The New Neotropical Companion / / John Kricher.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Princeton University Press Complete eBook-Package 2017
• VerfasserIn: Kricher, John,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2017]; ©2017
• Year of Publication: 2017
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (448 p.) :; 18 color illus.

The acclaimed guide to the ecology and natural history of the American tropics-now fully updated and expandedThe New Neotropical Companion is the completely revised and expanded edition of a book that has helped thousands of people to understand the complex ecology and natural history of the most species-rich area on Earth, the American tropics. Featuring stunning color photos throughout, it is a sweeping and cutting-edge account of tropical ecology that includes not only tropical rain forests but also other ecosystems such as cloud forests, rivers, savannas, and mountains. This is the only guide to the American tropics that is all-inclusive, encompassing the entire region's ecology and the amazing relationships among species rather than focusing just on species identification.The New Neotropical Companion is a book unlike any other. Here, you will learn how to recognize distinctive ecological patterns of rain forests and other habitats and to interpret how these remarkable ecosystems function-everything is explained in clear and engaging prose free of jargon. You will also be introduced to the region's astonishing plant and animal life.Informative and entertaining, The New Neotropical Companion is a pleasurable escape for armchair naturalists, and visitors to the American tropics will want to refer to this book before, during, and after their trip.Covers all of tropical AmericaDescribes the species and habitats most likely to be observed by visitorsIncludes every major ecosystem, from lowland rain forests to the high AndesFeatures a wealth of color photos of habitats, plants, and animals

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- How to Use This Book -- Chapter 1. Welcome to the Torrid Zone -- Chapter 2. Why It Is Hot, Humid, and Rainy in the Tropics -- Chapter 3. Rain Forest: The Realm of the Plants -- Chapter 4. Finding Animals in Rain Forest -- Chapter 5. Sun Plus Rain Equals Rain Forest -- Chapter 6. Essential Dirt: Soils and Cycling -- Chapter 7. If a Tree Falls ... Rain Forest Disturbance Dynamics -- Chapter 8. Evolutionary Cornucopia -- Chapter 9. Why Are There So Many Species? -- Chapter 10. Tropical Intimacy: Mutualism and Coevolution -- Chapter 11. Evolutionary Arms Races: More Coevolution, More Complexity -- Chapter 12. Cruising the Rivers to the Sea -- Chapter 13. Scaling the Andes -- Chapter 14. Don't Miss the Savannas and Dry Forests -- Chapter 15. Neotropical Birds: The Bustling Crowd -- Chapter 16. From Monkeys to Tarantulas: Endless Eccentricities -- Chapter 17. Human Ecology in the Tropics -- Chapter 18. The Future of the Neotropics -- Appendix. Words of Caution: Be Sure to Read This -- Further Reading -- Index