This book should be of interest to ecologists and plant scientists.

Ecologists will find Collinson's book to be a highly readable and engaging synthesis, certainly worthy of consideration for use in an undergraduate vegetation ecology course. - Ecology

1 Environmental and ecological principles.- 1 Land plants, evolution and geography.- 1.1 The classification of plants.- 1.2 Floras.- 1.3 The study of geographical pattern in the world's flora.- 1.4 The development of the plant kingdom on land.- 1.5 The evolution of geographical pattern in the world's flora.- 1.6 Types of distribution pattern.- 1.7 Plant genetics and plant distributions.- 1.8 Plant life-forms.- 1.9 Life-cycle and life-form 29 References and further reading.- 2 The geological record and past distributions.- 2.1 The fossil record of past distributions.- 2.2 Biotic factors.- 2.3 Major Palaeoecological events: introduction.- 2.4 Continental drift and plant distributions.- 2.5 Quaternary climatic change.- 2.6 Human influence on postglacial vegetational change.- References and further reading.- 3 Ecology, biogeography and energy variations.- 3.1 The principles of ecology.- 3.2 Ecosystems and energy.- 3.3 Variations of production.- 3.4 Plant response to the geographical variation of light.- 3.5 Energy microclimates.- 3.6 Energy, land plants and geomorphology.- 3.7 Production in artificial ecosystems.- References and further reading.- 4 Nutrients and nutrient cycles.- 4.1 Biogeochemical cycles.- 4.2 Nutrient groups.- 4.3 The geographical variability of nutrients.- 4.4 Water supply, plant metabolism and geographical pattern.- 4.5 The liability of plants to moisture stress.- 4.6 Plant categories in relation to water.- 4.7 Terrestrial moisture gradients.- 4.8 Mineral nutrients.- References and further reading.- 5 Ecosystem conditions and plant distributions.- 5.1 Heat, temperature and plant life.- 5.2 Temperature and tolerance range of plants.- 5.3 Temperature zonation and geographical range.- 5.4 The flexibility of plant response to thermal variations.- 5.5 Thermal microclimates and soil conditions.- 5.6 Other atmospheric conditions.- References and further reading.- 6 Soil conditions and their influence on plant distributions.- 6.1 The atmosphere-plant-soil system.- 6.2 The ionic state of soil water and plant behaviour.- 6.3 The effects of plants on soils.- 6.4 Soil classification.- 6.5 Plants and soil salinity.- 6.6 Mineral cycles and erosion rates.- References and further reading.- 7 Plants in communities and their distributions.- 7.1 The distribution of individuals in a population.- 7.2 Theories of plant communities.- 7.3 Plant demography and species distributions.- 7.4 Community analysis and classification.- 7.5 The mapping of plant communities.- References and further reading.- 2 The vegetation of tropical and temperate regions.- 8 Vegetation and climate: an introduction to world vegetation patterns.- References and further reading.- 9 Tropical forests.- 9.1 Rainforests: structural characteristics and areal variations.- 9.2 Rainforests: climatic and other environmental relationships.- 9.3 Biomass, production and mineral cycling in rainforests.- 9.4 Rainforest soil types.- 9.5 The deforestation process.- 9.6 Variations in tropical wet forests.- 9.7 Seasonal tropical forests.- References and further reading.- 10 Tropical formations with conspicuous grasslands: savannas.- 10.1 Physiognomic and botanical character.- 10.2 Environmental relationships.- 10.3 Biomass, productivity and mineral cycling.- 10.4 Soils and agriculture.- References and further reading.- 11 The temperate deciduous forests.- 11.1 Biomass, production and mineral cycles.- 11.2 Soil types.- 11.3 Community patterns.- 11.4 Man and the deciduous forests.- 11.5 Vegetation of mediterranean affinities.- References and further reading.- 12 The coniferous forests of the Northern Hemisphere.- 12.1 Biomass, productivity and mineral cycles.- 12.2 Soil conditions.- 12.3 'Mixed' forests.- References and further reading.- 13 The temperate grasslands.- 13.1 Vegetational features.- 13.2 Biomass, production and mineral cycling.- 13.3 Soil types.- 13.4 The grassland-forest ecotone.- References and further reading.- 3 The vegetation of extreme habitats.- 14 Adaptations and selective factors: an introduction.- References and further reading.- 15 Vegetation of arid lands.- 15.1 Locations and characteristics.- 15.2 Biomass, production and mineral cycles.- 15.3 Soils of the arid lands.- 15.4 Man and the arid lands.- References and further reading.- 16 Wetlands.- References and further reading.- 17 Arctic and alpine tundra.- 17.1 Vegetation types.- 17.2 Biomass, production and mineral cycles.- 17.3 Tundra soils.- 17.4 The origin of the arctic tundra.- 17.5 Man and the tundra lands.- References and further reading.- 18 The vegetation of estuaries and sea shores.- 18.1 Extension of the land surface.- 18.2 Protection of lowland.- References and further reading.- Conclusion.- Indexes.