Nature of the Rainforest

by Forsyth, Adrian

• ISBN13: 9780801474750
• ISBN10: 0801474752
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-10-01
• Publisher: Comstock Pub Assoc

Summary

"Nature of the Rainforest is a breathtaking tour of an environment that is the pinnacle of biodiversity and evolutionary sophistication by an award-winning author and two photographers who love the rainforest, understand its intricacies, and have spent considerable time there documenting its wildlife and complexity. Adrian Forsyth draws on four decades of personal encounters with the animals of the rainforest-including poison-dart frogs, three-toed sloths, bushmasters, and umbrella birds - as a starting point to communicate key ecological topics such as biodiversity, coevolution, rarity, chemical defense, nutrient cycling, and camouflage. The luminous photographs capture stunning and rare creatures in action, including the now-extinct golden toad mating, a jaguar on the prowl, and the hermit hummingbird feeding. The behaviors and characteristics of the rainforest inhabitants featured here not only illustrate the text but also advance the scientific narrative and exemplify the critical importance of conservation. Thematic chapters are interspersed with four chapters devoted to specific habitats and regions of Costa Rica and Peru, areas with some of the most diverse arrays of plant and animal species in the world. The result is an exuberant celebration of the rainforest in text and images."--BOOK JACKET.

Author Biography

Adrian Forsyth is President of the Amazon Conservation Association and a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution.

Table of Contents

Forest of dreams: A foreword
Preface: Flower for a day
Roots of diversity: The origins of tropical variety	p. 1
Guanacaste: Forest reborn	p. 12
Frogs: Life history strategies in rainforest amphibians	p. 26
Rarity: Why rare species are common in the tropics	p. 36
The essence of snake: The foraging tactics of serpents	p. 46
Monteverde: Higher & drier	p. 56
Fruits of reason: Interpreting the meaning of tropical fruit	p. 70
Tails of glory: The ecology of prehensile tails	p. 82
Salts of the earth: Nutrient cycles in tropical forests	p. 90
Hermits & heliconias: The microcosm of plant & animal coevolution	p. 100
Termites & tamanduas: The role of wood eating in tropical ecology	p. 110
The hidden: The adaptive coloration of prey & predators	p. 118
Osa: Where wilderness remains	p. 130
The virtues of sloth: Adaptation to life in the canopy	p. 142
Beetlejuice: Chemical defense by insects & other arthropods	p. 152
El tigre: Why jaguars are the ultimate predator	p. 162
Beyond the gun: A journey into virgin Amazonia	p. 170
Further reading	p. 183
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.