To understand almost any part of the tropical rain forest's fabulously complex web of life, one must first learn to identify a bewildering array of plants. Alwyn Gentry's landmark book, completed just before his tragic death in 1993, is the only field guide to the nearly 250 families of woody plants in the most species-rich region of South America. As a consummate field researcher, Gentry designed this guide to be not just comprehensive, but also easy to use in rigorous field conditions. Unlike many field guides, which rely for their identifications on flowers and fruits that are only present during certain seasons, Gentry's book focuses on characters such as bark, leaves, and odor that are present year-round. His guide is filled with clear illustrations, step-by-step keys to identification, and a wealth of previously unpublished data. All biologists, wildlife managers, conservationists, and government officials concerned with the tropical rain forests will need and use this field guide. Alwyn Gentry was one of the world's foremost experts on the biology of tropical plants. He was senior curator at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and was a member of Conservation International's interdisciplinary Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) team, which inventories the biodiversity of the most threatened tropical areas. From 1967 to 1993 he collected more than 80,000 plant specimens, many of them new to science.

A Field Guide to the Families and Genera of Woody Plants of Northwest South America: With Supplementary Notes on Herbaceous Taxa (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru With Supplementary Notes on Herbaceous)

Science & Math

Gentry, Alwyn H.

Biological Sciences

Conservation International

This volume presents the findings of four studies of the ironwood tree found in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and northwestern Mexico. Topics include perennial plants that depend on the shade of the ironwood for their survival, variation in the diversity and abundance of plant life under ironwood trees and elsewhere in the desert, the relationship between ironwood and a threatened species of cactus, and the harm done to ironwood trees by logging, the tourist trade, and misguided conservation efforts.

Ironwood: An Ecological and Cultural Keystone of the Sonoran Desert (Conservation International - Occasional Papers in Conservation Biology)

Lemurs are primates found exclusively on Madagascar, but their appearance and the extraordinary diversity of species have captured the interest of primate watchers everywhere. This guide profiles all 50 known species and subspecies of lemurs, from their origins and discovery to recent studies and on-going conservation efforts. Included are full descriptions, many color images, maps showing distribution patterns, and detailed drawings of the postures and behaviors used by naturalists to distinguish between species.

Lemurs of Madagascar (Tropical Field Guide Series)

History

Mittermeier, Russell A.

Tattersall, Ian

Konstant, William R.

Africa

The Chuquisaca and Tarija regions of Bolivia encompass one of the most dramatic shifts in flora and vegetation anywhere along the eastern Andes. But biological information for this area has remained very sketchy.An interdisciplinary team of biologists surveyed the south-central Chuquisaca in May of 1995. They found that the region contains one of the largest remaining uninterrupted tracts of Bosque Tucuman-Boliviano wet forest, as well as a number of endemic species, but also suffers from heavy development pressures.

A Rapid Assessment of the Humid Forests of South Central Chuquisaca, Bolivia (Volume 8) (Rapid Assessment Program)

The Lakekamu Basin of Papua New Guinea encompasses roughly 2,500 square kilometers of pristine wilderness lowland rain forest. Exceptional both in terms of numbers of species (e.g. the greatest diversity of ant species known from anywhere in the world) and species found nowhere else, the basin is also sparsely populated, roadless, and so far unexploited by large-scale logging or mining projects, making it an excellent conservation opportunity.This book provides the results of an intensive survey of the basin's plants, insects, fish, reptiles and amphibians, mammals, and birds. During just one month of field work, 35-47 new species and possibly new genera were discovered, highlighting the biological richness of this region.

A Biological Assessment of the Lakekamu Basin, Papua New Guinea (Volume 9) (Rapid Assessment Program)

Some of the largest and biologically richest tropical forests remaining in the world are found among the 600 islands of Papua New Guinea. These forests support a diverse bat fauna, with 91 native species ranging from the greater flying fox, with a wingspan of 1.6 meters, to the tiny, 2.5-gram lesser sheath-tailed bat. Nineteen of Papua New Guinea's bat species are found nowhere else on Earth.Bats of Papua New Guinea is a handy, portable field guide to these fascinating flying mammals, which play crucial ecological roles as pollinators, seed dispersers, and insect predators. Accessible to amateur naturalists and scientists alike, this guide contains more than 60 color illustrations, line drawings, and maps. Detailed descriptions for each species provide information on field identification, geographic range, natural history (ecology, behavior, physiology), and conservation status. Each entry also gives a complete list of the places where the bat has been found in Papua New Guinea, as well as a list of the bats examined by the author and standard measurements recorded from them.

Bats of Papua New Guinea (Tropical Field Guide Series)

Bonaccorso, Frank J.

In response to a need for biological data on the virtually-unexplored forests of Irian Jaya, scientists surveyed the Waponga River Area and discovered many new plant and animal species, highlighting the importance of the area for conservation and illustrating the scientific world's limited knowledge of the region's flora and fauna. This book provides the results of that intensive survey, which included vegetation, aquatic insects, ants, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

A Biological Assessment of the Wapoga River Area of Northwestern Irian Jaya, Indonesia

Business & Money

Economics

The Laguna del Tigre National Park—a critical reservoir of wetland and tropical dry forest habitats—is currently threatened by human encroachment, out-of-control fires, and hydrocarbon exploitation. This rapid assessment of the region reveals a freshwater reef, two new species of fish, and range extensions for an endemic deer mouse and an aquatic snake, as well as providing detailed observations of the endangered Morelet's crocodile and the first species list for ants and phytoplankton in the park. Of special significance are toxological studies of DNA damage to two fish species, drawing international attention to the potential effects of hydrocardon operations on the park's ecosystems.

A Biological Assessment of Laguna del Tigre National Park, Peten, Guatemala (Volume 16) (Rapid Assessment Program)

The Pantanal is the largest wetland in the world, covering more than 365,00 kilometers of the central floodplains of Brasil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. This fragile ecosystem, dependent upon critical habitats and the flood cycle, is under threat from the silt runoff of deforested highlands and efforts by man to make the area navigable. This assessment, which discovered new species in the area, examines previously unexplored regions of the Pantanal—essential sanctuaries for migratory birds, critical nursery grounds for aquatic life, and refuges for such creatures as the black caiman, deer, and jaguar.

A Biological Assessment of the Aquatic Ecosystems of the Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil (Volume 18) (Rapid Assessment Program)

Rapid Marine Biodiversity Assessment of the Calamianes Islands, Palawan Province, Philippines (17)

Unknown, Author

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