Ecology of Volcanic Landscapes

Ecology of Volcanic Landscapes: Biodiversity, Conservation, Management, Challenges offers a comparative study of numerous volcanic environments across different geographical regions, climate zones, geo-morphological peculiarities, and kinds of dominant vegetation. The book begins with an overview of the main volcanic landscapes that can be found in various latitudes, e.g., Mediterranean, temperate, polar, and tropical. After describing a novel classification system of volcanic landscapes, the authors focus on several major volcanoes on Earth, including Mounts Etna, Teide, Hekla, St. Helens, Mauna Loa, Fuji and Asama, while also presenting a newly proposed classification of volcanic landscapes.

For each of these volcanoes, different aspects are investigated, especially vegetation zones, plant endemism and biodiversity, metapopulations, landscape connectivity, climate and land-cover changes, conservation issues, and future challenges. Readers will find stimulating insights into the study of volcanic landscapes and the ecosystems within them.

• Provides a new classification of volcanic landscapes
• Includes comparative landscape analyses of Earth’s major volcanoes
• Covers plant endemism and biodiversity in volcanic ecosystems
• Delves into conservation issues in geologically active environments