The remote Colorado Plateau and Great Basin portions of the Intermountain West are areas of spectacular natural beauty and diversity. Due to inaccessibility, however, scientific study of many aspects of the region's natural history has lagged.Natural History of the Colorado Plateau and Great Basin provides an up-to-date summary of the region's geology, climates, and biology, including thorough treatments of the area's insects, fish, and reptiles. Also discussed are the ecology and distribution of prehistoric human cultures in the region; how modern humans have used (and abused) resources in the Intermountain West; and the impact of post-Pleistocene environmental changes on genetics of disjunct populations of conifer trees.

Written by a diverse group of acknowledged experts, Natural History of the Colorado Plateau and Great Basin offers invaluable background information for all students and resource managers who want to work in or visit the Intermountain West.