Ecosystems of California. 2016. illus. XX, 984 p. 4to. Hardcover.

This long-anticipated reference and sourcebook for Californiasremarkable ecological abundance provides an integrated assessment of each major ecosystem typeits distribution, structure, function, and management. A comprehensive synthesis of our knowledge about this biologically diverse state, Ecosystems of California covers the state from oceans to mountaintops usingmultiple lenses: past and present, flora and fauna, aquatic and terrestrial, natural and managed.Each chapter evaluates natural processes for a specific ecosystem, describes drivers of change, and discusses how that ecosystemmay be altered in the future. This book also explores the driversof Californias ecological patterns and the history of the states various ecosystems, outlining how the challenges of climate change and invasive species and opportunities for regulationand stewardship could potentially affect the states ecosystems. The text explicitly incorporates both human impacts and conservation and restoration efforts and shows how ecosystems support human well-being. Edited by two esteemed ecosystem ecologists and with overviews by leading experts on each ecosystem, this definitive work will beindispensable for natural resource management and conservation professionals as well as for undergraduate or graduate students of Californias environment and curious naturalists.