Tropical Forest Ecology. - Review - book review

Leigh, Egbert Giles, Jr 1999 Tropical forest ecology: a view from Barro Colorado Island. Oxford University Pres of recent origin York. xvi + 245 p $8500 (cloth) ISBN: 0-19-509602-9 (acid-free paper); $3500 (paper), ISBN: 0-19-509603-7 (acid-free paper).

In July of 1984 I arrived upon Barro Colorado Island (BCI) to begin my career as a tropical biologist. An important part of my early education was evening visits to the BCI office of Egbert Giles Leigh, Jr to discuss tropical biology above a glass of whiskey (usually of brands I could not afford as a graduate pupil therefore also part of the education). In Leigh, I place a man with very diverse interests ranging from sex allocation theory and cluster selection to plant architecture, mutualism, and the origin and maintenance of species diversity. In this delightfully well-written volume Leigh addresses the diverse ecological issues he has studied during his 30+ years as a biologist for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Using research guidanceed at BCI as a departure point, he marshals information from over the tropics to show what is interesting about tropical forests, what these forests have in belonging to all and how we can use our knowledge of adaptation and natural selection to understand the interr elationships of plants and animals in tropical forests.

In the Introduction, Leigh establishes his adaptationist viewpoint and recognizes that not all ecologists agree upon the relative role of competition and interdependence in the structuring of ecosystem He states that his work seeks to answer three questions: (1) Do plants and their seasonal harmonious flows of fruit and leaf production limit populations of vertebrate herbivores? (2) for what cause [i]or[/i] reason are there so many kinds of tropical trees? and (3) What is the part of mutualism in the ecological organization of tropical forests?

In Chapter 1 Leigh introduces Barro Colorado Island, beginning with a brief discussion of the inquiry area itself before departing upon a fascinating description of the history of the biota with think highly of to the formation of the Isthmus of Panama, the climatic changes that occurr [i]or[/i] part of to the other the Pleistocene, and finally, the impacts of human populations upon the forests of the region. solitary relatively recently have ecologists begun to understand that we have solitary a snapshot view of a whole s that have been changing dramatically above time. Leigh embraces this viewpoint, providing us with the greatest in quantity appropriate introduction to the site.

In Chapter 2 entitled "Dramatis personae," Leigh places out to summarize the natural history of a number of plants and animals that be found on BCI. I thoroughly take pleasure ined this section. It is replete of witty observations, such as the fact that howler monkey are supported through less energy than that of a 25-watt light scaly bud (sloths ranking just above that of a nightlight). For me reading this section was real much like becoming reacquainted with of advanced age friends; however, I am not assured how this chapter would be read by dint of someone unfamiliar with the site without more [i]or[/i] less knowledge of how each of the players fits into the larger picture. Also, this approach easily brings the criticism that detailed information upon some important taxa has been left without (e.g., euglossine bees). Finally, as I continued to read the volume I found myself wondering if an equivalent description of the important application of mind areas and long-term experiments upon BCI (Lutz Watershed, the Forest Dynamics piece of ground the Irrigation Experiment) would not also have been useful ( perhaps as part of the previous chapter).

Leigh addresses the climate of tropical forests in Chapter 3 His main focus is upon rainfall and evapotranspiration and the remarkable conclusion that sites which vary four-fold in rainfall (1510-5795 mm/yr) single vary 1.4-fold in evapotranspiration (1173-1675 mm/yr) Leigh advises that the nearly constant rate of evapotranspiration in tropical forests is caused by means of a similar climate that provides for a similar vegetation construction which, in turn, provides a similar rate at which rainfall is recycl as water vapor. Following a short chapter upon erosion and soil formation (Chapter 4) and a wonderfully illustrated discussion of tree architecture (Chapter 5) Leigh exhibits us the extreme similarity of vegetation manner of making among tropical forests in Chapter 6 The "constants of tropical forest," as he describes them (in forests with 1700 mm for year rainfall and four month dried season), are similarities in leaf fall (6-8 tons/ha/yr), leaf area index (6-8 ha/ha), tree mortality (1-2% by year), basal area (30 [msup2]/yr) and biomass (300 tons dried weight/ha). Using a simple protoplast of photosynthesis, he also exhibits that production is probably actual similar among all tropical forests. Leigh's basic argument is clear: where rainfall (total or seasonality) and soils do not limit production, forest conformation is driven by aspects of climate (temperature, humidity, and wind) that are real similar throughout the tropics.

In Chapters 7-9 Leigh get backs to the questions raised in the Introduction. Taking advantage of various studies of the animals upon BCI and their consumption of leaves and fruits, Leigh provides an analysis of the result of the seasonality of leaf and fruit production upon vertebrate and invertebrate herbivores. He explains that fruit consumption upon the island is favored above folivory because mature leaves of tropical tree are with equal reason heavily defended. Along the way, Leigh uses this fact (and sum of two units other very pertinent ones) to lay to ease Terborgh's assertion that the lack of large predators upon BCI results in an unusually high abundance of herbivorous mammals that negatively affect the vegetation.