The Vegetation of Wisconsin: An Ordination of Plant Communities (Hardcover)

by John T. Curtis (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"There is much food for thought for the conservationist ... clearly a major contribution for plant ecology in general as well as to the information concerning the vegetation of Wisconsin." —Audubon Magazine


"No ecologist concerned with the description of plant communities and assessment of their relationships with one another and with the environment can afford to ignore the lucid and penetrating discussion of these problems presented in Professor Curtis's stimulating text." —The Journal of Ecology


Product Description
One of the most important contributions in the field of plant ecology during the twentieth century, this definitive survey established the geographical limits, species compositions, and as much as possible of the environmental relations of the communities composing the vegetation of Wisconsin.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 704 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press (November 15, 1959)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0299019403
• ISBN-13: 978-0299019402
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #146,009 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Place We Live: Ecology in the Upper Midwest, August 18, 2001

By	E. Longhurst "picky reader" (St. Paul, Minnesota USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When it comes to describing the plants of a locale with all its ecological intricacies, it could be said that John Curtis did it first and best. The only way he could have done it better was to expand beyond Wisconsin's boundaries and write "The Ecology and Ecosystems of the Midwest." Still, and after 42 years in print, this book remains the definitive source for understanding the relationships among the plants of bogs, forests, prairies, lake dunes, and the other habitats of the Upper Midwest. Inset range maps, photos, lists of plants with their "commonness ratings (my term)" in the different habitats, brief histories of human uses of the habitats, and descriptions of the environment (soils, hydrology, etc.) complete the picture. Growing up in Michigan and working for years in Minnesota and the rest of the Midwest, I can attest that it serves these locales reasonably well, and currently there is nothing better. It would work in Iowa, northern Illinois and Indiana, and southern Ontario as well. As a child of the information age, I admit that the presentation of graphics, charts, etc. is not as sharp as it could be. Recent advances in ecology and statistical computing power unavailable to Curtis make some of his analyses a bit dated. Curtis was also somewhat doctrinaire in his view of plant species distributions across ecological gradients (a Gleasonian individualist, for those who wonder), leading him to ignore the important distinction between prairies on sand versus heavier soils, for example. All in all, this book is an excellent primer for anyone with the desire to become more familiar with the intricate composition and workings of midwestern ecosystems and, along the way, feel just a little more at home here.