Part X. Conclusion. Costa Rican ecosystems : a brief summary / Maarten Kappelle. Presentation / Rodrigo Gámez Lobo -- Preface / Maarten Kappelle -- Part I. Introduction. Costa Rica's ecosystems : setting the stage / Maarten Kappelle -- Part II. The physical environment. Climate of Costa Rica / Wilberth Herrera ; Geology, tectonics, and geomorphology of Costa Rica : a natural history approach / Guillermo E. Alvarado and Guaria Cárdenes ; Soils of Costa Rica : an agroecological approach / Alfredo Alvarado and Rafael Mata -- Part III. The Pacific Ocean and Isla del Coco. The Pacific coastal and marine ecosystems / Jorge Cortés ; The Gulf of Nicoya estuarine ecosystem / José A. Vargas ; Isla del Coco : coastal and marine ecosystems / Jorge Cortés ; Isla del Coco : terrestrial ecosystems / Michel Montoya -- Part IV. The Northern Pacific dry lowlands. The Northern Pacific lowland seasonal dry forests of Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula / Quírico Jiménez M., Eduardo Carrillo J., and Maarten Kappelle ; Biodiversity conservation history and future in Costa Rica : the case of Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) / Daniel H. Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs -- Part V. The Central and Southern Pacific seasonally moist lowlands and Central Valley. The Central Pacific seasonal forests of Puntarenas and the Central Valley / Quírico Jiménez M. and Eduardo Carrillo J. ; The Southern Pacific lowland evergreen moist forest of the Osa Region / Lawrence E. Gilbert, Catherine A. Christen, Mariana Altrichter, John T. Longino, Peter M. Sherman, Rob Plowes, Monica B. Swartz, Kirk O. Winemiller, Jennifer A. Weghorst, Andres Vega, Pamela Phillips, Christopher Vaughan, and Maarten Kappelle -- Part VI. The moist and clouded highlands. The montane cloud forests of the volcanic Cordilleras / Robert O. Lawton, Marcy F. Lawton, R. Michael Lawton, and James D. Daniels ; The montane cloud forests of the Cordillera de Talamanca / Maarten Kappelle ; The Páramo ecosystem of Costa Rica's highlands / Maarten Kappelle and Sally P. Horn -- Part VII. The wet Caribbean lowlands. The Caribbean lowland evergreen moist and wet forests / Deedra McClearn, J. Pablo Arroyo-Mora, Enrique Castro, Ronald C. Coleman, Javier F. Espeleta, Carlos García-Robledo, Alex Gilman, José González, Armond T. Joyce, Erin Kuprewicz, John T. Longino, Nicole L. Michel, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Andrea Romero, Carlomagno Soto, Orlando Vargas, Amanda Wendt, Steven Whitfield, and Robert M. Timm -- Part VIII. The Caribbean Sea and shore. The Caribbean coastal and marine ecosystems / Jorge Cortés -- Part IX. The rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Rivers of Costa Rica / Catherine M. Pringle, Elizabeth P. Anderson, Marcelo Ardón, Rebecca J. Bixby, Scott Connelly, John H. Duff, Alan P. Jackman, Pia Paaby, Alonso Ramírez, Gaston E. Small, Marcia N. Snyder, Carissa N. Ganong, and Frank J. Triska ; Lakes of Costa Rica / Sally P. Horn and Kurt A. Haberyan ; Bogs, marshes and swamps of Costa Rica / Jorge A. Jiménez -- Part X. Conclusion. Costa Rican ecosystems : a brief summary / Maarten Kappelle.
Summary:
"In the more than thirty years since the publication of Daniel H. Janzen's classic Costa Rican Natural History, research in this small but astonishingly biodiverse, well-preserved, and well-studied Latin American nation has evolved from a species-level approach to the study of entire ecosystems. And from the lowland dry forests of Guanacaste to the montane cloud forests of Monteverde, from the seasonal forests of the Central Valley to the coastal species assemblages of Tortuguero, Costa Rica has proven to be as richly diverse in ecosystems as it is in species. In Costa Rican Ecosystems, Maarten Kappelle brings together a collection of the world's foremost experts on Costa Rican ecology--outstanding scientists such as Daniel H. Janzen, Jorge Cortés, Jorge A. Jiménez, Sally P. Horn, Robert O. Lawton, Quírico Jiménez M., Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Catherine M. Pringle, and Eduardo Carrillo J., among others--to offer the first comprehensive account of the diversity, structure, function, uses, and conservation of Costa Rica's ecosystems. Featuring a foreword and introductory remarks by two renowned leaders in biodiversity science and ecological conservation, Thomas E. Lovejoy and Rodrigo Gámez Lobo, in addition to chapters highlighting the geology, soils, and climate of Costa Rica, as well as the ecosystems of its terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats, and including previously unpublished information on Isla del Coco, this beautiful color-illustrated book will be an essential reference for academic scientists, students, natural history guides, conservationists, educators, park guards, and visitors alike."--Publisher's description.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.