CABI International

Main Description

The Guiana Shield is an ancient geological region located in the northern part of South America, covering an area of 2 million square kilometres. Despite its hostile environment, it is home to many unusual and highly specialized plants and animals, which constitute a rich area of biodiversity. This book provides a comprehensive and detailed review of the ecology, biology and natural history of the forests of the area. Chapters cover geology, climate, hydrology, soils, nutrient cycling, plant-animal interactions, archaeology, colonization and land-use history, plant distributions and life-history attributes, forest dynamics and conservation and management of flora and fauna. The book highlights the connections between the socio-economic, biological and physical attributes of these forests. It challenges conventional wisdoms concerning tropical forest diversity and function, and argues that conservation and sustainable development approaches should be tailored to the region.

Readership

Advanced students, researchers and policy-makers in forestry, botany, conservation, and animal and plant ecology.

Main Contents

• Introduction, D S Hammond
• Biophysical Features of the Guiana Shield, D S Hammond
• Ecophysiological Patterns in Guianan Forest Plants, T L Pons, E E Alexander, N C Houter, S A Rose and T Rijkers, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
• Rainforest Vertebrates and Food Plant Diversity in the Guiana Shield, P-M Forget, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Brunoy, France and D S Hammond
• Folivorous Insects in the Rain Forests of the Guianas, Y Basset, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, N D Springate, The Natural History Museum, London, UK and E Charles, University of Guyana, Guyana
• Flower-visiting Insects in Guianan Forests: Pollinators, Thieves, Lovers and Their Foes, B P E De Dijn, University of Surinam, Surinam
• Guianan Forest Dynamics: Geomorphographic Control and Tropical Forest Change Across Diverging Landscapes, D S Hammond
• Socio-economic Aspects of Guiana Shield Forest Use, D S Hammond
• Forest Conservation and Management in the Guiana Shield, D S Hammond