Foundations of Tropical Forest Biology: Classic Papers with Commentaries [Paperback]

Robin L. Chazdon (Editor), T. C. Whitmore (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226102254 | ISBN-13: 978-0226102252 | Publication Date: October 1, 2001 | Edition: 1

Foundations of Tropical Forest Biology presents a timely collection of pioneering work in the study of these diverse and fascinating ecosystems. Modeled on the highly successful Foundations of Ecology, this book consists of facsimiles of papers chosen by world experts in tropical biology as the "classics" in the field. The papers are organized into sections on related topics, each introduced with a discussion of their role in triggering subsequent research. Topics covered include ecological and evolutionary perspectives on the origins of tropical diversity; plant-animal interactions; patterns of species diversity and distribution of arthropods, vertebrates, and plants; forest dynamics and ecosystem ecology; conservation biology; and tropical forest management.

Foundations of Tropical Forest Biology makes essential works in the development of tropical biology available in a convenient form to both senior scholars interested in the roots of their discipline and to students encountering the field for the first time, as well as to everyone concerned with tropical conservation.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robin L. Chazdon is a professor in the Department of Ecology and the Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut and coeditor of Tropical Forest Plan Ecophysiology. T. C. Whitmore is an affiliated lecturer in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge and the author of seven books, including An Introduction to Tropical Rain Forests.

Product Details

• Paperback: 862 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226102254
• ISBN-13: 978-0226102252
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential, March 23, 2008

By 

N. J. Ross "ethnoecologist" (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Foundations of Tropical Forest Biology: Classic Papers with Commentaries (Paperback)

This book is an essential item for any scientist hoping to work in the tropics. These papers provide a foundation (as the name states) for understanding both how the tropical forest biome functions as well as the process by which we came to gain some understanding of these processes. The value of this book is obvious to biologists, but I think it can also offer a lot of insight for anthropologists and archaeologists since culture and ecosystem are so closely tied. Finally, it offers us a chance to see the development of ideas about tropical biology and an understanding of where we are now in our grasp of what can be argued is the most important and imperiled of the world's ecosystems.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic of classics, July 27, 2005

By 

William D. Gosling (Florida Institute of Technology, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Foundations of Tropical Forest Biology: Classic Papers with Commentaries (Paperback)

This book, as with the rest of this series, contains many fundamental papers and articles. A valuable resource for any ecologist, conservation biologist, or palaeoecologist working in the tropics.