Postdrifting mesozoic. Africa, the "Odd man out". Floristic relationships between tropical Africa and tropical America. Angiosperm evolution and the relationship of the floras of Africa and America. Palms in the tropical forest ecosystems of Africa and South America. Problems related to the transoceanic transport of insects, especially between the Amazon and Congo Areas. Limnology of the Congo and Amazon Rivers. Ecology of fishes in the Amazon and Congo Basis. Birds of the Congo and Amazon Forests: a comparison. Some problems of cultural adaptation in Amazonia, with emphasis on the Pre-European Period. Recent human activities in the Brazilian Amazon Region and their ecological effects. Temperature zone influence on tropical forest land use: a plea for sanity.

Palms are tropical miracles. Heinrich Heine, the German poet, stated "Unter den Palmen wandert man nicht ungestraft", i.e., one does not wander unpunished under the palms. It was Professor H.C.D. de Wit who taught me this in the late 1950s, and it is a pleasure to forward this message to the next generation in such an appropriate book. Both authors, as I know them, will bear the punishment of the palms. They will never be without palm nostalgia if and when living somewhere outside this world's tropical and subtropical palm belt. Palm nostalgia goes further than palms alone. It concerns the landscape, the short but splendid sunsets and last, but not least, the tropical people. Their elegance of living, structured in subtler ways than managers will ever understand, their laughter which may be a more decisive weapon against the troubles besetting the tropics than mere economics, and their unique life force erupting on festive as well as sad occasions under the palms will always remain with those who w3)ldered beneath these trees. I know. I was there.

Increasing demands on the world's natural resources pose a serious threat to palm biodiversity. This action plan identifies the most threatened palm species in order to present recommendations for conservation measures that cater to their specific requirements, and to provide strategic guidelines for the conservation and sustainable utilization of the many palms that provide food, construction material, and an important source of revenue for many people.

This book presents a timely collection of pioneering work in the study of these diverse and fascinating ecosystems. It consists of facsimiles of papers chosen by world experts in tropical biology as the 'classics' in the field.

Although biologists have directed much attention to estimating the extent and causes of species losses, the consequences for ecosystem functioning have been little studied. This book examines the impact of biodiversity on ecosystem processes in tropical forests - one of the most species-rich and at the same time most endangered ecosystems on earth. It covers the relationships between biodiversity and primary production, secondary production, biogeochemical cycles, soil processes, plant life forms, responses to disturbance, and resistance to invasion. The analyses focus on the key ecological interfaces where the loss of keystone species is most likely to influence the rate and stability of ecosystem processes.