Forgotten Grasslands of the South Natural History and Conservation
Forgotten Grasslands of the South is a literary and scientific case study of some of the biologically richest and most endangered ecosystems in North America. Eminent ecologist Reed Noss tells the story of how southern grasslands arose and persisted over
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Forgotten Grasslands of the South: Natural History and Conservation
Reed F. Noss With a foreword by Edward O. Wilson
Washington | Covelo | London
Copyright © 2013 Island Press All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher: Island Press, 1718 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20009 ISLAND PRESS is a trademark of The Center for Resource Economics.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Noss, Reed F. Forgotten grasslands of the South : natural history and conservation / Reed F. Noss ; with a foreword by Edward O. Wilson. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-59726-488-4 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-59726-488-1 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-1-59726-489-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-59726-489-X (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Natural history--Southern States. 2. Grassland conservation--Southern States. 3. Grassland ecology--Southern States. I. Title. QH104.5.S59N67 2013 508.75--dc23 2012027923
Printed on recycled, acid-free paper Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Key words: Island Press, grasslands, savannas, pine savannas, woodlands, barrens, glades, outcrops, grassy balds, biodiversity, biological diversity, endemism, endemic, disjunct, species richness, species diversity, southeastern United States, the South, climate change, sea-level rise, paleoecology, community ecology, landscape ecology, conservation, conservation biology, fire
Dedication To my grandfather John Burlin Johnson, dean of American metallurgy and amateur dendrologist, who taught me the trees of Ohio and served as my scientist role model. To the state natural heritage programs, the last bastions of natural history–based conservation; to NatureServe, the umbrella organization for these programs; and to Bob Jenkins, the brilliant originator of the natural heritage methodology, while serving as vice-president for science for The Nature Conservancy during many of the organization’s most effective years.
Contents
Foreword / xi Edward O.Wilson Preface
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xiii
Acknowledgments
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xvii
Chapter 1: Natural History of a Forgotten American Grassland Natural History for Conservation / 4 Grasslands in the South? / 6 What and Where Are Southern Grasslands? / 12 The Grasslands Considered in This Book / 18 Joshua Creek / 26 Chapter 2: Origin and History / 33 A General Model / 34 Geology, Physiography, and Pre-Neogene History / 40 Neogene and Quaternary History / 44 Disjunctions and the Gulf Coastal Corridor / 55 Human History in the South, as It Relates to Grasslands / Mills Creek / 69
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1
61
Chapter 3: Biological Hotspots and Endangered Ecosystems / 73 Discovering Lost Worlds / 73 Endemism / 77 Centers of Endemism in the South / 84 Peripherals and Disjuncts / 88 Species Richness / 91 Species Richness in Southern Grasslands / 94 People Care about Diversity, Endemism, and Disjunctions / 106 The Decline of South
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