''A Neotropical Companion'' is an extraordinarily
readable introduction to the American tropics, the lands
of Central and South America, their remarkable
rainforests and other ecosystems, and the creatures that
live there. It is the most comprehensive one-volume
guide to the Neotropics available today. Widely praised
in its first edition, it remains a book of unparalleled
value to tourists, students, and scientists alike. This
second edition has been substantially revised and
expanded to incorporate the abundance of new scientific
information that has been produced since it was first
published in 1989. Major additions have been made to
every chapter, and new chapters have been added on
Neotropical ecosystems, human ecology, and the effects
of deforestation. Biodiversity and its preservation are
discussed throughout the book, and Neotropical evolution
is described in detail. This new edition offers all new
drawings and photographs, many of them in color. As
enthusiastic readers of the first edition will attest,
this is a charming book.Wearing his learning lightly and
writing with ease and humor, John Kricher presents the
complexities of tropical ecology as accessible and
nonintimidating. Kricher is so thoroughly knowledgeable
and the book is so complete in its coverage that general
readers and ecotourists will not need any other book to
help them identify and understand the plants and
animals, from birds to bugs, that they will encounter in
their travels to the New World tropics. At the same
time, it will fascinate armchair travelers and students
who may get no closer to the Neotropics than this
engagingly written book. |
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