Steppe Ecosystems

Steppe environments impose strong selection pressures on organisms due to limiting climate conditions. Biotic factors also exert important pressures on steppe organisms, which display notable and interesting adaptations. At the same time, steppes are among the most fragile and human-impacted ecosystems of the world. As a result of these ecological and conservation features, steppe ecosystems and organisms have long deserved the attention of ecologists, biogeographers and conservation biologists. Through the contribution of steppe ecology experts from different regions of the world, this volume aims to answer hot questions in steppe ecology and conservation such as how did present-day steppe ecosystems arise? Is the steppe a perfectly identifiable and homogeneous biome, or are there different types of steppes? If the latter is true, what are the abiotic and biotic factors that define steppe ecosystems? Do they function differently? In short, what is a steppe? Can we identify clearly steppe-specific taxa? Are their functional traits homogeneous across steppe ecosystems? How are their main biodiversity patterns? However, this book also responds to the current concern about the future of the world's steppes, threatened by increasing land-use intensification, which brings out the need for their sustainable management on the basis of adequate scientific knowledge. Therefore, the chapters comprising this book not only diffuse current scientific knowledge on steppe ecosystems, which is not a minor aim, but provide cues and tools to evaluate their state and to scientifically inform and help their management. Let us hope these messages reach the adequate ears.