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Seasonality. Growth of the forest. Kinds of forest. Man and the tropical rain forest.
In recent years, tropical forests have received more attention and have been the subject of greater environmental concern than any other kind of vegetation. There is an increasing public awareness of the importance of these forests, not only as a diminishing source of countless products used by mankind, nor for their effects on soil stabilization and climate, but as unrivalled sources of what today we call biodiversity. Threats to the continued existence of the forests represent threats to tens of thousands of species of organisms, both plants and animals. It is all the more surprising, therefore, that there have been no major scientific accounts published in recent years since the classic h...
The Equatorial Rain Forest: A Geological History presents the equatorial vegetation as a dynamic entity with varied and highly significant history. It also discusses other types of equatorial regions. It addresses the vegetational history from a palaeoecological viewpoint. Some of the topics covered in the book are the vegetation of equatorial regions; the prelude to the quaternary; the quaternary vegetation of equatorial Latin America; the quaternary vegetation of equatorial Africa; the cretaceous period; and the quaternary vegetation of equatorial indo-malesia. The value of vegetational history is fully covered. The effect of man on vegetation is discussed in detail. The text describes in depth the methods of studying vegetational history. The Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene epochs are presented completely. A chapter is devoted to the palynological evidence and synthesis. Another section focuses on the xeroseres, hydroseres and related successions. The book can provide useful information to botanists, geologists, students, and researchers.
The first edition of Tropical Rain Forests: an Ecological and Biogeographical Comparison exploded the myth of ‘the rain forest’ as a single, uniform entity. In reality, the major tropical rain forest regions, in tropical America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Madagascar, and New Guinea, have as many differences as similarities, as a result of their isolation from each other during the evolution of their floras and faunas. This new edition reinforces this message with new examples from recent and on-going research. After an introduction to the environments and geological histories of the major rain forest regions, subsequent chapters focus on plants, primates, carnivores and plant-eaters, birds...
Describes the importance of rain forests, types of plant and animal life that live there, and the current threat to rain forests from deforestation and pollution.
Synthesizing theoretical & empirical analyses of the processes that help shape these unique ecosystems, 'Tropical Rainforests' looks at the effects of evolutionary histories, past climate change, & ecological dynamics on the origin & maintenance of tropical rainforest communities.
Seventeen marvelous essays introducing the habitats, ecology, plants, and animals of the Central and South American rainforest. A lively, lucid portrait of the tropics as seen by two uncommonly observant and thoughtful field biologists. Its seventeen marvelous essays introduce the habitats, ecology, plants, and animals of the Central and South American rainforest. Includes a lengthy appendix of practical advice for the tropical traveler.
An introduction to tropical rain forests. What are tropical rain forest? Plant life. Rain forest animals. Interconnections between plants and animals - the web of life. Tropical rain forests through time. Forest dynamics. Nutrients and their cycles. Species richness. Tropical rain forests yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Rain forests contain the greatest variety of animal and plant life on earth, and they are being destroyed more rapidly than any other type of wild habitat. Many environmentalists and scientists believe that almost all the rain forests will be eliminated in less than thirty years. Others continue to believe that the threat of their destruction is exaggerated. This anthology debates the threats to the rain forests and measures designed to ensure their continued existence.