240

Bookreviews

OTHER BOOKREVIEWS M.J. Crawley (ed.): PLANT ECOLOGY; Blackwell Science, Oxford, 1997, 717pp. Price GBP 29.50, ISBN 0-632-03639-7 Ten years after the very successful first edition of this book, which was followed by three reprints, a second, largely rewritten edition, has appeared. The numerous in-between views on "plant distribution and abundance of plants", have changed as the topics dealt with in the book were delimited by the editor. How is this reflected in this edition? At first glance it is apparent that the book is more voluminous. While the format has been kept (and graphics improved), the number of pages increased by nearly 45%. The number of chapters increased from 12 to 19, and references, originally occupying 52 pages increased to 68 pages, now written in two columns. The number of contributors increased from 13 to 19, still from the UK and USA only. Four chapters disappeared (canopy gaps and the dynamics ofa neotropical forest, breeding structure and genetic variation, the dynamics of growth and form, and individual plants as genetic mosaics: ecological organisms versus evolutionary individuals) or were partly included in other contributions, and 11 chapters are completely new (water relations, secondary metabolism, sex, seed dormancy, chemistry and herbivory, herbivore dynamics, community dynamics, plants in trophic webs, pollution, climate change and vegetation, and biodiversity). The remaining chapters have been completely rewritten (nutrient acquisition) or partly revised (mechanisms of plant competition, structure of plant populations, population dynamics, and life history and environment). Changes in two chapters (ecology of pollination and seed dispersal, and photosynthesis) were rather minor. All chapters which persisted from the first edition were slightly reduced in their extent, except for those written by the editor, and these are considerably longer now. Also, the number of contributions by the editor increased from two chapters to 5 so that he has written more than 45% of the text of the book. In contrast to the first edition this book covers more topics, now organized in a traditional form, starting with physiology and ending with ecosystem processes. Unfortunately, due to the limited number of pages, which were available for the newly introduced chapters some of these topics seem to be presented in anecdotal form. In contrast, those chapters which increased in the number of pages are even better than before. The balance between theory, experimental evidence and field observations seems to have been kept in most chapters. Some may miss some topics in this book, but I feel that its volume is already at the upper reasonable level and a further increase in the number of pages would not be a good solution. The first edition of the book was one of the most successful publishing events in the field of plant ecology in the 1980s. As the new edition seems to be improved in several directions it has a good chance to become a benchmark text in plant ecology even at the beginning of the new millennium. I can recommend it to anybody who wants to refresh his/her knowledge on the particular topic of plant ecology and as a supplementary text to students of a general ecology course. Leoi Klime~ N. van Breemen: PLANT-INDUCED SOIL CHANGES: PROCESSES AND FEEDBACKS; Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands, 1998, 252pp. Price USD 108.-, GBP 68.-, ISBN0-7923-5216-5

The book contains papers presented at the symposium "Plant-induced soil changes: processes and feedbacks" that took place on November 4-8, 1996 during the Annual meeting of the American Society of Agronomy - Soil Science Society of America in Indianapolis. As stressed in the preface the aim of the book is to provide more space for discussion and speculation about the ecological and evolutionary aspects of examples of plant-induced soil changes that have been previously published elsewhere. As noted by Van Breemen and Finzi in their introductory paper there are three main complementary approaches to studying the problem of plant-induced soil changes: (1) eco-physiological - based on a description of mechanisms of plant-induced soil changes, (2) ecological - evaluates the importance of such soil changes for the performance of a plant and its offsprings, (3) evolutionary - compares the intensity and strength of the changes among many individuals of the same species. To date relatively enough studies dealing with the eco-physiological description of plant-induced soil changes have been published. Markewitz and Richter provide a noteworthy extended summary of a long-term experiment dealing with biogeochemistry of aluminium and silicon in US forests, though the value of such data

Bookreviews

241

is found above all in their involvement in complex studies of the particular ecosystem. An opposite but complementary approach was used by Kelly et al.: they evaluated the effect of variation in conditions (vegetation type, mean annual rainfall ) on the type and intensity of weathering mechanisms in a tropical region. Unfortunately the small number of experiment sites were not sufficient to distinguish clearly the effects of all of the examined factors. Binldey and Giardin present a critical review of studies dealing with plant-induced soil changes observed in forests. They stress that it is rarely (strictly statistically never) possible to find the origin of soil changes in complex plant-soil systems. They also note the importance of long-term manipulative experiments for further understanding the processes recognized in the field. There are few studies, which demonstrate the ecological significance of specific plant-soil interactions. The ones that do exist mainly concentrate on the systems with discontinuous plant cover, where such effects are more probable to be present and thus could be better studied. Burke et al. present an experiment from a US dry grassland. Considerable changes of soil characteristics under the Bouteloua gracilis grass swards are shown. Very similar results come from studies performed in deserts, as noted by Schlesinger and Pilmanis. As shown by Sehimel et al. in the Alaskan Taiga, competitive interaction between Alnus tenuifolia and Populus balsamifera is influenced by changes in the soil environment made by the trees. Here Berendse exhibits a simple but realistic model of the functioning of a nitrogen-poor European ericaceous dwarf shrub ecosystem. The parameters characterizing the nature of plant-soil and plant-plant interactions are the most relevant data involved in the model. The long-term collection of data from the field and from greenhouse experiments precluded of course the construction of the model. The results of the model show, in accordance with the field study, the considerable role of plant-soil interaction in explaining the observed system structure and dynamics. The good choice of a relatively simple study system, the performance of numerous complementary experiments in the field, the elegant linkage of field data with theory and the clear language in presenting results make this paper the best in the book. There is a great lack of knowledge in regards to intra-species variation of plant-induced soil changes. Nothup et al. found significant variation in the concentration of some chemicals influencing the cycling of nitrogen below the Pinus muricata tree in different environments in California. Here, however, the role of the environment itself could also be considerable. Angers and Caron find the only convincing result on this topic different cultivars of some domesticated plants had a different impact on the structural characteristics of the soil. It is almost certain that many plants are able to change their soil environment. It has been demonstrated that very few experiments give good evidence of these changes could improve performance and the abundance of plants in their natural ecosystems. And there is not to date any good information to say how important it is for the evolution of a particular plant species to make changes in its soil environment. Stanislav B~ezina O.E. Sala, R.B. Jackson, H.A. Mooney & R.Wo Howarth: METHODS IN ECOSYSTEM SCIENCE; Springer-Verlag, New York, 2000, 421 pp. Price GBP 41.-, USD 69.95, ISBN 0-387-98743-6 This book consists of twenty-six chapters from contributions of fifty-one authors. Seven of the chapters have individual authors, one chapter has 4 co-authors, with the norm being chapters by two authors. Because of the breadth of the information that contributes to the methodologies for ecosystem science, the chapters could not fit in all the details of the methods, but the authors provide a service by giving references to works that contain detailed methodologies. The book is fairly easy to read and the work is understandable. It could serve as a college/university level textbook, even though some basic methods in ecosystem science are missing. It should be on nearly all ecosystem or environmental scientists' bookshelves as a much consulted reference. The authors provided as much information as they could with the limitations of space in the book. They provided references to archival materials with more detailed methods which would be valuable to the reader. The authors also often discussed the positive and negative aspects of the ecosystem science technique they were described, which should also be helpful to their colleagues. The book is arranged into four parts. Part I includes carbon and energy dynamics and is presented in chapters 1 through 10. Part 2 addresses nutrient and water dynamics. Part 3 covers manipulative ecosystem experiments in Chapters 19 through 24, and Part 4 has two chapters dealing with synthesis and conclusions. The final chapter, could have been included with part 1 of the book since it deals with foodwebs and biochemistry in aquatic systems, and fits with the carbon and energy dynamics information. As Chapter 26 this information

242

Bookreviews

seems to be misplaced in the synthesis and conclusions section. My suggestion would have been that the aquatic foodweb and biochemistry information should have followed Chapter 9, which is titled: Microbial carbon cycling in pelagic ecosystems: microbial methods for ecosystem scientists. This book describes the emerging and state-of the-art methodologies which are very interesting to read about and to work with. The use of satellite data, the fitting of that and other data to global processes (net primary productivity) and the use of computer technologies / models are approaching the defining of ecosystem process that were only dreams in the recent past. The book covers aerial and below ground biomass and biomass in aquatic systems. It provides information about the decomposition processes and determining certain pathways as various types of matter passes through the ecosystem with stable isotope tracers. The section on ecosystem manipulation is good, since ecosystems without the handprint of humans no longer exist. With the growing interest in ecological restoration, good knowledge for the basis of studying ecosystem manipulations and their results is essential. The authors provided good information about the benefits and limitations of the methodologies. To completely provide a source of complete methods for ecosystem science would take several volumes of literature rather than one book. For example, this book coveres herbivory in one chapter, and whole books are devoted to this subject (VAVRA et al. 1994). Additionally, the basics of methods for studying the physical, morphological and chemical properties of soils are essentially lacking from this book. Detailed soil science methods can be found in KLUTE (1986), WEAVER et al. (1994), and SPARKS (1996). Basic vegetation measurements methods, which are little described in this book can be found in BONHAM (1989). Methods for studying wildlife is also essentially devoid in this book and readers are encouraged to consult BOOK/lOUT (1996) for wildlife science techniques. As stated earlier, this book does not supply all the methods of ecosystem science. Nevertheless, Methods in Ecosystem Science does make a significant contribution and should be on the bookshelf of every ecosystem or environmental scientist, or in the library of their institution. REFERENCES BOOKHOUTT.A. (1996): Research and management techniques for wildlife and habitats. The Wildlife Society (Allen Press), Lawrence. BONHAM C.D. (1989): Measurements for terrestrial vegetation. John Wiley & Sons, New York. KLUTE A. (ed.) (1986): Part I. Physical and mineralogical methods, 2nd edition. Soil Science of America and the American Society of Agronomy, Madison. SPARKS D.L. (ed.) (1996): Chemical methods. Part Ill. Soil Science of America and the American Society of Agronomy, Madison. WEAVER R.W., ANGLE J.S. & BOTTONDY P.S. (eds.) (1994): Part 11. Microbiological and biochemical properties. Soil Science of America and the American Society of Agronomy, Madison. VAVRA M., LAYCOCKW.A. & PIEPERR.D. (1994): Ecological implications of livestock herbivory in the west. Society for Range Management. Denver. John H. Brock D.F. Westlake, J. Kvi[t & A. Szczepafiski: THE PRODUCTION ECOLOGY OF WETLANDS;

Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998, 568pp. Price GBP 80.-, USD 130.-, ISBN 0-521-22822-0 The book represents a significant part of the results of the International Biological Programme (IBP), which ran from 1964 to 1974. It is focused on the ecology of wetland ecosystems on the whole, including plant and animal components, habitat features and human impact, with emphasis on their relationships to production processes in the ecosystem. Altogether 25 contributors from 9 European countries and the USA participated in the finalization of this book. Additionally, a large number of results of other authors are quoted. The book is divided into several subject parts: the introductory chapter - General ecology - represents a survey of the main wetland characteristics. In my opinion, this would be better somewhat shortened because much of the information is generally known. Primary production in wetlands represents an essential topic on which the research work was concentrated. Attention was paid to reed dominant species (especially Phragmites australis). This chapter is valuable from both the methodical point of view, and for connection of ecological and physiological approaches in research work. Further fate of organic matter in wetlands was studied in detail, owing to the character of wetlands as a "detritus food chain ecosystem". Namely the chapters concerning the role of decomposers and mineral economy and cycling of minerals in wetlands are written briefly, clearly, and

Bookreviews

243

comprise a great number of basic data and references. The role of animals and animal communities is of great importance in the cycling of organic matter in wetlands. An extensive chapter is devoted to this and it includes population dynamics of animals, plant-animal relationships, and secondary production. The study of micro-climatic conditions and water economy of wetland vegetation provides the results of measurements needed to understanding the mutual relationships of plant-habitat. This chapter is a very useful contribution to the knowledge of wetland ecology, since the influence of microclimate on plant growth in wetlands is sometimes underestimated. The final chapter - Management - offers a survey of different kinds of uses of wetland plants and animals, as well as the use of wetland ecosystems on the whole (purification of water, water storage, recreational uses, etc.). At the same time, recommendations are given for management of wetlands to protect them against damage by human activities, and to conserve genetic resources in plants and animals. This book represents a retrospective synthesis of ecological research of wetland ecosystems performed 30 years ago. Although the work reflects the time of its origin (e.g., primary data were presented mostly in tables and diagrams, with minimum statistical treatment), it is a valuable source of information, unique in its complexity. A good contribution is found in the comparison of methodological approaches, including comments to possible problems and errors in sampling and analyses. The concept of the work is progressive in that it links all components of a wetland ecosystem, as well as in detailed study of individual partial processes (the importance of genetical variability for physiological and production differentiation was pointed out in Phragmites australis clones !). The book may be used for further research and in practice in accordance with the aims of the IBP programme: use, conservation, and conservation for the use of wetlands. Zdenka Hroudovi

J. ~effer & V. Stanov~

(eds.) (1999): ALUVIJ, LNE LI~IKY RIEKY MORAVY - V~'ZNAM, / MORAVA RIVER FLOODPLAIN MEADOWS - IMPORTANCE, RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT; DAPHNE-Centre for Applied Ecology, Bratislava,187 pp. OBNOVA

A MANAGEMENT

Price not given, ISBN 80-967471-5-0 This bilingual book brings important data on biological values and their maintenance in one of the largest tributary floodplains of the Danubian water basin. The main research activities focused on vascular plant and bird biodiversity of the Ramsar site Morava river floodplain in Slovakia and on the practical conservation management of the relevant area. The editors, however, successfully linked various untraditional topics and viewpoints, so that the book reached further beyond the narrow scientific approach and thus is not just a common nature conservation study. The publication provides unique evaluation of ecological functions of the floodplain, which should be taken into account during decision-making prior to the channelling of the Morava fiver within the Odra-Danube project. The work includes an Introduction and eleven chapters. The focal chapters, dealing with floodplain vegetation, are preceded by overviews of hydrological dynamics and its relation to human impact (by K. Holubov~i) and of developments in the Morava river floodplain (by L. Polfi~ek), from both human and nature historical viewpoints. The recent three centuries of human usage and alteration of the floodplain are documented by an eyecatching GIS analysis in Chapter 3 (compiled by R. Las~ik et al.). The topic of ecology of floodplain grasslands is introduced by an impressive outline of 28 plant associations described by J. Zlinsk~ in a text and documented by detailed phytosociological tables. V. Stanovfi et al. present a modem evaluation of spatial pattern of various grassland communities and of their nature conservation value, in which the application of GIS, plant sociology and multivariate statistical analyses were combined. Experimental assessments were carried out for the most abundant grassland communities', they identify the main factors controlling biotic diversity and recommend the most appropriate management techniques (~effer et al.). For practical reasons, these three chapters are based on plant communities and associations derived from different conceptions; therefore, a comparison of these units will be less understandable to readers working in other subject areas. The following chapters deal with the conservation management of the floodplain meadows. ~effer et al. first examined the best way of floodplain restoration by experiments (Chapter 7) and then approached the large-scale restoration (Chapter 8). Both these chapters bring useful information for similar conservation efforts, including their effectiveness. J. Jakrlovfi, describing the primary productivity of the six most important floodplain grasslands (Chapter 9), identified the meadows along the Morava river not only as an interesting resource for agriculture but also as one of the most productive ecosystems in the Temperate Zone.

244

Bookreviews

Special attention should be given to Chapter 10, in which Rybanii~ et al. touch the economic aspects of restoration of the floodplain grasslands. The applied concept of Total Economical Value used in this study might be considered as a precedence for other economic evaluations of ecological processes in nature conservation. The last chapter (by Tomov~ik et al.) deals with the tremendous bird diversity in the floodplain grasslands. The book does not pretend to be a fundamental scientific study. It lacks extensive comparative linkage with relevant international floodplain studies, and avoids nonproductive generalizations. However, it excerpts the majority of Central European research on floodplains and is based on modem plant ecological methodology. Its conclusions rely on successful applications of scientific procedures in practical conservation, and from this point of view it may serve worldwide as an exemplary study of modern conservation management. Last but not least, the book is a pleasure to be opened. Its attractive appearance with well arranged content, rich table documentation and numerous brilliant illustrations will keep every reader deeply interested from the beginning to end.

Lenka Soukupovi E.J. Judziewicz, L.G. Clark, X. Londofio & M.J. Stern: AMERICAN BAMBOOS; Smithsonian Institute Press, Washington & London, 1999, 392 pp., 203 Figs. Price GBP 34.95, USD 45.-, ISBN 1-56098-569-0 On entering the bamboo thickets in tropical countries, any botanist and ecologist will face the problem of adequate species identification of dominant life-forms whose cional vegetative organs are rather similar in shape and generative organs only seldom visible. At the beginning of the 1980s we have encountered this difficulty while working in the montane zone of Ecuador, where the species of Chusquea, Neurolepis and Guadua constrained our ground exploration and left troublesome gaps in our vegetation relev6s. Though aware of the earlier studies performed by E.J. McClure and T.R. Soderstrom after World War II, we could not exploit the results of simultaneous research conducted in the same area by L.G. Clark, E.J. Judziewicz and X. Londofio, the authors of subsequent scientific papers and, ultimately, of the book under review. Respectful studies of American woody and herbaceous bamboos reached a culmination in this remarkable monograph, whose integrated knowledge is now available to many biologists exploring neotropical plant life. Worldwide the family Graminae contains about 1,200 bamboo species and their allies, that belong to about 90 genera, out of which 41 genera are natives of the New World. According to the classification adopted by the authors, the woody bamboos and herbaceous bamboos (tribes Bambusae and Olyreae, respectively) are classed within the subfamily Bambusoideae; the so-called "basal grasses" (tribes Anomochloeae and Streptochaeteae) belong to the subfamily Anomochlooideae, and a separate subfamily Pharoideae contains the tribe Phareae. The latter two subfamilies, formerly also included within Bambusoidae, represent the most ancient lineages within the grass family. In a chapter explicitly called "What Is a Bamboo" (pp. 121-133) the classification of the bamboos (and their allies) is broadly explained by evolutionary history and phylogenetic hypotheses, visualized by cladograms and made applicable due to a key to all tribes of bamboos and basal grasses. Respective keys of individual tribes follow and a detailed description with excellent illustrations (drawings, photos) and maps of distribution summarize the knowledge on individual genera. The extensive account of the New World's bamboos taxonomy (pp. 134-333 and appendices 1-4) will be very useful among the New World botanists, but of great value also for the Old World's bamboo experts. As a whole, the five introductory chapters of the book also provide a broad resource of knowledge for students of various specializations, such as plant morphology, biogeography, ecology and ethnology. Bamboos are rather unique life forms with a particular structure, life cycle and ecology; they are fairly diversified as a consequence of competition in woodlands (woody bamboos) and with regard to efficient use of light in non-forest biomes (herbaceous bamboos). With reference to American bamboo taxa, the structure of roots, rbizomes, culms, culm leaves, foliage leaves, spikelets, synflorescences, flowers and caryopses have been described in great detail. Arborescent bamboos with culms up to 20 cm in diameter and 30 m in height, or clambering bamboos creeping 20 meters along the ground cause admiration, though clonal thickets may create troubles to those tracking in the field, Stands ofarborescent Guadua, shrubby species of Chasquea, diminutive species of Neurolepis, and delicate vining species (Arthrostylidum, Chasquea) make the American bamboo flora particularly diversified. A university lecturer may often face the difficulty of arranging the variety of bamboos within a simple scheme of gro.wth-forms: do they fit within herbs, shrubs, lianas or trees? None of the categories seems to be applicable in many representatives of the Bambusoideae. Remarkably, while preferring the terms "woody

Bookreviews

245

bamboos" and "herbaceous bamboos" the authors avoided the term "tree grasses" and "woody bambusoid grasses", occasionally used by their predecessors, e.g., by SODERSTROM& CALDERONin the volume "Ecology of Grasslands and Bamboolands in the World" edited by NUMATA (1979). The mysterious flowering behaviour of bamboos is also well discussed: synchronous flowering with the subsequent death of all individuals is the prevailing pattern in woody bamboos, however, in Guadua angustifolia, a dominant species of bamboo thickets observed in the upper Andes, the nearly annual flowering is not followed by death. In some Chusquea species, though typically monocarpic, only a small percentage of individual clumps appears in flower at one time. But the essential factors of the timing of flowering in woody bamboos are not understood. In herbaceous bamboos the flowering pattern is fairly varied, but synchronous monocarpic species do not occur. Altogether, the book under review contains numerous outstanding features of the bamboos and thus completes the descriptions presented in earlier textbooks of plant morphology. Called "Bamboos in Native Landscapes", chapter 3 gives a clear picture of geographical distribution and environmental relationships in American bamboos. This is a basic resource for biogeography and also nice reading for anybody interested in tropical plant life. Bamboo-dominated thickets, such as the Guadua angustifolia stands in Ecuador and Colombia, may cover many hectares and, possibly, consist of a single clonal individual. Being up to 30 m tall, these "guaduales" create a structure of even five strata and contain a diversity of associated mammals, birds, reptiles and insects - some of them obviously specialized for living in or on bamboos. Besides the well-known and vocal Amazon bamboo rat (Dactylomys dactylinus) a new species D. peruanus has been recently described on eastern slopes oftbe Andes in Peru and Bolivia. Quite recently, a number of bird and insect species have been discovered in the "guaduales" of SW Amazonia. In the montane zone of Colombia and Ecuador, the impenetrable thickets of shrubby Chusquea, and the "bamboo subpfiramos" with some species of Neurolepis also appear as having their specialized animal life. Ethnobotanists, too, will be pleased by the account of the multiple roles of bamboos in American human history. In rural communities and even in the present-day construction technique, woody bamboos are used as an easily workable and light material for bamboo framework of houses, and even in large cities we encounter excellent guadua scaffolding widely used in high-rise construction. Both woody and herbaceous bamboos are used in transportation and navigation (bridges, rafts), and a number of species serve as a handy resource for creating musical instruments, blowguns, arrows, various crafts, etc. The reviewer cannot forget the experience with guadua's reliable water resource contained in the culm's internodes and available when trekking the montane jungles of the Ecuadorian Andes. For the local forest dwellers, the same intemodes also serve as useful containers for all sorts of goods. The complex usefulness of the bamboo is possibly matched only by palms, and a comparison of these two life-forms would indeed result in the glorification of plant life and plant evolution in general. The new book on American bamboos is a real gift from the Smithsonian Institution Press whose publication, like the earlier works by F.A. McClure and T.R. Soderstrom, paves the road towards a better understanding of the Barabusoideae, an "unfamiliar subfamily" in the world of grasses. Jan Jenik R. Delarze, Y. Gonseth & P. Galland: GUIDE DES MILIEUX NATURELS DE SUISSE. ~ C O L O G I E MENACES - ESPI~CES CARACTI~RISTIQUES; Delachaux et Niestl~, S.A., Lausanne (Switzerland),

Paris, 1998, 415pp. Price not given, ISBN2-603-01083-2 The book mentioned above, which synthesizes data on the Swiss environment, is based on rich and in many cases very detailed database information on the distribution, indication value or endangerment of different groups of flora, vegetation, and/or environmental classification, compatible with analogous systems in Europe. Not only has vegetation been used as the highest classification categories, but also landscape structures with a negligible role of vegetation have been included. They are represented by: (1) water habitats, (2) moist to waterlogged habitats, (3) glaciers, rocks, screes and gravels, (4) artificial grasslands, meadows, (5) vegetation of fringes, tall-herb- and clearing communities and scrubs, (6) forests, (7) ruderal habitats, (8) fields, forest plantations and cultures, and (9) built-up areas and their infrastructures. These highest units have been divided into 39 sections, including 235 typological habitat units. The characteristics of the sections are based on the physiognomy, habitat structure and biology, with a list of diagnostic species of fauna. Further the nomination of the section (name, numerical code or ideogram) follows. This information is mostly completed by the differentiation of ecological factors enabling further classification of sections into typological units, characterized, among others, by corresponding plant syntaxa.

246

Bookreviews

The characterization of typological units is also based on their physiognomy, and further ecology related to human activity; it is completed by information on problems with their identification, phytocoenology and biological value (importance for nature conservation), requirements, management and (both actual and potential) distribution in the individual biogeographical regions of Switzerland. Individual habitats are characterized mostly on the level ofphytosociological alliances, only in the case of strictly-defined habitats- on the level of associations or lower units. Attention is paid to the most frequent causes of habitat destruction, which may endanger their permanent conservation. The aim of this book is not only to give a clear and good survey on environmental diversity in Switzerland, but also to contribute to unifying the habitat description in areas where the floristic or vegetation research have been done. The book is completed by many instructive colour photos of typical habitats and their indication species of flora and fauna, maps of distribution and diagrams, a dictionary of scientific terms, registers of fauna and flora, and a French-German-ltalian survey on habitat classification. Reading this book covering the diversity of environment in Switzerland, we have a feeling of a rich source of facts and details: the book contributes well to the knowledge of up-to-date information on environmental research and diversity. It can be used by a large group of readers. Zdenka Neuh~iuslovi

J.-D. Vi~mont & J. Crabb~ (eds.): DORMANCY IN PLANTS. F R O M W H O L E PLANT BEHAVIOUR TO C E L L U L A R C O N T R O L ; CABI Publishing, New York, 2000, 385 pp. Price GBP 55.-, ISBN 0-85199-447-4 This book stems from a symposium held at the University of Angers (France). The advantage of the book is that it provides quite a broad framework of ecological, physiological and genetic aspects of dormancy, a highly complex and multiple phenomenon. This is achieved by presenting general concepts of dormancy such as bud growth cycles (one-bud one-growth cycle theory) extrapolated to various life forms (annuals, bulbous plants, perennials and trees) and climatic conditions (tropics and temperate climate) as presented by Okubo. Special cases of dormancy, however, like seed dormancy in annual desert plants (Guttermann) or the control of bud growth in tropical trees (Borchert) well demonstrate the wide variety of life strategies in which dormancy is involved and the multiplicity of ecological cues that control it. Actual experimental approaches are well demonstrated. Such a general background on the subject distracts the physiologists and molecular biologists from oversimplification and provides inspiration even for general botanists. The control mechanisms of dormancy are traditionally looked for in the state of membranes and in plant hormonology. Such an approach is well documented in the book using a wide range of objects and experimental situations. Erez's contribution linking the course of dormancy with the shifts in ratio of fatty acids (lonoleate/linolenate) as part of membrane phospholipids introduces a system that formally fits the requirement for counting chilling units necessary for breaking the dormant state. The main point is the different temperature optima for fatty acids desaturase. A realistic overview of the present state of knowledge on the role of cellular membranes in (seed) dormancy is provided by Hilhorst and Cohn who cover all the main facets of the problem including those on receptor occupancy theory, gene expression controlled by the membrane's physical state, interactions of organics with membrane and membrane-bound proteins (one of the favourite topics as anaesthetics break dormancy) and who give prospects for further research. The hormonal aspects of control are addressed in an overview on potato tuber dormancy by Suttle who points to many still existing inconsistencies in the interpretation of experimental data. The realistic reader becomes aware that we are still far away from formulating a consistent view of hormonal involvement in dormancy. The use of molecular tools is well demonstrated in the study of the hormonal role in the dormancy ofaxillary buds in pea by Stafstrom. The problem of apical dominance (dormancy due to correlative effect), which is usually neglected in connection with dormancy, was thankfully included in the book. The twin problem of dormancy and acclimation that inevitably accompanies all bud dormancy types with a chilling requirement is addressed in the contribution on seasonally regulated proteins in peach by Wisniewski and Arora. The elegant model of sibling genotypes segregating for dormant and non-dormant habit allowed to identify proteins (e.g. bark storage proteins) that can be associated rather with dormancy than with cold acclimation. However, the functional role of the proteins is far from being elucidated.

Bookmviews

247

An other important and general aspect of bud dormancy is that of cellular communication. A contribution by Ling-Cheng Jian and co-workers acquaints us with how plasmodesmal intercellular communication channels and the intracellular level of calcium are involved in short-day dormancy development in poplar. It seems to be a very promising approach to find the biological essence of some types of dormancy. The use of molecular biology and genetics in studying dormancy with such a high degree of inherent complexity is so far not widespread. The situation resembles that e.g. in flower induction, where also different organs and various ecological cues are involved, but where more progress has been achieved due to the use of the Arabidopsis model. Unfortunately Arabidopsis does not form tubers, bulbs and other dormant organs (so far). The promising goal for molecular tools seems to be to identify the genes governing the phenotypic variation of bud burst, a trait which might be highly heritable (QTL=quantitative trait loci). Such analysis is contained in a paper by Chen and co-workers on bud dormancy-related traits in Populus and well demonstrate such an approach. It is unfortunate that the crucial contribution in this area, an overview on the genetics of seed dormancy in Arabidopsis by Koorneef and coworkers appeared in a rather compressed and shortened form. The 25 contributions to the book are divided into five, often overlapping, parts: I.Whole plant and organ physiology, II. Water relations and stress, III. Abscisic acid and hormonal control, IV. Biochemical and cellular aspects and V. Genetics and molecular biology. For future compilation some kind of unifying concept can be recommended to the editors. In the present form the range of genres is disturbingly too wide, spanning from overviews of different generalities to original papers including detailed descriptions of material and methods. However, the book can be recommended as an excellent overview of the state of the art in dormancy for both specialists in the respective field and for students and plant biologists who would like to get acquainted with this fascinating subject. The book is well designed and contains a detailed and instructive index. Jan Krekule W. Frey & R. L6sch: LEHRBUCH DER GEOBOTANIK. PFLANZE UND VEGETATION IN RAUM UND ZEIT; Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, Jena, Liibeck & Ulm, 1998, XII + 436 pp. Price SFR 52.40,

ISBN 3-437-25940- 7 The authors of the above-mentioned publication present a modern handbook of geobotany summarizing present state of knowledge in this branch of botany which is accepted by them in the broad Central-European sense to include ecology. The book is divided into 10 chapters. The first chapter is dedicated to the structure and tasks ofgeobotany. In the second chapter the history of geobotany and its present research trends are briefly summarized, and the third one is dedicated to floristics and phytogeography. In the fourth chapter (phytocoenology) analysis and synthesis of plant communities incl. vegetation mapping, gradient and numerical analysis of vegetation, indication importance of the plants and vegetation dynamics are discussed. An interesting chapter on historical-genetic geobotany follows, summarizing realistically the evolution of flora and vegetation from the beginning of life on Earth till Neophyticum. A large part of the book is devoted to plant ecology itself. In Chapter 6 supplemented by a lot of ecological-physiological data, the relationship of plants with the most important environmental factors (including fire) is discussed and some general synecological terms are briefly explained. Chapter 7 summarizes the basic knowledge in ecology of populations and plant communities, However, some important population-ecological phenomena (e.g. population dynamics), synecology, etc. are not analyzed in this part. The chapter is closed by examples of population-ecological characteristics of plant communities. In Chapter 8 the authors focus on ecological adaptations and life strategies of plants. Attention is paid to analyses of life forms from the oldest systems till those which can be used for Central-European flora, and also to systems of life strategies and their importance for nature protection. In this chapter, a description of physiological adaptations of the plants on habitat conditions (salinization or occurrence of heavy metals in the soil, etc.) can be found, too. In Chapter 9, vegetation regions on the Earth are analyzed. Special attention is paid to present vegetation in Central Europe; many of its vegetation units are characterized on the level of alliances or even associations. Vegetation belts in the Alps and in some selected tropical and East-African high mountains are analyzed more in detail. In the last chapter, the impact of man on vegetation and environment is summarized incl. data on biodiversity endangerment and nature protection, with a special view of Germany. The textbook is completed by an extensive bibliography and unified index including plant taxa and syntaxa.

248

Bookreviews

The book of above-named university professors is well-arranged and completed by many of the authors' own observations. It is written in a brief but realistic form and introduces readers the present state of knowledge in geobotany. The book contains many instructive photographs, pictures, maps and tables. This publication will be a useful handbook not only for students in geobotany, but for all botanists and people who want to complete their knowledge with new information and methods of studying flora and vegetation.

Zdenka Neuh~iuslov~ A.M. Pridgeon, P.J. Cribb, M.W. Chase & F.N. Rasmussen (eds.): GENERA ORCHIDACEARUM 2. ORCHIDOIDEAE (Part 1); Oxford University Press, New York, 2001, xix + 416 pp., 369 Figs. Price GBP 45.-. ISBN 0-19-850710-0 While the first volume of the prepared five volume series, Genera Orchidacearum, published in 1999, provided a general introduction and dealt with the subfamilies Apostasioideae and Cypripedioideae (see Book reviews in Folia Geobot. 36: 216-217, 2001), the second volume deals with 101 genera in three of the seven tribes of the subfamily Orchidoideae - Diseae, Diurideae and Orchideae. Twenty-seven co-authors from all over the world have participated in the preparation of this second volume. The arrangement of this volume largely corresponds with the first volume. The first chapter focuses on the origin and biogeography of Orchidaceae. For each genus and/or the respective tribes and subtribes, detailed information about the synonymy, the derivation of the name, a description (with drawings of representative species), distribution (with map) as well as treatments reflecting the current state of knowledge on the anatomy, palynology, eytogenetics, phytochemistry, phylogenetics, economic use, ecology and pollination is provided in the chapters that follow. Each tribe and subtribe entry also contains a key to the lower taxa and the each genus entry a list of the most important taxonomic literature. In doing a comprehensive evaluation of the book, I have found that all of the positives that characterize the first volume can also be attributed to the second volume, and thus the resulting impression from the second volume is equally good. The arrangement of the book is clear and there are a great number of excellent diagnostic drawings and distribution maps in the text. In addition, each taxon is characterized by detailed information from all fields of botany and classification is based on the latest research of molecular systematics. The book also has an extensive bibliography, a detailed index to scientific names, and a subject index. Orchid cultivators will certainly appreciate this book for its detailed cultivation notes as well as for the suggestions on the composition of composts. The European botanists will also appreciate this book particularly for its extensive chapters on the cytogenetics and phylogenetics of Orchideae. The chapter Cytogenetics, however, includes a table of chromosome numbers and karyotype formulas in species and subspecies of Orchideae from the literature; unfortunately, some data have been omitted here. For instance, for the central-European taxa, information on the chromosome numbers of e.g. Dactylorhiza incarnata subsp. incarnata, and D. majalis are absent from the table and from the whole book. The chapter Phylogenetics presents new and until now unpublished provisional ITS phylogeny for 172 taxa of Orchidinae and Habenariinae. Aside from other taxonomic changes, this study has supported the incorporation of Coeloglossum into the current Dactylorhiza, Nigritelta into Gymnadenia, Aceras into Orchis s.str., and the expansion of the formerly monospecific Neotinea and ,4nacamptis to encompass branches of the formely triphyletic Orchis s.l. The book is highly recommended for plant systematists, orchideologists and botanists as it is an excellent example of both basic orchideological literature and a modem monograph.

Pavol Mered'a E.G. Leigh Jr.: T R O P I C A L FOREST ECOLOGY: A VIEW FROM BARRO C O L O R A D O ISLAND; Oxford University Press, New York & OxJbrd, 1999, 245 pp. Price GBP 27.50, ISBN 1-19-509602-9 Studying literature on the tropical forests, ecologists admire the steady flow of information derived from continual research on Barro Colorado, an island in the Panama Canal. In 1996, in a volume called "The Ecology of a Tropical Forest", EG. Leigh, Jr.,jointly with A.S. Rand and D.M. Windsor, already summarized much of this admirable research. In the book under review, Leigh extrapolates the knowledge gained on Barro Colorado to more generalized issues dealing with tropical forest ecology and thus tackles many environmental, ecological and biogeographical matters encountered in similar biomcs of the humid tropical zone.

Bookreviews

249

The author, a leading member of the long-term project, reiterates the essential characteristics of the study area in Chapter One: Barro Colorado Island (hereafter BCI) is a small forested island, only in size 1500 ha, isolated from the mainland in a freshwater lake of the central part of the Panama Canal, built in the period between 1910 and 1914. With an annual total rainfall of over 3000 mm, and average temperature around 26 °C, the climate of this research area belongs to the fairly humid tropical lowland regions. However, the first three months of the year are comparatively dry and this "dry season" makes the BCI's rain forest slightly seasonal - a feature which makes the ecological events more dramatic and thus favourable in comparative ecological observations. BCI was declared a reserve in 1923, and since 1946 is administered by the Smithsonian Institution; this linkage was confirmed even after 1979, when a Nature Monument was established under the Panama Canal treaties. Successively, a research laboratory, dormitory and improved accessibility from Panama City have offered an outstanding opportunity for many American scientists, and BCI progressively became one of the best-studied sample areas of the tropical forests. Composed of ten extensive chapters, the book develops from the life histories of 12 plant species and 15 animal species, which exemplify the variety of organisms and ecological relationships taking place in a forest developing under ample humidity and an optimum range of temperature. The description of these sample species greatly summarizes the data of the BCI's students, however, comparable results from other tropical regions are also quoted. Not only are canopy trees plant actors here, but woody plants in the understorey play a role as well. Principal representatives of mammals, birds and insects fill the forest stage illustrated in the book. Any university lecturer will be pleased to find condensed data that point to reproduction biology in dominant plants, herbivory, frugivory and predatory behaviour in the forest. Similar small biographies covering the life strategy and behaviour of key organisms are seldom available in manuals and textbooks describing the tropical ecosystems. E.G. Leigh sticks to the neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory while stressing the importance of adaptation, competition and mutualism of interdependent species populations. Remarkably, he does not over-emphasize the concept of "ecosystem" - an omnipresent paradigm of the recent ecological monographs. Odum's generalized model of energy-material fluxes is substituted by a deep analysis of particular environmental factors and particular biological processes taking place within the complexity of the tropical forest. The flow of genetical information stored and reproduced in the genome of adapted populations seems to play an essential role. Chapter Three proceeds far towards the generalization of the environment encountered in various regions of humid tropical forests. After an extensive comparison of essential environmental factors in various regions, Leigh concludes that lowland equatorial climates are remarkably similar, with annual evapotranspiration near 1400 mm/year, average annual temperature near 26 °C, average temperature range near 8 °C, and 24-hr solar radiation averaging 180 W/m 2. In mountains, the structure and physiognomy of tropical forests change only at the cloud line. This environmental frame is markedly disturbed only by dramatic perturbations, such as the exceptional dry/humid oscillations caused by E1 Nifio or the occasional hurricanes. Soils in tropical rain forests are frequently described as monotonous oxisols over deeply regolith, with little variation over large areas. Contrary to this assumption, in chapter four Leigh describes the substantial differences on the BCI caused by the depth and mineral status of parent rocks, by runoff, erosion and responsive effects of vegetation. Unlike the picture described by some soil scientists, the views presented in the book supported also by data from the neighbouring Amazonia - seem to respond to the greater variation and fragmentation encountered in mature primeval stands, e.g. in tropical Africa, the region of field studies of the

reviewer (J.J.). The book under review provides a very innovative treatment of the architecture of trees, the dominant life-forms in tropical rainforests. While the architectural models of Hall6 and Oldeman are only shortly explained, Leigh elaborated a different approach to the assessment of tree-design. Features like branching, leaf arrangement, forest height, tree density, etc., are thoroughly described in Chapter Five, and carefully related to soil fertility, altitude, vegetational strata, etc. Future dendrological treatments of woody plants could exploit this methodology in other tropical areas. Regrettably, tree root systems have only rarely been studied on BCI. A comparison of primary production data from various parts of the tropical world bring interesting generalizations in Chapter Six. Leigh suggests that standard mature tropical rainforests have 30 m2/ha basal area of the tree trunks, the leaf area index is near 7, and the gross primary production is about 90 tons of sugar/ha. The mortality rate among the trees is between 1% and 2% per year, and remains the same in trees of all sizes. In the subsequent Chapter Seven, the book turns towards the coexistence of plants and participating animals, an issue widely studied by many research fellows on the BCI. The seasonality of leaf flush and fruiting, and respective

250

Bookreviews

behaviour of herbivores (mammals, birds and insects) is particularly interesting. Young leaves and fruits, the staple food of the herbivores, seem to be in critical shortage during some seasons, which sets limits on population size of both the vertebrates and insects. Vertebrate herbivores, particularly, are constrained by these shortages, and thus big cats or other predators are not needed to control the equilibrium. However, forests mostly need insectivorous birds to protect from insect pests and maintain the stability of the system. As explained in Chapter Eight, enormous tree diversity in rainforests is mainly a product of the pressure from pests and pathogens operating within the highly heterogeneous spatial and temporal architecture. Possibly, the application of growth physiological aspects referring to the periodicity of leaf growth and leaf senescence, e.g. those analyzed by LONGMAN& JENIK (1987) might have contributed to the explication of some issues exposed in this chapter. Chapter Nine is a biologically oriented analysis of a tropical forest's intricate interdependences. While presenting mutualism as the "central problem of evolutionary biology" and competition as the "apex of mutualism", the author describes decisive conditions that allow natural selection to promote "harmonious" coexistence of various groups of interacting organisms, and their reciprocal altruism and kin selection. One important view is written on p. 223: "Selection will eliminate wasteful monopolies, for there are always individuals to benefit by exploiting poorly used resources". The strictly scientific content of the book is concluded by a fairly spiritual chapter called "The Rainforest Endangered". Its text addresses all sensitive humans and declares the urgency to preserve the tropical rainforest. Alike the essential plants, animals and aboriginal people, even the humans outside the rainforest stage are the Dramatis Personae - according to Leigh's figurative title used in Chapter Two. Rainforests are in peril and the new message sent from the Barro Colorado Island should not fall on deaf ears. REFERENCES LONGMAN K.A. & JEN|K J. (1987): Tropical forest and its environment. John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Jan denik

SHORT REVIEWS J.S. Rodwell (ed.): British plant communities, vol. 5; Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000, 512pp. Price GBP 70.-, USD 120.-, ISBN 0-521-39167-9 (hardback). - Volume 5 ends the series "British Plant Communities", which started in 1991 and has been prepared by J.S. Rodwell in co-operation with C.D. Pigott, D.A. Ratelife, A.J.C. Malloch, H.J.B. Birks, M.C.F. Proctor, D.W. Shimwell, J.P. Huntley, E. Radford, M.J. Wigginton and P. Wilkins. The content of the preceding volumes is as follows: volume 1 (1991) is dedicated to the woodland and scrub vegetation, volume 2 (1991) deals with mire and heath vegetation, volume 3 (1992) offers the description of the grassland and montane communities and volume 4 (1995) describes aquatic communities, swamps and tall-herb fens. The volume reviewed is dedicated to salt-marsh communities, to shingle, strandline and sand-dune communities, maritime cliffcommunities, and to plant communities of open habitats. Each vegetation type is introduced by its short general characteristics as well as by characteristics of the habitat. The description of individual plant communities is preceded by a key to these communities. The description of a plant community starts with an English name containing the Latin name of the important species (e.g. Elymus pycnanthus salt-marsh community), followed by the name used in the syntaxonomic system (in this case Atriplici-Elymetum pycnanthi BEEFTINGet WESTHOFF 1962). The description is divided into the following parts: synonymy, constant species, rare species, physiognomy, sub-commttnities, habitat, zonation and succession, distribution, and affinities. The floristic composition is expressed by a constancy table, and the distribution in Great Britain is shown on a map. The volume is concluded by an index of syntaxon names, an index of species and by a voluminous bibliography. A "Phytosociologicai conspectus of British plant communities", expressed by the hierarchical classification system of syntaxa, is added to this volume. All five volumes of "British plant communities" represent an important contribution to the international Project "European Vegetation Survey" offering important scientific information on British vegetation to phytosociologists of other countries. (Jaroslav Moravec)