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Soil and litter invertebrates

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Book cover Mediterranean-type Ecosystems

Part of the book series: Tasks for vegetation science ((TAVS,volume 19))

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Abstract

Soil and litter invertebrates are a large, but generally inconspicuous, component of the biota of mediterranean regions whose existence is of crucial importance to the functioning of these ecosystems. Some groups are involved in the regulation of nutrient cycles, the maintenance of soil structure or are linked through their herbivorous activities with the productivity and dynamics of plant communities. Other taxa play an important role in seed dispersal and survival, in pollination or they may provide an important food source for insectivores. It is therefore fitting that this volume includes a chapter which compares the soil and litter invertebrates of the various mediterranean regions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Botany Department, University of Queensland, 4067, St Lucia, Qld, Australia

    R. L. Specht

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  1. R. L. Specht
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  1. Botany Department, University of Queensland, 4067, St Lucia, Qld, Australia

    R. L. Specht

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© 1988 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Specht, R.L. (1988). Soil and litter invertebrates. In: Specht, R.L. (eds) Mediterranean-type Ecosystems. Tasks for vegetation science, vol 19. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3099-5_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3099-5_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7893-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-3099-5

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