A Neotropical Companion: An Introduction to the Animals, Plants, and Ecosystems of the New World TropicsA Neotropical Companion is an extraordinarily readable introduction to the American tropics, the lands of Central and South America, their remarkable rainforests and other ecosystems, and the creatures that live there. It is the most comprehensive one-volume guide to the Neotropics available today. Widely praised in its first edition, it remains a book of unparalleled value to tourists, students, and scientists alike. This second edition has been substantially revised and expanded to incorporate the abundance of new scientific information that has been produced since it was first published in 1989. Major additions have been made to every chapter, and new chapters have been added on Neotropical ecosystems, human ecology, and the effects of deforestation. Biodiversity and its preservation are discussed throughout the book, and Neotropical evolution is described in detail. This new edition offers all new drawings and photographs, many of them in color. As enthusiastic readers of the first edition will attest, this is a charming book. Wearing his learning lightly and writing with ease and humor, John Kricher presents the complexities of tropical ecology as accessible and nonintimidating. Kricher is so thoroughly knowledgeable and the book is so complete in its coverage that general readers and ecotourists will not need any other book to help them identify and understand the plants and animals, from birds to bugs, that they will encounter in their travels to the New World tropics. At the same time, it will fascinate armchair travelers and students who may get no closer to the Neotropics than this engagingly written book. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - SpongeBobFishpants - LibraryThingThis is a great book for anyone taking a tourist trip to the Neotropics and who wants a better understanding of what they'll be seeing. While the illustrations are beautiful, they lack examples of ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - Sandydog1 - LibraryThingA great reference and a must-read before your first eco-trip to Central or South America. Read full review
Contents
Tropical Climates and Ecosystems | 3 |
Rainforest Structure and Diversity | 21 |
How a Rainforest Functions | 44 |
Evolutionary Patterns in the Tropics | 75 |
Complexities of Coevolution and Ecology of Fruit | 126 |
The Neotropical Pharmacy | 144 |
Living Off the Land in the Tropics | 169 |
Rivers through Rainforest | 189 |
Neotropical Birds | 251 |
A Rainforest Bestiary | 295 |
Deforestation and Conservation of Biodiversity | 334 |
AND HEY LETS BE CAREFUL OUT THERE | 377 |
ACRONYMS | 389 |
GLOSSARY | 390 |
NEOTROPICAL FIELD GUIDES AND HANDBOOKS | 396 |
RECOMMENDED BOOKLENGTH REFERENCES | 399 |
Other editions - View all
A Neotropical Companion: An Introduction to the Animals, Plants, and ... John Kricher Limited preview - 2015 |
A Neotropical Companion: An Introduction to the Animals, Plants, and ... John C. Kricher No preview available - 1997 |
A Neotropical Companion: An Introduction to the Animals, Plants, and ... John C. Kricher No preview available - 1989 |