Welcome to the torrid zone
Why it is hot, humid, and rainy in the tropics
Rain forest : the realm of the plants
Finding animals in the rain forest
Sun plus rain equals rain forest
Essential dirt : soils and cycling
If a tree falls ... rain forest disturbance dynamics
Evolutionary cornucopia
Why are there so many species?
Tropical intimacy : mutualism and coevolution
Evolutionary arms race : more coevolution, more complecity
Cruising the rivers to the sea
Scaling the Andes
Don't miss the savannas and dry forests
Neotropical birds : the bustling crowd
From monkeys to tarantulas : endless eccentricities
Human ecology in the tropics
The future of the Neotropics
Appendix. Words of caution : be sure to read this.