The Ecology of Neotropical Savannas

Guillermo Sarmiento

Published by Harvard University Press 2013

The Ecology of Neotropical Savannas

Guillermo Sarmiento

Translated by: Otto Solbrig

https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674418554

Overview
Contents

About this book

Savanna ecosystems play a major role in the natural landscape and in the economic life of vast areas of the tropics. These grasslands are inherently fragile, yet Third World economic development makes human exploitation inevitable. The question that remains is whether utilization of the savannas for agriculture and other purposes will create sustained economic growth or a desert waste.

Guillermo Sarmiento is an unquestionable authority on the grasslands of the New World. His book is the first modern, integrated view of the genesis and function of this important natural system--a synthesis of savanna architecture, seasonal rhythms, productive processes, and water and nutrient economy. Sarmiento's emphasis is on the Venezuelan savannas that he has spent a lifetime studying, but his outlook is far broader. He makes frequent comparisons with other neotropical and tropical savannas and with temperate prairies, and he offers conclusions of global importance, not only for ecologists and agronomist but for anyone concerned with the politics of Third World development.

Author information

SarmientoGuillermo:

Guillermo Sarmiento is Professor of Botany, Universidad de los Andes, Venezuela.SolbrigOtto T.:

Otto T. Solbrig is Bussey Professor of Biology, Harvard University.

Frontmatter Accessible Download PDF	i
Author’s Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	vii
Translator’s Preface Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	ix
Contents Accessible Download PDF	xi
1. The problem of the tropical savanna Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	1
2. The architecture of the savanna Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	13
3. The seasonal rhythms of the savanna species Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	43
4. The productive processes Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	75
5. Water economy Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	122
6. Nutrient economy Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	148
7. Synthesis and conclusions Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	207
References Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	217
Index Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	231

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Edition: Reprint 2014
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Front matter: 12
- Main content: 235
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 43
- Tables: 28
- Other: illsutrations
Keywords: Savanna ecology.; Savanna ecology -- Venezuela.; Savanna ecosystems; SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Botany; SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Ecology

eBook

Published: October 1, 2013
ISBN: 9780674418554

Hardcover

Published: February 5, 1984
ISBN: 9780674418547