High Altitude Tropical Biogeography

by Francois Vuilleumier

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Author: Francois Vuilleumier

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Hardcover:
ISBN 10: 0195036255
ISBN 13: 978-0195036251

High Altitude Tropical Biogeography provides research workers and academics with a comprehensive overview of the biogeography of high tropical mountains, covering the origin, ecology, and evolution of plants and animals of this unique ecological zone. The climate in the high altitude mountain regions of the tropics is cold, resulting in flora and fauna which more closely resemble their counterparts thousand of miles to the north or south than comparable species in the lowland jungles only a few thousand meters below. These ecological "islands", besides being very important to the economies of the tropics, pose interesting questions of physiological adaptation, biogeography, and evolutionary relationships. With contributions from twenty-four international specialists who have devoted years to the study of cold mountain tropics, this book describes some of the most characteristic plant and animal components of the ecosystem. No other book of this scope and content exists on these tropical biotas.

Review

"Represents an immense undertaking, assembling much previously scattered information on the biogeography of high altitude tropical ecosystems....Should find a place on the shelves of all those interested in high altitude tropical biogeography, especially of the Andes. It will be most useful
to established and prospective research workers. The unique climate and ecological isolation of high altitude tropical environments makes them of special evolutionary interest and undergraduates will also find much stimulating material in this volume." --Journal of Biogeography

"An impressive example of a well-planned and well-executed compendium on a topic that has received much scientific attention over the years in widely separated disciplines; a focused review and presentation to a wider audience is timely....I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in
biogeographic problems, students and teachers alike. For those concerned with biogeographic questions in the Andes, the lecture of this book is a must...The wealth of floristic and faunistic, of taxonomic, and evolutionary information and biogeographic discussion presented reaches far beyond the
geographic scope of the book and makes its acquisition worth the price."--Arctic and Alpine Research

"This well-written and well-edited biogeographic treatment is an important contribution." --American Zoology

"This book represents the first attempt to review the biogeography of the peculiar life-zone above the limit of continuous forest in topical mountains. It represents a very well-edited volume of high technical quality." --The Quarterly Review of Biology

"This volume is recommended for all those interested in endemic, rare and endangered species, either plant or animal" --SIDA

"This should be the definitive book on high altitude tropical biogeography for a long time." --Taxon

About the Author

Francois Vuilleumier is at American Museum of Natural History. Maximina Monasterio is at University of the Andes.

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Evolutionary Psychology

High Altitude Tropical Biogeography