Tropical forest ecology : a view from Barro Colorado Island / Egbert Giles Leigh, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Leigh, Egbert Giles, Jr., 1940-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Forest ecology--Panama--Barro Colorado Island.

Forest ecology.

Barro Colorado Island (Panama).

Panama--Barro Colorado Island.

Physical Description:

xvi, 245 pages : illustrations, maps ; 29 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, 1999.

Summary:

In Tropical Forest Ecology, Egbert G. Leigh, Jr., one of the world's foremost tropical ecologists, introduces the reader to the tropical forest, and describes the intricate web of interdependence among the great diversity of tropical plants and animals. Focusing on the tropical forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, Leigh shows us what Barro Colorado can tell us about other tropical forests -- and what tropical forests can tell us about Barro Colorado -- in terms of climate, structure, and productivity.

The book considers three essential questions for understanding the ecological organization of tropical forests: How do tropical forests stay green with their abundance of herbivores? Why do tropical forests have such a diversity of plants and animals? And what role does mutualism play in the ecology of tropical forests? Beautifully written and abundantly illustrated, Tropical Forest Ecology will appeal to a wide variety of scientists in the fields of evolution, tropical biology, botany, zoology, and natural history.

Contents:

The History of Barro Colorado's Biota 3

Principal Plants of Barro Colorado 15

Principal Animals of Barro Colorado 27

3 Tropical Climates 46

Climate and Vegetation Type 46

Rainfall 46

Factors Affecting Evapotranspiration 53

Evapotranspiration in Montane Forests 59

Appendix 3.1 Estimating Evapotranspiration 59

4 Runoff, Erosion, and Soil Formation 67

Modes of Runoff 67

Runoff and Weathering 70

Soil and Vegetation 75

5 Telling the Trees from the Forest: Tree Shapes and Leaf Arrangement 79

Different Architectures of Tropical Trees 80

Designing Trees: Goals and Constraints 85

Comparing Leaf Arrangements, Tree Architectures, and Forest Structure 94

Appendix 5.1 How Tall Can a Tree Be? 113

Appendix 5.2 Collecting the Data for Tables 5.10-5.12 113

6 Biomass and Productivity of Tropical Forest 120

The "Constants of Tropical Forest" 120

Leaf Area Index and Leaf Fall in Different Forest Types 122

The Gross Production (Total Photosynthesis) of Tropical Forest 125

How is a Forest's Energy Allocated? 130

Appendix 6.1 Basal Area and Litterfall in Different Forests 139

7 The Seasonal Rhythms of Fruiting and Leaf Flush and the Regulation of Animal Populations 149

The Seasonal Rhythm of the Forest's Food Production 149

The Timing of Leaf Flush, Flowering, and Fruiting 152

What the Forest Makes and Who Eats It 156

Regulation of Populations of Vertebrate Folivores and Frugivores 156

Insects of Tree Crowns 163

Appendix 7.1 Number of Species of Plants of Different Categories Dropping Fruit Into Traps Each Week on the Central Plateau of Barro Colorado, 1992-1995 170

Appendix 7.2 The Mammals of BCI and Manu 172

8 Tropical Diversity 179

Documenting Tree Diversity 179

Necessary Conditions for Tropical Diversity 184

Explaining the Diversity of Tropical Trees 185

Consequences of Tree Diversity 195

Appendix 8.1 Diversity in Different Forest Plots 198

Appendix 8.2 The Distribution of Tree Abundances 204

9 The Role of Mutualism in Tropical Forest 211

Mutualism in a Competitive World 211

Ecosystems as Commonwealths 219

Appendix 9.1 The Varieties of Group Selection 223

10 The Rainforest Endangered 232.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

0195096029

0195096037

OCLC:

36768102