Neotropical Companion: An Introduction to the Animals, Plants, and Ecosystems of the New World Tropics: An Introduction to the Animals, Plants, and ... Tropics - Revised and Expanded Second Edition - Brossura

Kricher, John

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0691009740 ISBN 13: 9780691009742

Casa editrice: Princeton Univ Pr, 1999

Riassunto

A Neotropical Companion is an extraordinarily readable introduction to the American tropics, the lands of Central and South America, their remarkable rainforests and other ecosystems, and the creatures that live there. It is the most comprehensive one-volume guide to the Neotropics available today. Widely praised in its first edition, it remains a book of unparalleled value to tourists, students, and scientists alike. This second edition has been substantially revised and expanded to incorporate the abundance of new scientific information that has been produced since it was first published in 1989. Major additions have been made to every chapter, and new chapters have been added on Neotropical ecosystems, human ecology, and the effects of deforestation. Biodiversity and its preservation are discussed throughout the book, and Neotropical evolution is described in detail. This new edition offers all new drawings and photographs, many of them in color.

As enthusiastic readers of the first edition will attest, this is a charming book. Wearing his learning lightly and writing with ease and humor, John Kricher presents the complexities of tropical ecology as accessible and nonintimidating. Kricher is so thoroughly knowledgeable and the book is so complete in its coverage that general readers and ecotourists will not need any other book to help them identify and understand the plants and animals, from birds to bugs, that they will encounter in their travels to the New World tropics. At the same time, it will fascinate armchair travelers and students who may get no closer to the Neotropics than this engagingly written book.

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Recensione

One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 1998

"The book is exactly what it says it is, a companion to take with you on your travels in the New World tropics. . . . The author has written . . . with just the right amount of informality and humor." --Journal of Natural History

"An intense and lively field guide. . .compact and richly substantive" --Scientific American

Contenuti

	Foreword
	Preface
	Acknowledgments
	A Personal Note to the Reader
	Conversions
Ch. 1	Tropical Climates and Ecosystems	3
Ch. 2	Rainforest Structure and Diversity	21
Ch. 3	How a Rainforest Functions	44
Ch. 4	Evolutionary Patterns in the Tropics	75
Ch. 5	Complexities of Coevolution and Ecology of Fruit	126
Ch. 6	The Neotropical Pharmacy	144
Ch. 7	Living Off the Land in the Tropics	169
Ch. 8	Rivers through Rainforest	189
Ch. 9	Introduction to the Andes and Tepuis	218
Ch. 10	Savannas and Dry Forests	228
Ch. 11	Coastal Ecosystems: Mangroves, Seagrass, and Coral Reefs	239
Ch. 12	Neotropical Birds	251
Ch. 13	A Rainforest Bestiary	295
Ch. 14	Deforestation and Conservation of Biodiversity	334
Appendix	"And Hey, Let's Be Careful Out There"	377
	Acronyms	389
	Glossary	390
	Neotropical Field Guides and Handbooks	396
	Recommended Book-Length References	399
	Literature Cited	403
	Index	435

Dettagli dell?edizione

• Editore: Princeton Univ Pr
• Data di pubblicazione: 1999
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0691009740
• ISBN 13: 9780691009742
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Disegnatore: Davis William E.
• Numero di pagine: 504
• Contatto del produttore: non disponibile