An Introduction to Tropical Rain Forests

by Whitmore, T. C.

• ISBN13: 9780198501480
• ISBN10: 019850148X
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-06-04
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This new edition of Whitmore's classic introduction to tropical rain forests has been comprehensively revised and updated, reflecting the changes which have taken place since it was first published in 1990. The sections on human impact have been extended to include a new global assessment ofdeforestation as well as details of new research on biodiversity and conservation. Discussion of the future of the rain forests and priorities for action is incorporated. The book remains unique in linking rain forest biology and ecology with silviculture, and with concerns over sustainable resourceutilization and the future of the tropical rain forests. It includes sections on the diverse animal and plant life forms which are found in the rain forest, and the interconnections between them. Nutrient cycles and forest dynamics are fully explained, with new data on ecophysiology and forestmicroclimates. The geologic and climatic history of rain forests, and the wide-spread canopy disturbances now understood to have occurred in the past, are explored. Accessibly written, and illustrated throughout with line-drawings and photographs, this is a must for biology and geography students,and anyone else who seeks to know more about the nature and importance of the world's tropical rain forests.

Author Biography

Timothy Charles Whitmore, Lecturer, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Downing Place, Cambridge, England CB2 3EN.

Table of Contents

Explanatory notes	xiv	(1)
References and further reading	xiv	(1)
Units, symbols, and abbreviations	xiv
1 An introduction to tropical rain forests	1	(9)
2 What are tropical rain forests?	10	(30)
2.1 Tropical moist forests and their climates	10	(3)
2.2 The forest formations	13	(12)
2.3 Forest maintenance--the growth cycle	25	(6)
2.4 Floristics	31	(4)
2.5 Nature of the tropical rain forest community	35	(3)
2.6 What are tropical rain forests?--Chapter summary	38	(2)
3 Plant life	40	(25)
3.1 Climbers and epiphytes	46	(5)
3.2 Trees	51	(7)
3.3 Seasonal rhythms	58	(5)
3.4 Plant life--Chapter summary	63	(2)
4 Rain forest animals	65	(9)
4.1 Richness and diversity of animals	65	(3)
4.2 Modes of coexistence	68	(3)
4.3 Carrying capacity of the forest	71	(2)
4.4 Rain forest animals--Chapter summary	73	(1)
5 Interconnections between plants and animals--the web of life	74	(15)
5.1 Animals as pollinators	74	(4)
5.2 Animals as dispersers	78	(2)
5.3 Food webs, mobile links, and keystone species	80	(1)
5.4 Co-evolution	81	(4)
5.5 Implications for forest conservation	85	(1)
5.6 Plant breeding systems	86	(1)
5.7 Interconnections between plants and animals--the web of life--Chapter summary	87	(2)
6 Tropical rain forests through time	89	(20)
6.1 Palaeogeography	89	(8)
6.2 Palaeoclimates	97	(6)
6.3 Pleistocene refugia	103	(3)
6.4 Seasonal climate elements in Malesia	106	(1)
6.5 High mountain plants	106	(1)
6.6 Conservation	107	(1)
6.7 Tropical rain forests through time--Chapter summary	107	(2)
7 Forest dynamics	109	(47)
7.1 Forest microclimates	109	(4)
7.2 Pioneer and climax tree species	113	(7)
7.3 Seed and seedling ecology	120	(4)
7.4 Components of species richness	124	(2)
7.5 Growth and shade tolerance analysed	126	(5)
7.6 Silviculture	131	(11)
7.7 Growth rates and longevity	142	(3)
7.8 Community-wide disturbances	145	(6)
7.9 Forest recovery after human disturbance	151	(1)
7.10 The dynamics of climax rain forest	152	(2)
7.11 Forest dynamics--Chapter summary	154	(2)
8 Nutrients and their cycles	156	(18)
8.1 Shifting agriculture	156	(3)
8.2 Nutrient pools and cycles in primary rain forest	159	(5)
8.3 Practical implications	164	(5)
8.4 Heath forest--a fragile ecosystem	169	(2)
8.5 The upper montane forest enigma	171	(1)
8.6 Nutrients and their cycles--Chapter summary	172	(2)
9 Species richness	174	(5)
10 Tropical rain forests yesterday and today	179	(43)
10.1 Indigenous cultures	179	(6)
10.2 The colonial era	185	(1)
10.3 Minor forest products	186	(4)
10.4 Tropical rain forests in modern times	190	(1)
10.5 Forest conversion to other land usages	191	(8)
10.6 Logging and the timber trade	199	(7)
10.7 Animals in logged forest	206	(1)
10.8 Rates of disappearance	207	(3)
10.9 Controlling human impact	210	(3)
10.10 Causes for concern	213	(7)
10.11 Tropical rain forests yesterday and today--Chapter summary	220	(2)
11 Tropical rain forests at the cusp of the new millennium	222	(15)
11.1 Management for sustainability	222	(1)
11.2 Forest certification	223	(1)
11.3 The future pattern of land usage	224	(9)
11.4 Priorities for action	233	(2)
11.5 Tropical rain forests at the cusp of the new millennium--Chapter summary	235	(2)
Epilogue	237	(2)
Text notes	239	(12)
References	251	(15)
Glossary	266	(5)
Index to plants and minor forest products	271	(7)
General index	278