Alpine Biodiversity in Europe

Description

Springer, 2003 — 478 pp. — (Ecological Studies, Vol. 167) — ISBN 978-3-642-62387-5, 978-3-642-18967-8The United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED), held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, spawned a multitude of pro­ grammes aimed at assessing, managing and conserving the earth's biological diversity. One important issue addressed at the conference was the mountain environment. A specific feature of high mountains is the so-called alpine zone, i. e. the treeless regions at the uppermost reaches. Though covering only a very small proportion of the land surface, the alpine zone contains a rela­ tively large number of plants, animals, fungi and microbes which are specifi­ cally adapted to cold environments. This zone contributes fundamentally to the planet's biodiversity and provides many resources for mountain dwelling as well as lowland people. However, rapid and largely man-made changes are affecting mountain ecosystems, such as soil erosion, losses of habitat and genetic diversity, and climate change, all of which have to be addressed. As stated in the European Community Biodiversity Strategy, "the global scale of biodiversity reduction or losses and the interdependence of different species and ecosystems across national borders demands concerted international action". Managing biodiversity in a rational and sustainable way needs basic knowledge on its qualitative and quantitative aspects at local, regional and global scales. This is particularly true for mountains, which are distributed throughout the world and are indeed hot spots of biodiversity in absolute terms as well as relative to the surrounding lowlands.Europe's Alpine Areas An Outline of Europe's Alpine AreasA Bioclimatic Characterisation of Europe's Alpine AreasThe Regional AccountsPlant and Vegetation DiversityOverview: Patterns in DiversityTaxonomic Diversity of Vascular Plants in the European Alpine AreasPatterns in the Plant Species Richness of European High Mountain VegetationAltitude Ranges and Spatial Patterns of Alpine Plants in Northern EuropeVascular Plant and Bryophyte Diversity along Elevation Gradients in the AlpsAssessing the Long-Term Dynamics of Endemic Plants at Summit HabitatsMapping Alpine VegetationA GIS Assessment of Alpine Biodiversity at a Range of ScalesInvertebratesOverview: Invertebrate Diversity in Europe’s Alpine RegionsThe Geographical Distribution of High Mountain Macrolepidoptera in EuropeHigh Altitude Invertebrate Diversity in the Ural MountainsThe Diversity of High Altitude Arachnids (Araneae, Opiliones, Pseudoscorpiones) in the AlpsPatterns of Butterfly Diversity Above the Timberline in the Italian Alps and ApenninesDiversity Patterns of Carabids in the Alps and the ApenninesVertebratesOverview: Alpine Vertebrates - Some Challenges for Research and Conservation ManagementBreeding Bird Assemblages and Habitat Use of Alpine Areas in ScotlandRodents in the European Alps: Population Ecology and Potential Impacts on EcosystemsLarge Herbivores in European Alpine Ecosystems: Current Status and Challenges for the FutureDiversity of Alpine Vertebrates in the Pyrenees and Sierra Nevada, SpainThe Impacts of Vertebrate Grazers on Vegetation in European High MountainsLong-Term Vegetation DynamicsAlpine Vegetation Dynamics and Climate Change - a Synthesis of Long-Term Studies and ObservationsLong-Term Changes in Alpine Plant Communities in Norway and FinlandVegetation Dynamics at the Treeline Ecotone in the Ural Highlands, RussiaRecent Increases in Summit Flora Caused by Warming in the AlpsThe Piz Linard (3411 m), the Grisons, Switzerland — Europe’s Oldest Mountain Vegetation Study SiteSynthesisAlpine Biodiversity in Space and Time: A Synthesis