Publisher's Synopsis
'Networks on Networks' demonstrates the relevance of the network properties of the pore-space in the soil to the organization of understanding of plant growth, soil formation, river network development, and the water cycle, with the ability to directly relate time scales from seconds to the cycle of supercontinent break-up and assembly (Wilson Cycle). In the process, implications regarding the viability of the strong vs. the weak (Earth only acts like a living organism) Gaia hypotheses are addressed. All of this makes 'Networks on Networks' of great interest to those in the climate change community.
Key Features:
- Presents research into the physical rules that can underlie the behaviour of biota, as well as the geochemistry of soil development.
- Demonstrates the relevance of the network properties of the pore-space in the soil to the organization of understanding of plant growth, soil formation, river network development, and the water cycle.
- Addresses both nutrient and water transport limitations of processes from chemical weathering to vascular plant growth.
- Addresses the question of the extent to which soils can facilitate plant growth, and what limitations on plant sizes, metabolism, occurrence, and correlations can be formulated thereby.
