Biogeography of Mediterranean Invasions [Paperback]

This book is an initiative of a subcommittee of SCOPE (Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment).This book is an initiative of a subcommittee of SCOPE (Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment) which realized that the integrity of many natural ecosystems was being threatened by the ingress of invasive species.This book is an initiative of a subcommittee of SCOPE (Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment) which realized that the integrity of many natural ecosystems was being threatened by the ingress of invasive species.The Mediterranean basin, California, Chile, the western Cape of South Africa, and southern Australia share a Mediterranean climate characterized by cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. These five regions have differing patterns of human settlement, but similarities in natural vegetation and some faunal assemblages. These likenesses are enhanced with time by an increasing level of biotic exchange among the regions. An initiative of a subcommittee of SCOPE (Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment), which realized that the integrity of many natural ecosystems is being threatened by the ingress of invasive species, this book uniquely documents the introduced floras and faunas, especially plants, buds, and mammals, in these five regions of Mediterranean climate, and aims to increase our understanding of the ecology of biological invasions. In doing so, it points a way to more effectively manage the biota of these regions.Preface; Part I. Introduction: 1. An ecological overview of the five regions with a mediterranean climate F. di Castri; Part II. Historical Background: 2. The palaeohistory of the Mediterranean biota Z. Naveh and J.-L. Vernet; 3. Human impact on the biota of mediterranean-climate regions of Chile and California H. Aschmann; 4. Central Chile: how do introduced plants and animals fit into the landscape? E. R. Fuentes; 5. Historical background of invasions in the mediterranean region of southerlc+