La Selva: Ecology and Natural History of a Neotropical Rain Forest

La Selva, a nature reserve and field station in Costa Rica, is one ofthe most intensively studied and best-understood tropical field sitesin the world. For over thirty years, La Selva has been a major focusof research on rainforest ecology, flora, and fauna. This volumeprovides the first comprehensive review of this research, covering LaSelva's geographical history and physical setting, its plant andanimal life, and agricultural development and land use.Drawing together a wealth of information never before available in asingle volume, La Selva offers a substantive treatment of theecology of a rainforest. Part 1 summarizes research on the physicalsetting and environment of the rainforest, as well as the history ofthe research station. Some chapters in this part focus on climate,geomorphology, and aquatic systems, while others look at soils,nutrient acquisition, and cycles of energy.Part 2 synthesizes what is known about the plant community. It beginswith chapters on vegetation types and plant diversity, and alsoexplores plant demography, spatial patterns of trees, and the impactof treefall gaps on forest structure and dynamics. Other chaptersaddress plant physiological ecology, as well as plant reproductivesystems.Part 3 covers the animal community, summarizing information on the sixbest-known animal taxa of the region: fishes, amphibians, reptiles,birds, mammals, and butterflies. This part includes an overview offaunal studies at La Selva and a chapter on animal population biology,which examines animal demography and abundance, and interactionsbetween predators and prey. Part 4 addresses interactions betweenplants and animals and the effects of these interactions on speciesdiversity.Part 5 considers the impact of land use and agricultural developmenton La Selva and other areas of Costa Rica. One chapter examines landcolonization and conservation in Sarapiqui, another covers subsistenceand commercial agricultural development in the Atlantic lowlandsregion, and a third looks at the forest industry in northeastern CostaRica. This part also assesses the role and research priorities of LaSelva.La Selva provides an introduction to tropical ecology forstudents and researchers at La Selva, a major source of comparativeinformation for biologists working in other tropical areas, and avaluable resource for conservationists.
Author: McDade, Lucinda A.

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Binding: Paperback

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0226039528

ISBN-13: 9780226039527