Britain"s Habitats (ebook)

Argumento de Britain"s Habitats (ebook)

A photographic guide to habitats, this lavishly illustrated book provides a comprehensive overview of the natural history and conservation landscape of Britain and Ireland. In essence a field guide, the book leads the reader through all the main habitat types, with information on their characteristics, extent, geographical variation, key species, cultural importance, origins and conservation. It aims to help visitors to the countryside recognize the habitats around them, understand how they have evolved and what makes them special, and imagine how they might change in the future.

This book is the perfect companion for anyone travelling in Britain and Ireland, and essential reading for all wildlife enthusiasts, professional ecologists and landscape architects.

• Individual sections on all the main habitat types found in Britain and Ireland
• More than 680 evocative colour photographs, including images from around Britain and Ireland in all seasons
• Details and photographs of key species and features associated with the different habitats
• Up-to-date information—including maps—on the distribution, extent and importance of all habitat types
• Information on key nature conservation designations and different systems of habitat classification

"This is one of those books that I didn't know I needed until it arrived, and now that I do have it, I consider it an indispensable reference and simply cannot put it down as I plan my trip schedule for next year. This is also the first book of its kind that I've come across and, I am sure, will become a standard text for many other nature enthusiasts looking to make sense of the environment around them. This book sits comfortably alongside other reference works such as those on butterflies, moths, birds, plants and so on and . . . is highly recommended."--Peter Eeles, Dispar

"[B]oth inspiring and a wake-up call to anyone with an interest in the natural world . . . an invaluable reference resource as well as being an enjoyable read."--Matt Merritt, Bird Watching

"It’s a very informative piece of work and every birder should take a look either to refresh their fieldcraft or maybe to start them on the path of seeing the environment as a whole not just our normal narrow avian focus."--Fatbirder

"[A] beautifully produced book. . . . Anyone with an interest in the outdoors will find this book indispensable. I will certainly be dipping into it frequently."--Tony Toole, Sherkin Comment

"I like it . . . I like it a lot. This is a beautifully produced hardback volume that covers all of the main habitat types found across the islands of Britain and Ireland. Illustrated throughout with more than 680 colour photographs it is a visual feast . . . a good balance of information that’s particularly well suited to the wildlife enthusiast, birder or anyone who loves the great outdoors and would like a better understanding of how it all fits together."--Calvin Jones, Ireland’s Wildlife

"This is a stunning book in every way that a bibliophile or collector can imagine, and it’s an inspirational book in every sense that a citizen scientist or a professional ecologist can wish for."--GrrlScientist, Guardian

"I found this book a great pleasure to read and will be dipping into it frequently in the future. Anyone with an interest in the outdoors will love it and I would recommend without hesitation that it be placed on the reference shelves of every university, college, school and public library."--Anthony Toole, Waterstones

"This ambitious book succeeds in describing the range of habitat types that exist in Britain and Ireland in an informative but engaging way. For anyone wanting to learn more about the fabric and texture of the countryside, the book is an excellent starting point."--Rob Fuller, British Birds

"The book is certainly crammed full of information and detail and any ecology student would do well to have this volume on their shelves."--Derbyshire Wildlife Trust

"This is a must for your bookshelves."--Highland News

"This book is highly recommended to anyone wishing to gain a better understanding of our plants and their habitats."--Ro Scott, Highland Naturalist

"Essential reading for all wildlife enthusiasts, professional ecologists and landscape architects. . . . [I]t's an ideal field guide to the nation's nature."--Booktime

"[E]xcellent and valuable . . . should be widely read by wildlife and landscape enthusiasts."--Rob Hume, Birdwatch

Sophie Lake and Durwyn Liley are professional ecologists who work at Footprint Ecology and live near the Purbeck Heaths and Poole Harbour in Dorset. They have worked in nature conservation, for a range of different organizations, for more than twenty years. This book is the result of their shared passion for natural history, ecology and the wild places in which they have lived, travelled and worked. Robert Still, the cofounder of WILDGuides, is an ecologist and graphic artist, and has designed more than thirty of its titles. Andy Swash, the managing director of WILDGuides, is an ecologist and wildlife photographer. Still and Swash are the coauthors of a number of books, including Britain's Dragonflies, Britain's Butterflies, Britain's Day-flying Moths and Britain's Sea Mammals (all WILDGuides).

"Occasionally a book comes along the like of which you have never seen before. This is such a book. The beautifully produced work is a wonderful celebration of the rich diversity of Britain and Ireland’s habitats, stunningly illustrated . . . This is much more than a coffee table book . . . The breadth of coverage and knowledge imparted is quite staggering. This is an essential reference book for anyone interested in our wildlife habitats, their extent, location, conservation, and much, much more."--Nigel Bourn, Butterfly Magazine0Preface 5
Introduction 7
Types of habitat 10
Factors influencing habitats 12
Natural change ? Succession 18
Habitat classification 20
Conservation of habitats 22
THE HABITATS 25
WOODLANDS 26
Lowland Mixed Oak and Ash Wood 34
Lowland Dry Oak and Birch Wood 38
Beech Wood 40
Yew Wood 42
Wet Woodland 44
Wood Pasture 48
Atlantic Oak Wood 52
Upland Mixed Ash Wood 56
Caledonian Forest 58
Atlantic Hazel Wood 62
Upland Birch Wood 64
Coniferous Plantation 66
SCRUB 68
Mixed Scrub 72
Hedgerow 74
Bracken 78
HEATHLANDS 80
Lowland Dry Heath 86
Maritime Heath 90
Dune Heath 90
Breckland Heath 91
Shingle Heath 91
Limestone Heath 91
Lowland Wet Heath 92
Upland Dry Heath 94
Upland Wet Heath 98
GRASSLANDS 100
Lowland Calcareous Grassland 108
Lowland Dry Acid Grassland 112
Lowland Meadow and Pasture 114
Purple Moor-grass and Rush Pasture 116
Coastal and Floodplain Grazing Marsh 118
Upland Calcareous Grassland 122
Northern Hay Meadow 124
Upland Rush Pasture 126
Upland Acid Grassland 128
Calaminarian Grassland 130
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MOUNTAINS 132
Montane Dwarf-shrub Heath 136
High Montane Heath and Snow-bed 140
Mountain Ledge 144
Montane Scrub > 146
ROCKY HABITATS 148
Rocky Slopes 152
Scree 154
Limestone Pavement 156
WETLANDS 160
Blanket Bog 168
Raised Bog 172
Upland Spring and Flush 174
Lowland Fen 176
Valley Mire 180
Reedbed 184
FRESHWATERS 188
Nutrient-rich (Eutrophic) Lake 196
Upland Lake, Loch and Tarn 198
Peat-stained (Dystrophic) Waters 200
Turlough and Fluctuating Mere 202
Mesotrophic Lake 204
Marl Lake 204
Lowland Nutrient-poor Lake 205
Brackish Lake 205
Pond 206
Ditch 208
Canal 210
Fast-flowing River and Stream 212
Sluggish River and Stream 214
Chalk River and Stream 216
COASTAL HABITATS 218
Mudflat and Sandflat 224
Saltmarsh 226
Sand Dune 228
Machair 232
Coastal Vegetated Shingle 234
Saline Lagoon 238
Rocky Shore 240
Soft Cliff 242
Hard Cliff and Cliff Slope 244
OTHER HABITATS 248
Arable 250
Brownfield 252
Traditional Orchard 254
Habitat Correspondence Tables 256
Species referred to in the text 266
Photographic Credits 273
Map Credits 274
Acknowledgements 275
Index 276