Ecosystems of China

Due to paucity of content on Chinese ecosystems in the English literature, the extension and incorporation of relevant Chinese research into the international intellectual source has been substantially impeded. The book series Ecosystems of China will generally deal with four categories of Chinese ecosystems, namely the grassland, forest, cropland, and hygro-ecosystems. Each category accounts for one to several volumes. Each volume will be authored by 4-5 experts from top Chinese institutes, such as Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences. The synthesis volumes mainly expound the structural aspects of the ecosystems, whereas the component volumes focus more specifically on the functional mechanisms and ecological processes of relevance. Of special note, the series will build on a total of more than 10,000 research papers and hundreds of specialty books written in Chinese and published in the domestic journals or magazines. Most of these literatures concern the fundamental knowledges as regards the flora, fauna and microorganisms characterizing the structure and biotic composition, as well as physical features and environmental conditions underpinning and driving the functions and survival of various Chinese ecosystems. It is exactly these contents that are crucial in better understanding Chinese biomes as a whole by our foreign colleagues and international institutions.