Gabriele Broll - Böcker

Mountain ecosystems belong to the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Especially, the treeline ecotone acts as an indicator for environmental change. However, ecological processes in the treeline ecotone are not yet completely understood. The studies provided in this book may contribute to a better understanding of the interactions between vegetation, climate, fauna, and soils in the treeline ecotone. An introductory chapter is given on plants living under extreme conditions, climate change aspects, and methods for characterization of alpine soils. The following articles focus on mountainous areas in America, Europe and Asia. The Working Group on Mountain and Northern Ecosystems at the Insti- te of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster (Germany), has been working on topics related to the treeline ecotone for several decades. This period under the chairmanship of Friedrich-Karl Holtmeier has come to an end now when he retired in 2004. He initiated numerous studies in high mountains and in the North. Many of his students, who became infected by the ‘mountain virus’, will continue these investigations on ecological processes in the altitudinal and northern treeline ecotones. With this compilation of studies in mountain ecosystems we want to thank Friedrich-Karl Holtmeier for his excellent guidance in these cold and fascinating environments.

Wetlands are very sensitive ecosystems, functioning as habitat for many organisms. Protection and regeneration of wetlands are of great importance in ecological research and in nature conservation. A great amount of research has been done on the hydrology, plants and animals in wetlands. Knowledge on soil organisms and soil ecological processes of wetlands is still lacking. This knowledge is highly needed for landscape planning purposes or climate change predictions. For climate change, trace gas emissions from wetlands are of great interest. The authors provide an overview of state-of-the-art on soil ecology of wetlands. The book is divided in the following main chapters: "Wetlands as habitats for soil organisms", "Soil ecological processes in fens and floodplains", "Carbon and nitrogen dynamics in soils with different water regimes" and "Trace gas emissions".

Mountain ecosystems belong to the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Especially, the treeline ecotone acts as an indicator for environmental change. However, ecological processes in the treeline ecotone are not yet completely understood. The studies provided in this book may contribute to a better understanding of the interactions between vegetation, climate, fauna, and soils in the treeline ecotone. An introductory chapter is given on plants living under extreme conditions, climate change aspects, and methods for characterization of alpine soils. The following articles focus on mountainous areas in America, Europe and Asia. The Working Group on Mountain and Northern Ecosystems at the Insti- te of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster (Germany), has been working on topics related to the treeline ecotone for several decades. This period under the chairmanship of Friedrich-Karl Holtmeier has come to an end now when he retired in 2004. He initiated numerous studies in high mountains and in the North. Many of his students, who became infected by the ‘mountain virus’, will continue these investigations on ecological processes in the altitudinal and northern treeline ecotones. With this compilation of studies in mountain ecosystems we want to thank Friedrich-Karl Holtmeier for his excellent guidance in these cold and fascinating environments.