The Ecology of Tropical East Asia


Book Description

An updated edition of the only book dedicated to the terrestrial ecology of the East Asian tropics, authored by a world-renowned tropical ecologist







Tropical Rain Forests


Book Description

The first edition of Tropical Rain Forests: an Ecological and Biogeographical Comparison exploded the myth of ‘the rain forest’ as a single, uniform entity. In reality, the major tropical rain forest regions, in tropical America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Madagascar, and New Guinea, have as many differences as similarities, as a result of their isolation from each other during the evolution of their floras and faunas. This new edition reinforces this message with new examples from recent and on-going research. After an introduction to the environments and geological histories of the major rain forest regions, subsequent chapters focus on plants, primates, carnivores and plant-eaters, birds, fruit bats and gliding animals, and insects, with an emphasis on the ecological and biogeographical differences between regions. This is followed by a new chapter on the unique tropical rain forests of oceanic islands. The final chapter, which has been completely rewritten, deals with the impacts of people on tropical rain forests and discusses possible conservation strategies that take into account the differences highlighted in the previous chapters. This exciting and very readable book, illustrated throughout with color photographs, will be invaluable reading for undergraduate students in a wide range of courses as well as an authoritative reference for graduate and professional ecologists, conservationists, and interested amateurs.




Changes And Disturbance In Tropical Rain Forest In South East Asia


Book Description

Views on the dynamics of tropical forests are changing rapidly with the recognition that their environment is variable on the decadal to century scale. Fluctuating climatic conditions partly determine tropical forest structure, species composition and dynamics. Tropical communities are also highly contingent in space and time with respect to site and historical factors. Tropical forests have experienced to some degree this disturbance regime in the past, but climatologists are now predicting increasingly frequent extreme events in the new century. The combination of increasing deforestation and land-use conversion by man plus an increasingly variable environment means a situation that could be very difficult to manage.




Tropical Rain Forests of Southeast Asia


Book Description

Although global environmental problems created by the disappearance of tropical rain forests are all too well known, the forests themselves--vast in size and rich in diversity--are the least understood of the world's ecosystems. This book presents one researcher's view of Southeast Asia's tropical rainforests, based on a quarter century of fieldwork in a wide range of forest types. Moving from the mangrove of the coastal belt, inland through freshwater and peat swamp forests, to the lowly dipterocarp forests of the heartlands, and up to the montane forests, the author's lively account contains a wealth of detailed observations that effectively communicate the complex natural structure of tropical rain forests while providing the reader with candid first impressions--mud, mosquitoes, and all.




Managing the Future of Southeast Asia's Valuable Tropical Rainforests


Book Description

This book provides current knowledge about tropical rain forest genetics and its implications for the profitable and sustainable management of forest resources in Southeast Asia. Each chapter covers a major topic in the evolutionary biology of tropical rain forest trees and how management systems interact with these natural dynamics. Authors provide an up-to-date and insightful review of important scientific findings and conclude with practical recommendations for the modern forester in Southeast Asia. Several chapters provide compelling discussions about commonly neglected aspects of tropical forestry, including the impact of historical dynamics of climate change, anthropogenic threats to genetic viability, and the important role of wildlife in maintaining genetic diversity. These discussions will promote a deeper appreciation of not only the economic value of forests, but also their mystery and intangible values. The silvicultural industry in Southeast Asia is a major contributor to the regional economy but the connection between scientific research and the application and development of policy could be improved upon. This book will help bridge that gap. This book will prove beneficial reading for forestry students, professional forest managers, and policy makers, who do not have technical training in genetics. It is also intended for non-specialists who are involved in the tropical timber industry, from the local forest manager to the international timber purchasing agent.




Tropical Rainforest Research — Current Issues


Book Description

Proceedings of the conference held in Bandar Seri Begawan, April 1993




Tropical Rain Forests of the Far East


Book Description

The first edition of this book brought together widely diversified research and primary data on a subject that is now of even greater international social and economic importance. The second edition focuses on a number of key topics, including the ecology and niche differentiation of animals, the effects of logging, silviculture, national practices, the rationale behind the swing to polycyclic systems, biomass and productivity studies, nutrients and their cycling, species richness, and species evolution.







Ecology of Insular Southeast Asia


Book Description

The textbook entitled Tropical Ecology of Southeast Asia – The Indonesian Archipelago unfolds in its 5 major chapters with 20 subchapters on more than 500 pages, with more than 300 figures, the basic principles of ecology with examples mainly coming from the Indonesian Archipelago. After an introduction describing the geography, geology and climate of the region, the second chapter is dedicated to marine and freshwater ecosystems. Chapters on the functional ecology of seagrass beds, coral reefs, open ocean and deep sea are followed by information on lotic and lentic freshwater ecosystems. In chapter III ecotones and special ecosystems of the achipelago are in focus. The ecology and ecosystems of shore and tidal flats, mangroves, estuaries and soft bottom shores, caves, small islands, grasslands and savannas are decribed. The forest ecosystems with beach forest, tropical lowland evergreen rainforest, some special forest systems and mountain forests form the contents of chapter IV. The final chapter V is dealing with agroecosystems and human ecology. The main focus in this chapter is ricefield ecology, landuse systems and social ecology, including the advent of man and the development and expansion of man influencing this achipelago. An extended glossary and bibliography is added as well as tables of abbreviations, conversion factors, international system of units and measurements or SI and a geological time table and systematics. The index gives assess to important keywords and relevant information spread thoughout the contents of the book. The textbook will certainly be useful to teachers, lecturers and their students at university and college level. It also gives an overview about insular ecology of the vast Indonesian archipelago to any interested person or working ecologist.* Focuses on the tropical ecology and insular ecosystems and biodiversity of Indonesia, as well as the agroecology of humid tropics * Contains over 300 figures * Provides an extended glossary and bibliography, as well as tables of abbreviations, converstion factors, international system of units and a geological time table * Easy-to-use index gives access to important keywords used throughout the text