Australian rainforests: islands of green in a land of fire

Preface 1. Introduction 2. What is Australian rainforest? 3. The sclerophyll problem 4. The edaphic theory I. The control of rainforest by soil phosphorus 5. The edaphic theory II. Soil types, drainage and fertility 6. The climate theory I. Water stress 7. The climate theory II. Light and temperature 8. The fire theory I. Field evidence 9. The fire theory II. Fire, nutrient cycling and topography 10. The fire theory III. Fire frequency, succession and ecological drift 11. The fire theory IV. Aboriginal landscape-burning 12. The fire theory V. Aridity and the evolution of flammable forests 13. Fire management and rainforest conservation 14. Summary References.