Explains why the world's tropical rain forests are so universally rich in species, what factors may contribute to high species richness, and how ecologists investigate the complex interrelationships among flora and fauna. This book covers tropical montane ecology, riverine ecosystems, savanna, dry forest - and more.

"Finally, an appropriate general text to use in tropical biology courses. Other books on tropical rain forest ecology are either too general or too technical for use in undergraduate or even graduate courses, so this book definitely fills a need."--Robert A. Askins, Connecticut College

"Kricher does a remarkable job of bringing the wonder and diversity of tropical ecosystems together into one text, while providing a solid framework in ecological and evolutionary theory. The task of treating the tropics in one accessible book is daunting, and Tropical Ecology comes closer to accomplishing that goal than any book I have seen."--Gregory S. Gilbert, University of California, Santa Cruz

"This is an excellent book that fills a significant need for a course text to accompany both upper-level lecture classes and field courses in tropical ecology. Kricher has an encyclopedic knowledge of the natural history of tropical organisms. I feel confident that this book will be adopted widely."--James Dalling, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

"Kricher has written the text in an easy to read style, which makes the study of the subject pleasurable, rather than a chore. Overall, Kricher provides a great text for the beginning and advanced student. I would recommend it as a text for students to obtain a good understanding of the concepts of tropical ecology."---Noel D. Preece, Austral Ecology