Table of Contents

ForewordPrefaceAcknowledgmentsA Personal Note to the ReaderConversionsCh. 1Tropical Climates and Ecosystems3Ch. 2Rainforest Structure and Diversity21Ch. 3How a Rainforest Functions44Ch. 4Evolutionary Patterns in the Tropics75Ch. 5Complexities of Coevolution and Ecology of Fruit126Ch. 6The Neotropical Pharmacy144Ch. 7Living Off the Land in the Tropics169Ch. 8Rivers through Rainforest189Ch. 9Introduction to the Andes and Tepuis218Ch. 10Savannas and Dry Forests228Ch. 11Coastal Ecosystems: Mangroves, Seagrass, and Coral Reefs239Ch. 12Neotropical Birds251Ch. 13A Rainforest Bestiary295Ch. 14Deforestation and Conservation of Biodiversity334Appendix"And Hey, Let's Be Careful Out There"377Acronyms389Glossary390Neotropical Field Guides and Handbooks396Recommended Book-Length References399Literature Cited403Index435

About the Author

John Kricher is Professor of Biology at Wheaton College, where he is the first recipient of the Bojan Hamlin Jennings Chair in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Among the many books he has written are A Field Guide to Ecology of Eastern Forests and A Field Guide to Ecology of Western Forests.

Reviews

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