While the imperiled Brazilian rainforest has been the focus of considerable international media attention and conservation efforts, the massive grasslands of Brazil—known as the cerrados—which cover roughly a quarter of its land surface and are among the most threatened regions in South America, have received little notice. This book brings together leading researchers on the area to produce the first detailed account in English of the natural history and ecology of the cerrado/savanna ecosystem. Given their extent and threatened status, the richness of their flora and fauna, and the lack of familiarity with their unique ecology at the international level, the cerrados are badly in need of this important and timely work.
Tabella dei contenuti
1 Introduction: Development of Research in the Cerrados, by Paulo S. Oliveira and Robert J. Marquis
Part I. Historical Framework and the Abiotic Environment
2. Relation of Soils and Geomorphic Surfaces in the Brazilian Cerrado, by Paulo E. F. Motta, Nilton Curi, and Donald P. Franzmeier
3 Late Quaternary History and Evolution of the Cerrados as Revealed by Palynological Records, by Marie-Pierre Ledru
4 The Fire Factor, by Heloisa S. Miranda, Mercedes M. C. Bustamante, and Antonio C. Miranda
5 Past and Current Human Occupation and Land-Use, by Carlos A. Klink and Adriana G. Moreira
Part II. The Plant Community: Composition, Dynamics, and Life-History
6 Vegetation Physiognomies and Woody Flora of the Cerrado Biome, by Ary T. Oliveira-Filho and James A. Ratter
7 Herbaceous Plant Communities, by Tarciso S. Filgueiras
8 Patterns and Dynamics of Plant Populations, by Raimundo P. B. Henriques and John D. Hay
9 The Role of Fire in Population Dynamics of Woody Plants, by William A. Hoffmann and Adriana G. Moreira
10 Ecophysiology of Woody Plants, by Augusto C. Franco
Part III. The Animal Community: Diversity and Biogeography
11 Lepidoptera in the Cerrado Landscape and the Conservation of Vegetation, Soil, and Topographical Mosaics, , by Keith S. Brown Jr. and David R. Gifford
12 The Character and Dynamics of the Cerrado Herpetofauna, by Guarino R. Colli, Rogério P. Bastos, and Alexandre F. B. Araujo
13 The Avifauna: Ecology, Biogeography, and Behavior, by Regina H. F. Macedo
14 The Cerrado Mammals: Diversity, Ecology, and Natural History, by Jader Marinho-Filho, Flávio H. G. Rodrigues, and Keila M. Juarez
Part IV. Insect-Plant Interactions
15 Ant Foraging on Plant Foliage: Contrasting Effects on the Behavioral Ecology of Insect Herbivores, by Paulo S. Oliveira, André V. L. Freitas, and Kleber Del-Claro
16 Interactions Among Cerrado plants and Their Herbivores: Unique or typical? Robert J. Marquis, by Helena C. Morais, and Ivone R. Diniz
17 Pollination and Reproductive Biology in Cerrado Plant Communities, by Paulo E. Oliveira and Peter E. Gibbs
Part V. The Conservation of the Cerrados
18 Biodiversity and Conservation Priorities in the Cerrado Region, by Roberto B. Cavalcanti and Carlos A. Joly
Circa l’autore
Paulo S. Oliveira is professor of ecology at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas in Brazil and was president of the Association for Tropical Biology in 1999. Robert J. Marquis is associate professor of biology at the University of Missouri in St. Louis and is currently editor of
Biotropica, the journal of the Association for Tropical Biology.
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