Range and Richness of Vascular Land Plants

Peter S. Eagleson is an American hydrologist. He has taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology since 1952 and is currently a Professor Emeritus.

• Foreword xiPreface xiiiAcknowledgments xviiPart I: Overview 1Chapter 1: Introduction 3Historical summary 3Modeling philosophy 5Bioclimatic basis for local community structure 7Range 9Richness 13Major simplifications 14Principal assumptions 15Principal findings 15Part II: Local Species Range and Richness 17Chapter 2: Local Climate: Observations and Assessments 19Major biomes of North America 19Growing season 19Solar radiation 20Zonal homogeneity 27Looking ahead 29Chapter 3: Mean Latitudinal Range of Local Species: Prediction Versus Observation 31Introduction and definitions 31Range of local mean species as determined by local distributions about the mean 32Theoretical estimation of the range with climatic forcing by SW flux only 36Range of local modal species versus mean of local species’ ranges 39Probability mass of the distribution of observed local species 42Analytical summary for climatic forcing by SW flux only 43Point-by-point estimation of range versus observation for North America 45A thought experiment on the variation of SW flux in an isotropic atmosphere 49Range of modal species at maxima and minima of the SW flux 51Gradient estimation of range versus observation for North America 52Point-by-point estimation of range versus observation for the Northern Hemisphere 55Gradient estimation of range versus observation for the Northern Hemisphere 60Low-latitude smoothing of range by latitudinal averaging of the growing season 62Range as a reflection of the bioclimatic dispersion of species 63A high-latitude shift in bioclimatic control from light to heat? 65Extension of these range forecasts by use of multiple forcing variables 68A look ahead 68Chapter 4: Richness of Local Species: Prediction Versus Observation 69Introduction 69From continuous to discrete distribution of local species 72Local SW flux as a stationary Poisson stochasticprocess 73 Distribution of C3 species–supporting radiation intercepted in a growing season 75Moments of C 3 species–supporting radiation intercepted in a growing season 77Moments of the number of C3 species–supporting cloud events in a growing season 78From climatic disturbance to C3 species germination 79Parameter estimation 80Predicted potential richness versus observed richness 82The theoretical tie between range and richness 84Part III: Recapitulation 85Chapter 5: Summary and Conclusions 87Precis 87Mathematical approximations in range calculation 89Evaluation of range prediction 90Evaluation of richness prediction 92Finis 93Part IV: Appendices: Reductionist DarwinianModeling of the Bioclimatic Function for C3 Plant Species 95Appendix A: The Individual C3 Leaf 97Photosynthetic capacity of the C3 leaf 97Mass transfer from free atmosphere to chloroplasts 99Assimilation modulation by leaf temperature and ambient CO2 concentration 104Exponential approximation to the C3 photosynthetic capacity curve 104Potential assimilation efficiency of C3 leaves 105The state of stress 107Darwinian operating state of the individual C3 leaf 107The univariate bioclimatic function at leaf scale 108Appendix B: The Homogenous C3 Canopy 111Idealized geometry of the leaf layer 111Darwinian heat proposition 113Vertical flux of radiation in a closed canopy 113C 3 species parameters 116Bioclimatic function at canopy scale 117Local evolutionary equilibrium: An hypothesis 118Appendix C: Evaluation of the Evolutionary Equilibrium Hypothesis 121The equilibrium hypothesis at leaf scale 121The equilibrium hypothesis at local canopy scale 121Summary 125Notation 127Glossary 137Bibliography 141Additional Reading 147Author Index 149Subject Index 151