of studies on the ecology of germination and of tests performed with different methods for the purpose of interrupting t h e dormancy of seeds of 60 alpine species of the Swiss flora in exposed localities of the Alps. I n addition, he tested the efficacy of Curlex blankets used in a protection of his experimental field plots. The present study, based on extensive experimental work and on a wealth of d a t a in t h e older a n d more recent ecological literature, is a valuable contribution to a n u n d e r s t a n d i n g of the ecology of t h e germination of seeds of alpine species. MA~r~ LHOTS~X

BERICHTE DES GEOBOTANISCHEN R ~ B E L , V O L . 54

INSTITUTES

DER

ETH,

STIFTUNG

Ziirich 1988, 220 p., Price US $ 1 5 . The 54th volume of Berichte contains t h e regular annual report on t h e scientific activities of the well known geobotanieal institute in 1987. The second p a r t contains 9 papers presenting selected results of the scientific activities of t h e institute. Miscellaneous papers v a r y from karyologieal papers t h r o u g h papers on population biology to papers on plant sociology and soil science. These papers reflect a b r o a d research activity covering a n even broader field t h a n geobotany originally 4i4. The first two papers deal with chromosome n u m b e r s : t h e first paper gives valuable records for Albanian plants (M. BALT~SB]~RGER),the second evaluates Silene species of t h e Inllatae group (M. BALTISBERGER and D. AESCHIMANN). M. GASSER continues his papers on t h e dolomitic and serpentinic ecotypes of Biscu~ella laevigata analyzing morphological variation. K. URBA~S]~A e t a l . present the results of t h e i r sti~dies in t h e experimental population ecology of alpine plants connected with t h e revegetation of sites above t h e timberline. These authors studied germination a n d survival strategies. On t h e other hand, F. R. Tsc~v~R has studied the regeneration (clonal growth) of 13 alpine species. H. ROENSe~ compares t h e frequencies of plants w i t h different affinity to continentality a n d temperature using indicator values. B. R. EGLI describes t h e water regime in karst soils in t h e mountains of Crete. G. GIANNONI et al. present a paper on thermophilous forests rich in laurophyllous species and analyse t h e conditions of their occurrence in t h e Swiss /~ps. A. BOSSHARD e t a l . have studied the influence of different m a n a g e m e n t practices in vegetation and some groups of miqrofauna in anthropogeneous wetland (Primulo.Schoeneturn). This brief s u m m a r y of particular contributions suggests t h a t the three papers on plant ecology a r e influenced b y questions of m a n a g e m e n t of plant communities. A t t e n t i o n is paid to b o t h population a n d c o m m u n i t y level. FRA~U~I~E:KKRAHU"LEC

H. CLI~SZ'~RS, M. DE PRO~, R. MARCELLE, M. VAN POUe~E (eds.) BIOCHEMICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS DUCTION IN LOWER AND HIGHER PLANTS Advances in Agricultural Bioteehnology.

OF

ETHYLENE

PRO-

Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordreeht/Boston]Lendon, The Netherlands 1989, about 123 Figures and 125 Tables, 354 pp. US $ 86.50 (hard cover) E t h y l e n e is the most multifunetional of p l a n t hormones a n d plays a key regulatory role i n germination, flowering, leaf abscission, fruit ripening and senescense. E t h y l e n e takes p a r t

446

FOLIA GEOBOT:kNI~2A ET PHY's

PRAHA, 25, 1990

in response to stress situations such as wounding, low or high temperatm.e, drought, waterlogging etc. Furthermore, a n u m b e r of developmental p h e n o m e n a p r o b a b l y result from a~xdninduced ethylene formation. I t is ethylene~ n o t auxin t h a t maintains apical dominance wlfile adventitious root formation is inducible b y ethylene even in the absence of a d d e d auxin. At the t u r n of t h e century, ethylene was identified as a substance specially affecting plant growth. Later, ethylene was found to be a n a t u r a l p l a n t product having all characteristics of a phytohormone. Much effort has been devoted to a wide v a r i e t y of physiological a n d biochemical questions relevant to ethylene. The first meeting on ethy!er~e and its role in plants was held in Israel 1984, the next Conference was organised at the Limbm'gs Universitair Centrum, Diepenbeek, Belgium, 22--27 August 1988. Camera-ready papers from this Conference are published in the reviewed book. I t contains 38 chapters divided into t h e following four sections: - - E t h y l e n e metabolism, -- Regulation of ethylene action a n d production, - - E t h y l e n e a n d stress, -- E t h y l e n e a n d developmental processes. I n her i n t r o d u c t o r y chapter, D. J. OSBORI~E describes discovery of the role of ethylene in p l a n t growth a n d development. She also reviews recent knowledge a n d introduces some papers published in the Proceedings. E t h y l e n e analysis, a trick played b y plants, is t h e subject of the second short introductory chapter b y M. S. SPENCEr.. The first section (Ethylene metabolism) deals with the ethyleneforming enzyme in r i v e and in vitro, subeelhxlax localisation of 1-aminocyclopropan-l-carboxylie acid (ACC) and its metabolism in plant cells, induction of ethylene biosynthesis, influence of oxygen and calcium on ethylene production, etc. The second section (Regulation of ethylene action and production) deals with purification a n d amino-acid sequence analysis of ACC, hormonal induction of ACC synthase, elimination of ethylene effects (ripening) b y inhibitors (At+, CO2, norbornadiene) and t h e effects of t h e phytohormones giberellin, cytokinin a n d abscisic acid on ethylene b~osynthosis. The interaction of ethylene and auxin in the ripening of b a n a n a s and adventitious root formation, autocatalysis of ethylene production during ripening are also discussed. The t h i r d section (Ethylene anc[ stress) deals with ethylene biosynthesis in heat-treated apples and elucidates the heating effect on the rate a n d mechanism of ethylene production. E t h y l e n e metabolism is related to the degree of tissue injury; the effects of h e a v y metals on ethylene m e tabolism are also dealt with and the response of thiee different Rumex species to submergence (supergrowth) is also described. The fourth section (Ethylene a n d developmental processes) deals with changes in ethyIene production during senescence, with ethylene a n d carbon dioxide exchange in leaves and whole plants, the indirect effects of ethylene on photosynthesis and growth, the effects of white a n d red light on ethylene biosynthesis during ontogenesis. The floral induction of several ornamental bromeliads b y ethylene is also analysed. Attention is paid to t h e role of ethylene in the formation of aerenchyma in maize roots in response to nitrogen a n d phosphorus deficiency. Nutrient deficiency induces aerenchyma formation b y markedly increasing t h e sensitivity to ethylene although its pro(tuction is reduced. The Proceedings provide m u c h b o t h theoretical a n d practical recent information on " t h e most fascinating of all the plant hormones". For m a n y readers the results published will be new a n d surprising as t h e role of ethylene is only rarely described satisfactorily in textbooks of p l a n t physiology. Knowledge of ethylene functioning can help to explain the responses of plants t ~ various kinds o f stress and to a n u m b e r of environmental factors. J~'~ P o x o m ~

E. SJ6GREN (ed.) FORESTS

OF THE

WORLD:

DIVERSITY

AND DYNAMICS

(ABSTRACTS)

Studies in P l a n t Ecology 18, ed. Svenska V~xtgoografiska S~llskapet, Almqvist & Wiksel International, Uppsala 1989, 295 pp., Price n o t given. The publ!eation u n d e r review gathers a choice of abstracts of lectures and posters presented a t t h e 32nd symposium of t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Association of Vegetation Science which took place in

BOOK~v.W~WS

447

Uppsala from 20th to 26th August 1989. 115 abstracts representing 31 countries have been accepted for this volume dealing with the following themes of forest ecology: (1) Succession and regeneration of forests, (2) H u m a n induced changes in forests, (3) Typology and evaluation of h~r-sts and forest sites and (4) Forest and global change. Short and truthful analysis of symposium contributions is presented by the main orgamzer, Eddy van der Maarel, who points out in the introdnction the following: (1) Present composition and changes can be due to previous changes which happened many hundreds, even thousands of years ago. (2) Not only direct damage to individual trees but also changes in community composition can be related to changes in the forest environment through air and soil pollution. (3) The old question: "Can we find a common platform for the different Schools of forest classification" seems to be answered: the interpretation of local and regional series of forest t y p e s to underlying gradients of soil and climate variation m a y represent such a platform. (4) Through the massive collection o f environmental data on a world scale and new palaeoecological evidence, both the temporal and spatial scales of prediction become larger and prediction itself more realistic. Individual contributions elucidate the above problems in differen~ detailed ways using material from different continents. A variety of methodical approaches illustrate the present diversity of ideas. Three levels of vegetation understanding are typical for different traditions: (1) Description and classification, (2) correlation between vegetation types or dynamic patterns and controlling site conditions, (3) modelling of processes using morphological and biological parameter~ of vegetation as a whole, individual plants and environmental characteristics. I t is not possible to give more detailed information about individual contributions. Selected papers (oral presentations as well as posters~ will be published in the journal Vegetatio. As a participant at this meeting I must say t h a t this symposium afforded a broad platform for intercontinental presentation of scientific results in forest ecology, for reciprocal exchange of information and mutual discussion which, because of lack of time, took place mostly outside the hall. I would like to t h a n k the main organizer and his staff for their excellent preparation of this big symposium and to the editor of this v )lume for making the Abstracts available already before the symposium. The Abstracts represent a very useful survey of research in forest vegetation science. ROBERT ~E~FB[~USL

A. Hxslu~Gs (ed.) COMMUNITY

ECOLOGY

Lecture notes in biomathematics vol. 77, Springer, Berlin etc., 1988, 131 pp. This is not a compendium or a textbook. Its cover (instructions for authors for the whole series of Lecture Notes in Biomathematies) says t h a t "it is timely, informal and at a high level", and t h a t " t h e timeliness of the manuscript is more important t h a n its form, which may be unfinished or tentative". All this, in the positive sense however, may be said about the book. I t is a vivid presentation of some ideas about current therorie~ of community ecology; most of the papers are written b y theorists which does not mean t h a t the t e x t s are not supported by sound empirical data. I t has arisen as a result of a meeting at Davis, Ca., in 1986, whose goal was narrow and clear: to explore the role of scale in developing a theoretical approact, to understanding communities. The notion of scale is understood widely: from scale in space and time (unfortunately the paper dealing with the latter has boon not included) to scale in taxonomy and complexity. Most classical ocolo~caI models are scale invariant, which has contributed much to their apparent lack of realism and contributed to the mood of field ecologists expressed in the nice anecdote g i v e n b y J. Comber (p. 76). Possibly to the disappointment of botanists, who are primarily concerned with th~ spatial scale, the book tackles mainly what may be called t h e organizational scale. For example, the structure of food webs seems to be invariant of the number of the components of the web ( C o ~ N : Untangling the 'entangle,d bank': recent facts and theories about community food webs). Less optimistic are the results o f considering whether to include age structure into community models [i.e. whether the species is a good basic unit for building ecological models): the processes

448

FOLIA GEOBOTANICA ET PHYTOTAXOI~OMICA, PRAI~A, 25, 1990

below the species level may influence the results o f rnultispecies systems, and even very strongly (HASTINGS: W h e n should you include age structure). Spatial scale is subject of two papers. The contribution Of S. LEVI~ (Pattern, scale, and variability} stresses t h e view of communities as spatiotemporal mosaics o f different scales (both in space and time} and explores how to summarize this basically extensive concept: from spectral analysis through fractal dimensions to spatial autocorrelations. Specific problems of scale in marine planctonic communities are addressed by Okube (Planctonic micro-communities in the sea: biofluid mechanical view). Two papers do not deal directly with the notion of scale, but still fit nicely into the explorative atmosphere o f the book. The paper b y YODZIS (The dynamics of highly aggregated models of whole communities) brings data o n the randomness of real trophic webs: with t h e conclusion t h a t real webs could have never arisen as a restdt o f a random process. CH~SSON'S p a p e r (Interactions between environment and competition: how fluctuations mediate coexistence and competitive exclusion} deals w i t h temporal variability (however scale independent) and derives conditions under whicb environmental heterogeneity m a y promote (or hinder) coexistence under the assumption of Lotka-Volterra t y p e dynamics. The notion of scale brings emphasis back t o the holistie view of ecosystems: it stresses again the commmtity as a unit having its distinctive propgrties (however, seen in a proper scale dependent perspective). The book shows t h a t it m a y be a promising approach tackling t h e gap between population and community ecology. ToM~w HERBEW

LIST OF REVIEWERS PHYTOTAXONOMICA BE~G~r VA.~ D~.~T J.-P. B m x s H. B . J . ~ERI~OHORSK~ Z. DY'KYJOV~ D. ETTL H. FE~ovk V. HA.DA~ E. HERBE~ T. HOLUB J. HROUDA L. J~,~L~ V. J~.NIx J.

WHO SERVED 1990

FOLIA

GEOBOTAI~ICA

KoP~CX~ K. Ko~ J. KOTLABA F. KRA~r0X~C F. KROPk~ Z. Kv~T J. MARHOLD K. MOSZY~SKA B. OSBOR~OV~ J. ~oMff,~ L, WATI~U~G R.