Intro
Contents
1: Introduction
References
2: White-Sand Ecosystems in the Amazon Region: Location, Distinctive Features, Ecology. A Review
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Identification: Naming and Geographic Distribution of the White-Sand Ecosystems
2.3 Origin, Evolution, and Landscape Dynamics of the Amazon Region
2.3.1 Amazonian Landscape: Geodynamics and Evolution
2.3.2 Past Climate Change and Effects on Amazonian Vegetation
2.3.3 Expansion, Dissemination, and Diversification of the Vegetation in the Amazon Region

2.4 The Contemporary Climate and Hydrological Environment
2.4.1 Climate Conditions
2.4.2 Hydrology
2.5 Soilscape and Soil Characteristics
2.5.1 Parent Material Diversity
2.5.2 Soil-Landscape Relationships
2.5.3 Genesis of Bleached Soils
2.5.4 Morphological Soil Features
2.5.5 Soil Chemistry and Fertility
2.5.6 Soil Physical Features and Drainage Regime
2.5.7 Soil Classification
2.6 Soil Biotic Communities in White-Sand Ecosystems: A Nutritional Alliance
2.6.1 The Functional Interaction Soil-Fungi
2.6.2 Other Soil Organisms Contributing Nutrient Supply

2.6.2.1 Termites
2.6.2.2 Rhizobacteria and Myrmecophillia
2.7 Ecological Interactions in White-Sand Ecosystems
2.7.1 The Causes of Heath Forests
2.7.2 Ecophysiological Features and Nutritional Processes
2.7.3 Nutrient Transfer Mechanisms
2.7.4 Habitat Specialization
2.7.5 Soil-Vegetation Relationships
2.8 The Psammophilous Vegetation: General Features
2.8.1 Common and Distinguishing Features of the White-Sand Ecosystems
2.9 The White-Sand Ecosystem, a Peculiar Wildlife Habitat
2.9.1 Origin and Dispersal of White-Sand Specialist Biota
2.9.2 Faunal Diversity

2.10 White-Sand Ecosystems: Vulnerability and Conservation Issues
2.10.1 Anthropogenic Threats
2.10.2 Natural Disturbances
2.10.3 Conservation Concerns
2.11 White-Sand Ecosystems Research: Covering Information Gaps
2.12 Concluding Remarks
References
Part I: Forest and Woodland Biomes
3: The Forests of the Upper Rio Negro (North-Western Amazon) and Adjacent South-Western Orinoco Basins: A Phytosociological Cl...
3.1 Introduction
3.2 General Features of the Study Area
3.3 Materials and Methods
3.3.1 Tree Inventory Data
3.3.2 Phytosociological Analysis

3.4 Results
3.4.1 Phytosociological Classification
3.4.1.1 Order I
3.4.1.2 Order II
3.4.2 Vegetation and Environmental Conditions
3.5 Discussion
3.5.1 General Aspects
3.5.2 Forest Structural Characteristics
3.5.3 Plant Diversity
3.6 Conclusions
3.7 Forest Conservation Issues
Appendix 3.1: Phytosociological Classification and Description of the New Alliances and Associations of the Forest Communities...
Appendix 3.2 Botanical Explorations in the Rio Negro Basin: A Review
Introduction
The Journeys
Fifteenth to Nineteenth Centuries