Tropical habitats cover over one third of the Earth's terrestrial surface and harbor much of its biodiversity, with many areas rich in endemic species. However, these ecosystems are under significant and growing threat from issues such as deforestation, land degradation and ocean acidification. This introductory textbook provides a comprehensive guide to the major tropical biomes. It is unique in its balanced coverage of both aquatic and terrestrial systems and in its international scope. Each chapter is built around a particular tropical ecosystem, with descriptive case studies providing a framework around which ecological concepts and applied ecological topics are presented. This second edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect recent advances in the field and includes a greater focus on the impact of global climate change. The text is supported throughout by boxes containing supplementary material and is illustrated with over 200 clear, simple line diagrams, maps and photographs.

Introductory textbook using the entire range of tropical ecosystems - terrestrial, freshwater and marine - to illustrate and explain major ecological concepts.

About the Author
Patrick L. Osborne is the Executive Director of the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center at the University of Missouri, St Louis. He has spent most of his professional life studying and teaching tropical ecology and in 2007 he received the Science Educator Award from the Academy of Science, St Louis for outstanding contributions to science education.

Reviews
"Where the author pauses to explain topics in detail, the writing is excellent and the charts/graphs are illustrative. Clearly, Osborne is a good teacher who has thought carefully about how to best explain tropical ecology using the entire world as his classroom. Recommended." G.C. Stevens, Choice Magazine



Book Information
ISBN 9780521177344
Author Patrick L. Osborne
Format Paperback
Page Count 536
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 1130g
Dimensions(mm) 245mm * 188mm * 24mm