Author Description

How will the world's vegetation, from 'natural' ecosystems to intensively managed agricultural systems, be affected by changes in land use, the composition of gases in the atmosphere, and climate? This major new book presents a collection of essays by leading authorities who address the current state of knowledge. The chapters bring together the early results of an international scientific research programme designed to answer the following questions: what will happen to our ability to produce food and fibre, and what effects will there be on biological diversity under rapid environmental change? How will these changes to terrestrial ecosystems feed back to further environmental change? Among the special features of the book are descriptions of a dynamic global vegetation model, developing generic crop models and a special section on the emerging discipline of global ecology.