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Destruction of tropical rain forests has increased exponentially in recent years, as have efforts to conserve them. However, information essential to these conservation programs--an understanding of the population dynamics of the community at risk--is often unavailable to the scientists and resource managers who need it most.

This volume helps fill the gap by presenting a comprehensive description and analysis of the animal community of the tropical rain forest at El Verde, Puerto Rico. Building on more than a decade of field research, the contributors weave the complex strands of information about the energy flow within the forest--who eats whom--into a powerful tool for understanding community dynamics known as a food web. This systematic approach to organizing the natural histories of the many species at El Verde also reveals basic patterns and processes common to all rain forests, making this book a valuable contribution for anyone concerned with studying and protecting these fragile ecosystems.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Preface
• 1 The Rain Forest Setting
• 2 Plants: The Food Base
• 3 Microorganisms
• 4 Termites
• 5 Litter Invertebrates
• 6 Arboreal Invertebrates
• 7 Arboreal Arachnids
• 8 Amphibians
• 9 Anoline Lizards
• 10 Nonanoline Reptiles
• 11 Birds
• 12 Mammals
• 13 The Stream Community
• 14 The Community Food Web: Major Properties and Patterns of Organization
• Glossary
• Contributors
• Bibliography
• Index

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CHOICE Review

Food Web treats one major subject at a single tropical rain forest site (El Verde, Puerto Rico). This approach uses the food web to integrate information on the biology of the organisms of a lowland forest community. The utilization of numerous experts writing separate chapters on various organisms (plants, microorganisms, termites, litter invertebrates, arboreal invertebrates, arboreal arachnids, amphibians, anoline lizards, nonanoline reptiles, birds, mammals, and the stream community) makes this book a rare, detailed look at a single locale in the tropics. One conclusion is that the island setting is likely much less complicated than a tropical setting on the continental mainland. It is suggested that one might expect a food web matrix with 100 times as many possible interconnections on the tropical mainland. The writing is clear, readable, and informative. There are 77 pages of bibliography, a ten-page glossary, numerous useful black-and-white photos, and tables and diagrams. A major contribution in a field where books are "rolling off" the press almost monthly. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. K. L. Williams Northwestern State University