Includes bibliographical references (p. 185-213) and index.
Contents:
How the Rocky West Formed and How It Shapes Western Ecosystems / Gwendolyn Waring, Wayne Ranney -- Precious Water in the West -- Cool, Dark, Western Mountains -- Fast-Moving Ponderosa Pine Forests -- The Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands -- Western Grasslands no -- The Spare and Beautiful Cold Desert -- A Few of the West's Gorgeous Flowers -- Appendix I : Some Common Plants and Animals of the Southern Rockies and the Intermountain Region -- Appendix II : English to Metric Conversions.
Summary:
Gwendolyn Waring wrote A Natural History of the Intermountain West to inform the naturalist in all of us about the wild world around us-with the idea that we crave a connection to the natural world to ground us and give us a sense of place-and about the endless evolution of plants and animals. While she describes many species throughout the chapters, her text is focused more on the profound processes that have shaped western ecosystems, based on a belief that understanding those processes is more meaningful than a list of names. The ways and the rapidity with which enormous ecosystems replace one another and sometimes even return as climates change are a magnificent testament to the tenacity of life. -- Offering the first book of its kind for this region, Waring takes a fresh look at the natural history of the southern Rockies and the Intermountain West based on cutting-edge research, interviews with numerous scientists, and personal experience. Drawing together many disparate fields, the book integrates the evolution of western ecosystems with the geological and climatic history of the region. A natural History of the Intermountain West is a passionate, humanistic, and scientific treatment of ecosystems, how they function, and how they came to be. --Book Jacket.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.