The theory of ecological convergence underlies the biogeographers' maps of world biome-types. It also determines the degree to which ecological principles, derived from research on particular populations, communities or ecosystems, are generally valid, and hence also to what extent resource management principles are general. To quote Di Castri and Mooney (1973): "In effect, in order to assess the transfer of technology, it is essential to know to what extent information acquired from studying one particular ecosystem is applicable to another ecosystem of the same type but situated in a different location. " The five relatively small, isolated, mediterranean-climate zones of the earth, each with its distinct fauna and flora, have provided the ideal testing grounds for this theory. A heritage of precisely focused ecosystems research has resulted, beginning with the international comparative analyses conducted by Specht (l969a, b) but with antecedents in earlier studies in South Australia (Specht and Rayson 1957, Specht 1973). Cody and Mooney (1978) reviewed the information available at the time for the four zones excepting Australia and concluded that the arrays of strategy-types to be found among the different biotas were so similar that they could be explained only in terms of the convergence hypothesis; nevertheless, evident differences in community organization and dynamics, especially phenol­ ogy, required closer study of resource availability and resource-use patterns to better explain relations between form and function overall, and to assess the degree of convergence at higher levels of organization than the population.

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Section I. Evolution and Character of Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems.- 1. The Comparative Evolution of Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems: A Southern Perspective.- 2. Mediterranean-Type Heathlands and Sclerophyllous Shrublands of the World: An Overview.- 3. Ecological Control of the Vegetation of Southwestern Australia: Moisture versus Nutrients.- 4. Influence of Nutrients on the Composition and Distribution of Plant Communities in Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems of Israel.- 5. Approaches to the Definition of Mediterranean Growth Forms.- Section II. Plant Form and Function.- 6. Carbon-Gaining Capacity and Allocation Patterns of Mediterranean-Climate Plants.- 7. Moisture Regime and Nutrient Control of Seasonal Growth in Mediterranean Ecosystems.- 8. Canopy Structure of Mediterranean-Type Shrubs in Relation to Heat and Moisture.- 9. Carbon and Nitrogen Economy of Diplacus aurantiacus, a Californian Mediterranean-Climate Drought-Deciduous Shrub.- Section III. Nutrient Cycling.- 10. Nutrient Cycling in Australian Heath and South African Fynbos.- 11. Impact of Fire on Nutrient Cycles in Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems with Reference to Chaparral.- 12. Decomposition and Mineralization Processes in Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems and in Heathlands of Similar Structure.- 13. The Effects of Different Fire Regimes on Soil Nutrient Levels in Quercus coccifera Garrigue.- Section IV. Plant Nutrition.- 14. Strategies for Maximizing Nutrient Uptake in Two Mediterranean Ecosystems of Low Nutrient Status.- 15. The Effects of Fire on Photosynthesis in Chaparral Resprouts.- 16. Mineral Nutrient and Nonstructural Carbon Pools in Shrubs from Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems of California and Chile.- 17. Comparative Phenology of Mediterranean-Type Plant Communities.- Section V. Community Patterns and Diversity.- 18. Some Thoughts on Resource Competition and Diversity in Plant Communities.- 19. On Alpha Diversity and the Richness of the Cape Flora: A Study in Southern Cape Fynbos.- 20. Continental Diversity Patterns and Convergent Evolution in Bird Communities.- 21. Distribution and Species Diversity of Birds and Plants in Fynbos Vegetation of Mediterranean-Climate Zone, South Africa.- 22. Plant Community Structure - Spatial Partitioning of Resources.- 23. Plant Community Diversity and Dynamics in Relation to Fire.- 24. Mammal Species Diversity in Australian Heathlands: the Importance of Pyric Succession and Habitat Diversity.- 25. Animal Demography in Relation to Fire and Shortage of Food: Some Indicative Models.- Section VI. Plant-Animal Interactions.- 26. The Role of Sclerophyllous Leaves in Determining Insect Grazing Damage.- 27. Defoliation Patterns in Matorral Ecosystems.