Forest Diversity and Function

Christian Körner was born in 1949 in Salzburg, Austria, got his academic degrees from the University of Innsbruck, and became professor of botany at the University of Basel, Switzerland in 1989. He published over 300 scientific articles on plant-environment interactions and authored and coauthored numerous scientific books, including the leading plant science textbook Strasburger.

The Functional Significance of Forest Diversity: The Starting Point.- An Introduction to the Functional Diversity of Temperate Forest Trees.- Productivity and Growth.- Diversity and Productivity in Forests: Evidence from Long-Term Experimental Plots.- Confounding Factors in the Observational Productivity-Diversity Relationship in Forests.- Genetic Diversity Parameters Associated with Viability Selection, Reproductive Efficiency, and Growth in Forest Tree Species.- Biogeochemical Cycles.- Functioning of Mixed-Species Stands: Evidence from a Long-Term Forest Experiment.- The Role of Biodiversity on the Evaporation of Forests.- Effects of Tree Species Diversity on Litter Quality and Decomposition.- The Effect of Biodiversity on Carbon Storage in Soils.- Silviculture and Its Interactions with Biodiversity and the Carbon Balance of Forest Soils.- Animals, Pests, and Disturbances.- Linkages Between Tree Diversity, Soil Fauna and Ecosystem Processes.- A Test of the Biodiversity-Stability Theory: Meta-analysis of Tree Species Diversity Effects on Insect Pest Infestations, and Re-examination of Responsible Factors.- Susceptibility to Fungal Pathogens of Forests Differing in Tree Diversity.- Implication of Forest Diversity in Resistance to Strong Winds.- Fire Regime and Tree Diversity in Boreal Forests: Implications for the Carbon Cycle.- Perspectives.- The Design of Experimental Tree Plantations for Functional Biodiversity Research.- The Functional Significance of Forest Diversity: A Synthesis.

From the reviews:

"... As is usual with this series, the chapters are written with authority and contain a lot of good science. ... this volume has a lot to offer to those working in the area and will be useful for senior undergraduates and graduate students wanting to get to grips with a complex field." (Bulletin of the British Ecological Socienty)

"... I enjoyed reading this book and would heartily recommend it to interested researchers ..." (Ecology)

"Ten years later a LINECOL (Linking Community and Ecosystem Ecology Programme) workshop was held at Weimar, 13-15 June, 2002 to continue and extend the debate. The present book is the workshop report. ... Reading this book is a must for forest ecologists and forestry and biology students. It is highly recommended to forest practitioners and owners ... . It also should be read as source of information on forests ecosystem reality by conservationists, environmentalists, campaigners and those who consider themselves stakeholders in forestry." (Eberhard F. Bruenig, International Forestry Review, Vol. 7 (3), September, 2005)