Biology of Polar Bryophytes and Lichens. 1998. (Reprint 2008,Studies in Polar Research). illus. 399 p. gr8vo. Paper bd.

This book reviews the biology of bryophytes and lichens in the polar tundra. These plants are important components of the polar environmentand studies have shed much light on the way in which plants are adapted to extreme environments, in terms of growth, form, physiology and reproductive biology. The role of bryophytes and lichens is discussed invegetation processes such as colonization and succession, and in energyflow, nutrient cycling and other functional aspects of polar ecosystems,both natural and as modified by man. The range of microclimates experienced by polar cryptograms is described using an energy budgetapproach, and the environmental relationships of CO2 exchange, stress resistance, growth and other physiological responses are discussed against this background. Reproductive biology is also reviewed as anintroduction to a consideration of population ecology, distribution patterns and dispersal potential, and the origin and adaptation of polar cryptogamic floras. The book integrates the results of work in both the Arctic and Antarctic, and it includes a classification of vegetation zones applicable to both of the polar regions. The study of plant ecology in the polar regions has advanced dramatically in recent years,and the results synthesised here contribute to a fuller understanding of polar ecosystems and towards a general understanding of the environmental relationships of bryophytes and lichens.