Tropical Forest Ecology: A View from Barro Colorado Island

Book Description

In Tropical Forest Ecology, Egbert G. Leigh, Jr., one of the world's foremost tropical ecologists, introduces readers 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 of Barro Colorado Island, Panama, Leigh shows what Barro Colorado can tell us about other tropical forests--and what tropical forests can tell us about Barro Colorado. This book considers three essential questions for understanding the ecological organization of tropical forests. How do they stay green with their abundance of herbivores? Why do they 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 certainly appeal to a wide variety of scientists in the fields of evolution, tropical biology, botany, zoology, and natural history.

Customer Reviews:

A joy to read.......2000-10-28

The recent proliferation of books on tropical ecology is a goodthing, but it might make it difficult to decide which books toread. I've read almost all the books on tropical ecology and taughtseveral tropical ecology courses, and this is the best work I've seenyet. It is definitely not a text book and should not be used as such,but it covers all the major issues in tropical ecology while focusingon one of the best studied neotropical ecosystems: Barro ColoradoIsland. I recommend this book to anyone interested in tropicalecology.

Tropical Forest Ecology: A View from Barro Colorado Island

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Tropical Forest Ecology: A View from Barro Colorado Island
Egbert Giles Leigh
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OK9X0E

Book Description

The Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants represents the first comprehensive taxonomic treatment of succulents in thirty years. It covers over 9000 taxa of all succulents except Cactaceae.
The Crassulaceae (stonecrop family) volume presents the first complete treatment of the family for many decades. The family is a very diverse group, and plants range from tiny insignificant annual herbs to perennial shrubs and trees. Many of the species have attractive flowers. The entire family consists of 33 genera and 23 hybrid genera with a total of 1410 species and 305 infraspecific taxa. The largest genus is Sedum (stonecrop, wallpepper) with 428 species. Other large genera are Aeonium (36), Crassula (195), Dudleya (47), Echeveria (139), Kalanchoe (144), Rhodiola (58), Sempervivum (63), and Tylecodon (46). A key to all genera is included. The descriptions of all accepted taxa are supplemented with typification and distribution data, full synonymy, literature references and 341 colour photos.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Book.......2005-02-11

This book is a must for any person interested in succulent plant evolution- either novice or expert. Very well illustrated with fantastic color photos of most major genera of Crassulaceae.

Not great for photographs but wonderful for information........2004-05-20

First I should say that I nearly sent this book back. I was expecting a book with lots of wonderful photographs to identify a family I love very much. Instead I got a book with photographs that were fine but not as good or as large as I had expected. Many of my favorite plants don't even have photographs in this book. Many don't show enough detail to use for identification. If I were to rate the books on the photographs alone I would only give it 3 stars at best. They just are not large or detailed enough for my taste.

That being said, you are probably wondering why I gave it 5 stars. Please read the entire review before you decide not to get the book. I understand that it is long but you should find the information useful in determining if you want this book or not. I plan on getting the entire series. I do agree with the publisher's description. This will be The set to have for descriptions of all of the species described in the set.

After looking the book over I realized that the descriptions were wonderful and very up-to-date. They are also very technical and use botanical terms that only someone familiar with taxonomy would understand fully. I have a lot of books on cacti and succulents but very few have very good technical descriptions of these plants. There is no Glossary of terms used so you may want to obtain one that is specific to succulent plants. I listed two later on in the review. Neither one are listed on Amazon.com but I did list where I got mine. I just hope they are useful along with this book. I have not tried them yet. There probably just isn't enough demand for such specific books.

I also discovered that the author was a splitter. He divided some of the genera into new genera that I was unfamiliar with until now. Some of the sedum had been divided into new genera. For example: Sedum populifolium is now Hylotelephium populifolium. The book has a "Taxonomic Cross Reference Index" so finding out where to look for specific species should not be a problem. The system may take a bit of getting used to.

If you are looking for a book for identifying these wonderful plants from photographs alone you won't want this book. It has technical descriptions that the average person will not be able to understand. Most people stop listening when you use a plants botanical name, let alone a description. They want a nice, simple, common name that they can easily remember. Any more information than that is too much for many people. There are no common names listed that I could find.

The book is more for a botanist or someone who can understand the technical botanical terms a botanist would use. All of the names are given in Alphabetical order by their "new" genera. Descriptions are as compact, concise and diagnostic as possible. All measures are given in metric units.

"Special terms used in descriptions are explained when first used; other botanical terminology is not further explained. Readers are referred to numerous botanical glossaries, of which Stern (1992) is cited by way of a most importand and useful example".

Product Description

The Echeveria Name in History is a customized book offering a unique blend of fascinating facts, statistics and commentary about the Echeveria name. The book is just one of an entire series of family name books in the Our Name in History collection. Each book in the collection is printed on demand and is compiled from hundreds of millions of records from the world's largest online resource of family history, Ancestry.com. This particular book follows the Echeveria family name through history and makes the perfect gift for your family members and anyone interested in the Echeveria name. In the book you'll find out about where people with the Echeveria last name originated. You may discover the countries and ports they left behind, the ships they sailed and more. You'll get a better idea of where people sharing the Echeveria name settled and where they may reside today in the United States, Canada, England and other countries. You'll get all this information and much more in your Echeveria family name book. If your last name is not Echeveria, then check out our collection of nearly 300,000 family name books to find other available names in the series.

Echeverias: A Guide to Cultivation and Identification of the Popular American Succulents

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Echeverias: A Guide to Cultivation and Identification of the Popular American Succulents

Manufacturer: Arco Publishing Company, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0668029668

Product Description

This non-botanical book covers those varieties of echeverias introduced in the United States up to 1971. Chapter titles include A Horticultural History, Habitat, Naming and the Inflorescence, Compost and Cultivation, Propagation, Cristate Echeverias, Echeveria Hybrids, and New American Hybrids. There are 24 pages of color photographs.

Echeverias (The National Cactus and Succulent Society handbook)

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Echeverias (The National Cactus and Succulent Society handbook)
R Ginns
Manufacturer: The National Cactus and Succulent Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Echeverias a Guide to Cultivation and Identification of the Popular American Succulents
Carruthers L. and R. Ginns
Manufacturer: Arco Publishing Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UF5SQ6

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Echeverias: A guide to cultivation and identification of the popular American succulents
L Carruthers
Manufacturer: Arco Pub. Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006VZWG0

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ECHEVERIAS: A GUIDE TO CULTIVATION AND IDENTIFICATION.

Manufacturer: Garden Book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HHDTQS

Four new plants from Mexico (Transactions of the Academy of Science of St. Louis)

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Four new plants from Mexico (Transactions of the Academy of Science of St. Louis)
Charles Henry Thompson
Manufacturer: Academy of Science of St. Louis]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Notes on the genus Echeveria
Eric Walther
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B000888T02

Book Description

Foreword by Jimmy Carter.

In An American Idea: The Making of the National Parks, Kim Heacox—winner of the Benjamin Franklin Nature Book Award, and twice winner of the Lowell Thomas Award for excellence in travel journalism—explores the development of our nation's environmental consciousness. Heacox depicts the remarkable feats accomplished by dedicated people, from Lewis and Clark and Henry David Thoreau to John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt. Delving into original sources that date back to the 1600s, he pieces together an inspirational story peopled with such fascinating characters as young artist Thomas Moran, whose stunning landscapes of Yellowstone compelled Congress to deem it the first national park, and John Wesley Powell, the one-armed Civil War officer who first mapped the Grand Canyon.

Enhanced by a portfolio of Ansel Adam's photography, commissioned in the 1940s by the Department of the Interior to bring the beauty of the parklands to greater public awareness, An American Idea: The Making of the National Parks is a literary and visual treasure. Through compelling text enriched with stunning photographs, maps, and paintings—many of which have never been seen—this volume gives three centuries of American history an original and unexpected twist.

Customer Reviews:

Summary of how national parks came to be.......2002-01-02

First I should note that this is a National Geographic book so that can give you some idea of what this book is like. In short it details the history and philosophy of the National Park System. The book is not a coffee table book. It does have a lot of nice pictures and illustrations - mostly from photographers or painters who were among the first to visit Yellowstone, Yosemite, or the Grand Canyon with expeditions. Don't expect nice color photos from modern photographers. Instead you get lots of early black & white photos along with paintings.

The text covers the idea of national parks starting with lands reserved for the King of England. It traces American Transcendentalists who helped popularize the idea of nature. It also details some of the early expeditions into the West to explore areas that became U.S. National Parks. The book also summarizes Teddy Roosevelt's importance in setting aside lands. It should be noted that Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon make up the bulk of the material. There is very little on any of the other parks here. In addition the book ends in the early 20th century so there is little on how the Park Service evolved or conservation fights later.

The book is a very good summary of how National Parks came to be for a general audience. If you are looking for a more meaty treatment of the subject look to "National Parks: The American Experience" by Alfred Runte. If you are looking for a general treatment with a lot of illustrations then this book may be what you are seeking. There are few books that will give you the history of parks in such a nice layout.

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The Making Of The National Parks ; An American Idea
Kim Heacox
Manufacturer: National Geographic Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Natural Resources | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Conservation | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0792273095

Book Description

Ten extraordinary authors contribute original stories about journeys of discovery, taking readers on a trip they’ll never forget - and to destinations
they never expected.

Darius climbs on a bus to a part of town he’s never seen. Mick goes for a
short walk on a dark golf course with a sister he barely knows. Jared rides
his bike day after day to the same destination, ultimately reaching a very
different one. Whether they’re leaving the country or just walking around
the block, whether traveling to Europe, Cape Cod, summer camp, the racetrack, or the local diner, the characters in these stories experience things along the way that change the way they look at the world, and at themselves. As distinct as they are compelling, these ten tales of intriguing teenage journeys are spun by ten outstanding authors - including Newbery Award winner Richard Peck, National Book Award winner Kimberly Willis Holt, and Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner Graham Salisbury.

Unexpected Destinations: The Poignant Story of Japan's First Vassar Graduate

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Unexpected Destinations: The Poignant Story of Japan's First Vassar Graduate
Akiko Kuno
Manufacturer: Kodansha International (JPN)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Japanese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Women in History | World | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 4770016387

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Destination Unexpected: Short Stories
Donald R. Gallo
Manufacturer: Bt Bound
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Short Story Collections | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1417766727

Book Description

This book presents a synthesis of the modern approaches to the study of ontogeny and the interpretation of the fossil evidence for human origins. Recent years have seen significant developments in the understanding of the regulation of embryonic pattern formation and skeletal adaptation, and in techniques for the visualizations and analysis of ontogenetic transformations, offering the prospect of understanding the mechanisms underpinning phylogenetic transformation in the skeleton. Advances in developmental biology, molecular genetics, biomechanics, microscopy, imaging and morphometrics are brought to bear on the subject.

Key Features
* Reviews important hot subject areas
* Juxtaposes contributions by developmental biologists and those by evolutionary morphologists
* Makes some bold insights; synthesizes development and evolution

Development, Growth and Evolution, Volume 20 : Implications for the Study of the Hominid Skeleton (Linnean Society Symposium)

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Development, Growth and Evolution, Volume 20 : Implications for the Study of the Hominid Skeleton (Linnean Society Symposium)
Academic Press
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OHKBZI

Book Description

The Bible is a unique narrative of origins and cosmic powers, of the ageless battle between good and evil, of human potential and human treachery—the very stuff of the graphic novel. This award-winning book presents the entire span of the Bible in a dramatic visual style to enthrall a new generation of readers.

Customer Reviews:

Superb!.......2004-07-31

The artwork and narratives are excellent. They truly capture the emotions and characters within the stories and make them engrossing. I was very impressed with this book both for its graphic art and for its comprehensive retelling of Old and New Testament stories.

Graphic Bible missing a story.......2003-04-21

Only thing I found wrong with this Bible is they took out the story of Sodom & Gomorra. I guess they didn't want to offend anybody. Art work is good,it has an adult comic book style to it.

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