Desert Weeds

Personal Narrative on Botanical First Responders

Desert Weeds

Personal Narrative on Botanical First Responders

181,89 €*

in Vorbereitung

In their rapid colonization of soil exposed by fires, floods, and grazing animals, weeds resemble the human specialists we label Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Weeds are the first responders when disasters occur in nature. They occupy bare soil and prevent erosion by wind and water. In extreme cases such as a landslide, weeds are essential to the healing processes that replace the lost soil. Like a Band-Aid on a skinned knee, weeds protect the land while it recovers. Besides protecting the soil after disaster, weeds provide food for wildlife, and some of them provide food and medicine for people. Able to withstand harsh conditions, weeds will proliferate as global warming and other human impacts intensify. Thus, nature's EMTs will increase while all other plants decline. The book provides a succinct definition of weeds according to their form and function in ecosystem processes. The narrative uses a representative set of weed species from a desert location to illustrate the full range of weed characteristics.



Preface
The weed problem
The lives of weeds
Controlling weeds
Weeds, nature conservation, and global warming
Coldwater farm habitats
Drawings, paintings, and photographs
Plant names
Desert weeds identification
Field guide
Conclusion
Afterword
References
Index.
ISBN 978-3-030-45856-0
Artikelnummer 9783030458560
Medientyp Buch
Auflage 1st ed. 2020
Copyrightjahr 2021
Verlag Springer, Berlin
Umfang XIII, 353 Seiten
Abbildungen XIII, 353 p. 307 illus., 194 illus. in color.
Sprache Englisch