Seasonally dry tropical forests
Prolonged seasonal drought affects most of the tropics, including vast areas presently or recently dominated by 'dry forests'. These forests have received scant attention, despite the fact that humans have used and changed them more than rain forests. This volume reviews the available information, often making contrasts with wetter forests. The world's dry forest heterogeneity of structure and function is shown regionally. In the neotropics, biogeographic patterns differ from those of wet forests, as does the spectrum of plant life-forms in terms of structure, physiology, phenology and reproduction. Biomass distribution, nutrient cycling, below-ground dynamics and nitrogen gas emission are also reviewed. Exploitation schemes are surveyed, and examples are given of non-timber product economies. It is hoped that this review will stimulate research leading to more conservative and productive management of dry forests
xvii, 450 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
9780521435147, 9780511753398, 0521435145, 051175339X
1057954338
Print version:
1. Introduction / Harold A. Mooney, Stephen H. Bullock and Ernesto Medina
2. Dry forests of Central America and the Caribbean / Peter G. Murphy and Ariel E. Lugo
3. Overview of the Brazilian caatinga / Everardo V.S.B. Sampaio
4. Savannas, woodlands and dry forests in Africa / J.C. Menaut, M. Lepage and L. Abbadie
5. Dry forest ecosystems of Thailand / Philip W. Rundel and Kansri Boonpragob
6. The Cenozoic record of tropical dry forest in northern Latin America and the southern United States /Alan Graham and David Dilcher
7. Diversity and floristic composition of neotropical dry forests /Alwyn H. Gentry
8. Vertebrate diversity, ecology and conservation in neotropical dry forests / Gerardo Ceballos
9. Diversity of life forms of higher plants in neotropical dry forests / Ernesto Medina
10. Drought responses of neotropical dry forest trees /N. Michele Holbrook, Julie L. Whitbeck and H.A. Mooney. 11. Plant reproduction in neotropical dry forests /Stephen H. Bullock
12. Plant-herbivore interactions in Mesoamerican tropical dry forests / Rodolfo Dirzo and Cesar A. Dominguez
13. Biomass distribution and primary productivity of tropical dry forests /Angelina Martinez-Yrizar
14. Nutrient cycling in tropical deciduous forests / Victor J. Jaramillo and Robert L. Sanford, Jr
15. Biology of the belowground system of tropical dry forests / Elvira Cuevas
16. Nitrogen trace gas emissions in a tropical dry forest ecosystem / Pamela A. Matson and Peter W. Vitousek
17. Conversion of tropical dry forest to pasture and agriculture / J. Manuel Maass
18. Ethnobotany of the Mexican tropical dry forests /Robert Bye
Includes indexes