Author: Randall W. Myster
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031228480
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 474
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Book Description
The importance of the Neotropics to the world's climate, biogeochemical cycling and biodiversity cannot be questioned. This book suggests that gradients are key to understanding both these issues and Neotropical ecosystem structure, function and dynamics in general. Those gradients are either spatial, temporal or spatio-temporal, where many temporal and spatio-temporal gradients are initiated by disturbances (e.g., tree-fall, landslide, cultivation). And in particular for the Neotropics, three large spatial gradients - latitude, longitude, altitude (elevation) - are of critical importance. The editor has over 30 years of experience investigating Neotropical gradients in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Peru and Ecuador, and has published 5 previous books on different aspects of the Neotropics. Once again he has assembled top-shelf Neotropical scientists and researchers, here to focus on gradients: their nature, interactions and how they structure ecosystems.
Author: Valentí Rull
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030311678
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 816
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Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the patterns of biodiversity in various neotropical ecosystems, as well as a discussion on their historical biogeographies and underlying diversification processes. All chapters were written by prominent researchers in the fields of tropical biology, molecular ecology, climatology, paleoecology, and geography, producing an outstanding collection of essays, synthetic analyses, and novel investigations that describe and improve our understanding of the biodiversity of this unique region. With chapters on the Amazon and Caribbean forests, the Atlantic rainforests, the Andes, the Cerrado savannahs, the Caatinga drylands, the Chaco, and Mesoamerica – along with broad taxonomic coverage – this book summarizes a wide range of hypotheses, views, and methods concerning the processes and mechanisms of neotropical diversification. The range of perspectives presented makes the book a truly comprehensive, state-of-the-art publication on the topic, which will fascinate both scientists and general readers alike.
Author: Fausto O. Sarmiento
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031648846
Category : Bioclimatology
Languages : en
Pages : 245
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Book Description
This book is the second volume in a series on montology dedicated to the transdisciplinary reflection of mountain research, considering the diversity of views on mountains and their problemata in the context of rapid technological development and unprecedented accumulation and dissemination of information around the world. The necessity for a new orderly and structured lexicon arose from the need to critically reassess the colonial past in the development of mountain territories, the development of a new and alternative understanding of mountain topics in the light of decolonized epistemology. The creation of coordinated and ordered terms for the main parts of mountain research creates the basis for an unorthodox understanding of the ontology of mountains and helps to better understand the complex cultural and natural essence of mountain socio-ecological systems. At the same time, a local episteme of mountains, considering local values, small scales, and vernacular visions are of particular importance, which must be taken into account in the current terminology. The purpose of the book is to provide methodological support for montology as a convergent and transdisciplinary science of mountains, based on the harmonization of its terminological base. The book pays special attention to onomastics, toponymy, standardization and other nuances of terms used in mountain research. According to this goal, three dozen articles in a relatively small format (about 3 pages) vividly, attractively and innovatively reflect the modern view of one or more related terms. Articles include definition(s) of the term, description of etymology, onomastics or toponymy used, examples of local characteristics compared to traditional sources, possible vernacular terms. Articles are grouped into four main areas: 1) Basic glossary of montology terminology, 2) Towards mountain socio-ecological systems, 3) Innovative disciplinary systemic realm, 4) Mountain classifications, onomastics, critical toponomy and rediscovery of meaning. The authors of the articles are leading experts in the field of mountain research from around the world. The book is intended for scientists, experts and teachers. It is provided with an annotated list of the most important montology terms.
Author: James S. Albert
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520268687
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 406
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Book Description
“Full of the details we ichthyologists love, this book will clearly be a standard reference on South American fishes for decades to come. The amazingly detailed glossary alone may well be worth the price of the book!” --Peter B. Moyle, author of Inland Fishes of California “A major contribution to our understanding of multiple aspects of the Neotropical freshwater fish fauna. The book will be of interest not only to ichthyologists, but also to a broader audience of researchers working on freshwater organisms and general biogeographic patterns.”--Richard P. Vari, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution “An up-to-date summary of our knowledge of a major continental biodiversity area, that should attract a wide variety of readers."--William Fink, University of Michigan “Successfully brings together disparate information and introduces new data and analyses, giving a vast overview of neotropical freshwater fishes.” --Brian Crother, Southeastern Louisiana University
Author: José Antonio Vázquez García
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Botany
Languages : en
Pages : 394
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Book Description
Author: Mario Favila
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2832540449
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 188
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Book Description
Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) provide fundamental ecosystem functions and services, like nutrient cycling, bioturbation, secondary seed dispersal, parasite and fly control, and soil fertilization, but land use transformation, has negatively impacted their diversity and processes. For the last four decades, dung beetles have been used as one of the most crucial insect groups for analyzing and monitoring biodiversity in natural temperate and tropical ecosystems, and their anthropogenic ecosystem´s derivatives. Dung beetles seem to be declining mainly for the forest conversion to agrosystems and others ecosystems transformed by human activity in the Neotropical region. Our knowledge of the dung beetle responses to the transformation of their original habitat has increased over the last two decades in the Neotropical region. However, the knowledge on the taxonomy, ecology, biology, and the factors producing the anthropogenic activity on Neotropical dung beetles has not been met and analyzed in full. This Research Topic synthesizes the knowledge on the diversity, taxonomy, and biology of the dung beetle species in the Neotropical region. The structure of this Research Topic is composed of two sections. In the first section, articles may be original research papers or reviews on the knowledge of the dung beetles diversity in each country of the Neotropical region, including species diversity and their response to land use and habitat fragmentation. Articles on the second section may be original research papers or reviews on the following Research Topics: • Taxonomy of Neotropical dung beetles and their preservation in Institutional collections • The methodology used to analyze the spatial distribution and monitoring of dung beetles • The response of dung beetles to habitat loss and modification to the landscape in different countries and Neotropical biomes: Cloud forest, Tropical rain forest, Subtropical forest, Cerrado, Caatinga, Paramo, Pampa, Pantanal, and others • The physiological responses of dung beetles to anthropogenic disturbance in the Neotropics • The biology and reproductive behavior of Neotropical dung beetles • The genetics of Neotropical dung beetle • Dung beetle interaction with other species and its role as a secondary dispersal • The relationship between dung beetles and Mesoamerican cultures
Author: Thomas Defler
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319984497
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 403
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Book Description
This book takes a non-technical approach in covering the evolution of South American mammalian fauna throughout geological history, and discusses how South America has changed due to mammalian invasions. Unlike other works on the subject, this book attempts to answer several crucial questions that often go unmentioned together in one cohesive monograph. What was the fauna like before the American interchange? What were the origins of the now-extinct groups when northern species arrived and out-competed them? How did the modern mammalian fauna come into being with such disparate animal groups? This information is given from a historical perspective throughout the book's 15 chapters, and is presented in an easily graspable fashion by mostly avoiding technical language. The book is written for academics, scientists and scholars engaged in paleontology, zoology and evolutionary biology, but may also appeal to a larger audience of general readers interested in mammalian evolution. The book begins with an introduction, describing the tools necessary to interpret the evolutionary history of South American mammals in geological terms and some of the early people who helped found South American mammalian paleontology. Chapter 2 describes the Mesozoic first mammals of Gondwana and what we are learning about them, dominant before the K/T extinction event. Then chapters 3 through 8 cover the Cenozoic, or "Age of Mammals", highlighting the major mammalian groups of South America that replaced the earlier mammals of Gondwana. These groups include the marsupials, native ungulates, the xenarthrans (armadillos, anteaters, sloths), the caviomorphs (rodents), and the platyrrhine monkeys. Chapters 9 and 10 address the Antarctic La Meseta fossils and the Colombian La Venta fossil faunal assemblages. Chapter 11 discusses the neotropical mammals that invaded the Caribbean Islands, and illustrates the influence South America has had on adjacent faunas. Chapter 12 describes the origin of the Amazon River and the role it has played in the evolution of the mammals and other flora and fauna. Chapter 13 tells the story of the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI), and chapter 14 follows this up with a discussion of the Pleistocene mammal communities and their eventual extinction. Chapter 15 concludes the text by discussing the modern mammals of South America, and how despite the extensive Pleistocene extinctions there is still a lot of mammalian diversity in South America.
Author: Antônio R. Panizzi
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9401798613
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 904
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Book Description
True bugs (Heteroptera) are a diverse and complex group of plant-feeding and predatory insects important to food production, human health, the global economy and the environment. Within the nearly 43,000 species described around the world, Neotropical true bugs are particularly diverse, and much remains to be discovered about their biology and relations with other species. Inspired by the need for a comprehensive assessment, True Bugs (Heteroptera) of the Neotropics is the most complete and thorough review ever published. Experts in each of the seven infraorders have drawn together the scattered literature to provide detailed treatments of each major taxon. The most common and important species as well as select lesser known species in each major family are covered, highlighting morphology, classification, biology and ecology. The numerous color illustrations highlight key species and their adaptations, and importance to basic and applied sciences is discussed. Each chapter is based on an up-to-date review of the literature, and with a bibliography of more than 3,000 references, readers are presented with an unprecedented and vital and timely account of the true bugs of the Neotropical Region.
Author: Geraldo Wilson Fernandes
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9401787832
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 547
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Book Description
The book brings to light the most recent findings on the biogeography, biodiversity, host plant induction and natural history of gall inducing insects in the Neotropical region. We attempt to summarize the work done so far in the region, promote several syntheses on many aspects such as host induction, host specialization, distribution among the several vegetation types and zones, the origin of super hosts and the mechanisms leading to geographical patterns in their distribution. Furthermore, the book constructs new perspectives for deeper understanding of galling insect evolutionary ecology and biogeopgraphy in the region.
Author: John C. Kricher
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691115257
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 432
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Book Description
The acclaimed guide to the ecology and natural history of the American tropics—now fully updated and expanded The 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 America Describes the species and habitats most likely to be observed by visitors Includes every major ecosystem, from lowland rain forests to the high Andes Features a wealth of color photos of habitats, plants, and animals
