9780632045136

The popular view of the tropical rainforest as a monolithic tangle of rain-soaked trees, vines, birds, monkeys and big cats is a widespread myth. Tropical Rain Forests: An Ecological and Biogeographical Comparison explodes that myth by showing that rain forests in different tropical regions are unique despite superficial similarities.Written by two leading figures in the field, this essential new volume: Emphasizes the distinctive characteristics of rain forests in tropical Asia, tropical America, Africa,Madagascar,New Guinea, and Australia Begins with an introduction to the climate, biogeographic history, and environment of tropical rain forests Presents an extended cross-continental treatment of major animal and plant groups Outlines a research program involving cross-continental comparisons Considers the impact of people on tropical forests and discusses conservation strategies based upon the characteristics of particular regions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach Includes natural history examples, figures, and a stunning collection of color photographs

Richard Primack, a professor at Boston University, has conducted research on forest ecology and conservation in Malaysia, India and Central America. He is the author of two leading textbooks in conservation biology, which have been translated into sixteen languages. He is the President of the Association for Tropical Biology and Editor of the journal Biological Conservation.

Richard Corlett, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong, has studied tropical forests in New Guinea, Southeast Asia, and southern China. His major current research interest is in how rainforest plants and animals survive in human-dominated landscapes. He has previously taught ecology at the University of Chiang Mai, in Thailand, and at the National University of Singapore, and is co-author of books on the ecology of Singapore and Hong Kong.

Preface,

viii

Acknowledgments,

x

1 Many Tropical Rain Forests,

1

(29)

What arc tropical rain forests?,

3

(1)

Where are the tropical rain forests?,

4

(4)

Rain forest environments,

8

(9)

Rain forest histories,

17

(7)

Origins of the similarities and differences in rain forests,

24

(3)

Many rain forests,

27

(2)

Conclusions,

29

(1)

Further reading,

29

(1)

2 Plants: Building Blocks of the Rain Forest,

30

(45)

Plant distributions,

32

(1)

Rain forest structure,

33

(1)

How many plant species?,

34

(3)

Widespread plant families,

37

(14)

Neotropical rain forests,

51

(6)

Asian rain forests,

57

(8)

Rain forests in New Guinea and Australia,

65

(1)

African rain forests,

66

(4)

Madagascan rain forests,

70

(1)

Conclusions and future research directions,

71

(3)

Further reading,

74

(1)

3 Primate Communities: a Key to Understanding Biogeography and Ecology,

75

(23)

What are primates?,

75

(1)

Old World versus New World primates,

76

(5)

Primate diversity,

81

(1)

Primate diets,

82

(3)

Primate communities,

85

(9)

Primates as seed dispersal agents,

94

(1)

Conclusions and future research directions,

95

(2)

Further reading,

97

(1)

4 Carnivores and Plant-eaters,

98

(35)

Carnivores,

98

(13)

Herbivores of the forest floor,

111

(18)

Conclusions and future research directions,

129

(2)

Further reading,

131

(2)

5 Birds: Linkages in the Rain Forest Community,

133

(45)

Biogeography,

134

(5)

Little, brown, insect-eating birds,

139

(4)

Forest frugivores,

143

(11)

Fruit size and body size,

154

(1)

Flower visitors,

155

(5)

Ground-dwellers,

160

(5)

Woodpeckers,

165

(2)

Birds of prey,

167

(2)

Scavengers,

169

(1)

Night birds,

170

(2)

Migration,

172

(1)

Comparison of bird communities across continents,

173

(3)

Conclusions and future research directions,

176

(1)

Further reading,

177

(1)

6 Fruit Bats and Gliding Animals in the Tree Canopy,

178

(20)

Fruit- and nectar-feeding bats,

178

(3)

Feeding habits,

181

(2)

Flying behavior,

183

(1)

Foraging behavior,

184

(3)

Bats as pollinators and seed dispersal agents,

187

(1)

Fruit bat conservation,

188

(1)

Gliding vertebrates,

189

(6)

Conclusions and future research directions,

195

(2)

Further reading,

197

(1)

7 Insects: Diverse, Abundant, and Ecologically Important,

198

(35)

Butterflies,

199

(7)

Ants,

206

(12)

Termites,

218

(4)

Social wasps,

222

(1)

Bees,

223

(7)

Conclusions and future research directions,

230

(2)

Further reading,

232

(1)

8 The Future of Rain Forests,

233

(49)

Different forests, different threats,

233

(8)

The major threats,

241

(13)

The forces behind the threats,

254

(6)

Global climate change,

260

(3)

How bad is it?,

263

(3)

Rain forest extinctions,

266

(1)

Solutions,

267

(11)

Conclusions and future research directions,

278

(3)

Further reading,

281

(1)

References,

282

(25)

Index,

307

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Tropical Rain Forests

0632045132

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

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