MOUNTAIN DIVERSITY

Mountain Diversity Dynamics of High Altitude Environments explores the highly biodiverse culturally rich and often threatened mountain regions that comprise a quarter of the world s continental land surface These complex areas play a fundamental role in shaping continental scale climates and have long been recognized as globally important centers of biodiversity Mountains cover only 25 of global continental land surface yet are home to more than 85 of the world s amphibians birds and mammals many of which are entirely restricted to mountains Despite their importance as stores of biodiversity and drivers of global sustainability high altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change and human interventions Written by a leading expert in tropical mountain ecology this book explores the processes that define the world s high altitude areas in an easily digestible manner Early chapters characterize high altitude areas according to topography fire regime and climate Dr Marchant collates palaeoecological archaeological and historical insights to synthesize the intersection between mountain societies ecosystems and climate Middle chapters examine the relationship between mountain climates and insect bird and mammalian biodiversity Final