Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

1California Natural History and the Role of Naturalists

California’s Biodiversity

The Biodiversity Crisis

A Brief History of Natural History and Naturalists

Why Be a Naturalist?

Field Notebook: An Essential Record for Every Naturalist

The Language of Naturalists

Getting Out and About

Explore!

2Geology, Climate, and Soils

Earth’s Formation and Plate Tectonics

Shaping California

Rocks in California

California’s Climate

Diversity of California Microclimates

Soil Structure and Nutrients

Nutrient Cycling

Decomposition

Mycorrhizal Relationships

Mining in California

Explore!

3Water

Scaling Water: From Molecules to Our Environment

The Water Cycle

Stream Processes

Biological Inputs

Chemical Inputs

Physical Inputs

The Path of a River

Estuaries

Intertidal Zone

Wetlands

California’s Lakes

California’s Freshwater Fish

Rivers Today

California Water Management and Law

Challenges for the Future: Population Growth and Climate Change

Explore!

4Plants

Lifestyles of Rich and Famous Plants

Parts of a Plant

Plant Communities of California

Plants and People

California’s Plant Communities and Climate Change

Explore!

5Forest, Woodland, and Range Resources and Management

History of California Forests and Their Management

Forest Dynamics

California Forests and Wildfire

Fragmentation of Forests

Carbon Sequestration

Rangelands and Livestock Grazing Management

Conservation Biology

Explore!

6Animals

Evolutionary Groups

Invertebrates

Vertebrates

Human Activity and Domestic and Introduced Animals

Explore!

7Energy and Global Environmental Issues

Forms and Sources of Energy

The Energetic Basis of Life

Energy Use by People

Global Environmental Challenges

Explore!

8Interpretation, Collaboration, and Citizen Science

Interpretation: Why, What, and How

Collaboration

Citizen Science

Explore!

Glossary

Index