The mammal fauna of the Brazilian Amazon is one of the most diverse on Earth with over 450 known species. Bringing together more than 70 of the world’s top experts on Amazonian mammals, this book unites, for the first time, up-to-date data on the current state of knowledge on the ecology of all groups of non-rodent mammals in the Brazilian Amazon, analyses the effectiveness of current conservation programmes and identifies research and conservation priorities for the future.

My interest in the behaviour and movements of birds of arid and semi-arid ecosystems began when my wife, Sue Milton, and I were Roy Siegfried, Director, at that time, of the Percy approached by Prof. FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, to set up a project to investigate granivory in the South African Karoo. Sue and I spent some time finding a suitable study site, setting up accommodations and an automatic weather station at Tierberg, in the southern Karoo near the village of Prince Albert, and planning projects. Among our first projects was a transect where we noted plant phe­ nology, measured seed densities on the soil surface, counted birds, observed ant activity, measured soil surface temperatures and col­ lected whatever climate data we could at 40 sites along a 200-km oval route. Along the way, we became interested in the marked presence and absence of birds at certain sites - abundant birds one day, and very few birds at the same site a month later. Subsequent counts along fixed transects through shrublands confirmed that a number of bird species were highly nomadic over short and long distances, locally and regionally, leading to speculation on how widespread these movements were in the arid ecosystems of the world.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of landraces. The information provided can be applied to various regions to solve local problems and needs, such as low-income production systems, and to preserve animal and plant resources.

"Atlas of Woody Plants in China: Distribution and Climate” documents the spatially-explicit county-level distribution of all 11,405 woody plants in China, together with life form information for most species. It also provides climate information for each species, with the county-level average and range of 12 climatic indices and of vegetation net primary productivity. It is the first and largest comprehensive atlas in the world for the distribution of China’s plants and was compiled on the basis of almost all related literature published throughout China.

The Theraphosidae are the most famous and diverse mygalomorph spiders, and include some of the largest arachnids on earth. Their unique defense mechanisms, predatory tactics, reproductive strategies and ecological adaptations are displayed by a wide range of terrestrial, burrowing and arboreal species.

The book contemplates different ways of approaching the study of vegetation as well as the type of indices to be used. Chapters analyze the ecological parameters that affect vegetation, the species that make up plant communities, and the influence of humans on vegetation.

This book explores the diversity of flower symmetry and the evolutionary patterns of internal structures of generative organs in angiosperms. The book also covers the diversity of plant-pollinator interactions, the impact of non-native exotic plant communities on native plants and pollinators, and strategies for the restoration of pollinator communities.

The Theraphosidae are the most famous and diverse mygalomorph spiders, and include some of the largest arachnids on earth. Their unique defense mechanisms, predatory tactics, reproductive strategies and ecological adaptations are displayed by a wide range of terrestrial, burrowing and arboreal species. These arachnids are familiar to the general public thanks to horror movies and a growing interest in tarantulas as pets; however, scientific information on the group is scattered throughout the literature and not easily available.

This book presents an evolutionary biogeographic analysis of the Mexican Transition Zone, which is situated in the overlap of the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. It includes a comprehensive review of previous track, cladistic and molecular biogeographic analyses and is illustrated with full color maps and vegetation photographs of the respective areas covered.