This book will cover the entire evolutionary history that the terrestrial plants have recorded in Brazilian sedimentary rocks, ranging from the first vestiges of terrestrial environments colonization about 400 million years ago, until reaching the eve of the present time, when the current vegetation formations were organizing to reach their current distribution, diversity and structure in modern biomes. At present Brazil is home to the world's greatest plant biodiversity a...

This overview of dinosaur discoveries in Mexico synthesizes current information about the geography and environment of the region during the Mesozoic when it was the western margin of the ancient continent of Pangea. The book summarizes research on various groups, including turtles, lepidosauromorphs, plesiosaurs, crocodyliforms, pterosaurs, and last but not least, dinosaurs. In addition, chapters focus on trackways and other trace fossils and on K/P boundary (the Chicxulub crater, beneath...

Dinosaur Tracks from Brazil is the first full-length study of dinosaurs in Brazil. Some 500 dinosaur trackways from the Cretaceous period still remain in the Rio do Peixe basins of Brazil, making it one of the largest trackways in the world. Veteran paleontologists Giuseppe Leonardi and Ismar de Souza Carvalho painstakingly document and analyze each track found at 37 individual sites and at approximately 96 stratigraphic levels.Richly illustrated and containing a wealth of...

PART 1: This book contains the first described species of Centris, even before the description of the genus. Considering this fact, the entire layout and color palette draw inspiration from the books of naturalists of the XVIII and XIX centuries. For the creation of the cover, it was used one of the beautiful designs made by the German naturalist and scientific illustrator Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717), one of the first women in history who dedicated herself to...

The essential illustrated compendium of sauropod dinosaurs, from the towering Brachiosaurus to small, long-necked herbivoresThe Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Sauropods brings together every species of long-necked dinosaur known to have roamed the prehistoric world, with a dedicated entry for each species describing its key characteristics, taxonomic classification, location, and known remains along with a concise history of its discovery. E...

The capybara is the neotropical mammal with the highest potential for production and domestication. Amongst the favorable characteristics for domestication we can list its high prolificacy, rapid growth rate, a herbivorous diet, social behavior and relative tameness. The genus (with only two species) is found from the Panama Canal to the north of Argentina on the east of the Andes. Chile is the only country in South America where the capybara is not found. The species is eaten all over its...

While the imperiled Brazilian rainforest has been the focus of considerable international media attention and conservation efforts, the massive grasslands of Brazil—known as the cerrados—which cover roughly a quarter of its land surface and are among the most threatened regions in South America, have received little notice. This book brings together leading researchers on the area to produce the first detailed account in English of the natural history and ecology of the cerrado/savanna eco...

Mexico is an extensive country with an extremely complex mosaic of landscapes. The soils of Mexico have still not been completely studied, and there are few publications available on this subject. This book provides a state-of-the-art view on Mexican soils, their geographical distribution, their use and degradation. This is a first attempt to give a systematized characteristic of the soil resources of Mexico. Land resources of the second-biggest economy in Latin America are critical for it...

The stingless bees are one of the most diverse, attractive, fascinating, conspicuous and useful of all the insect groups of the tropical world. This is a formidable and contentious claim but I believe it can be backed up. They are fifty times more species rich than the honey bees, the other tribe of highly eusocial bees. They are ubiquitous in the tropics and thrive in tropical cities. In rural areas, they nest in a diversity of sites and are found on the flowers of a broad diversity of cr...

Vertebrate Ichnology: Fish Ichnology, Consumption, Burrows and Reproduction, Geoconservation is a comprehensive and meticulously researched review and analysis of the entire vertebrate trace fossil record, shedding light on lesser-known vertebrate traces beyond footprints. From vertebrate burrows to the ichnology of reproduction, each chapter provides valuable insights and up-to-date information. The book explores a wide range of topics, including consumption through coprolites, dentalites...

The book focuses on geological history as the critical factor in determining the present biodiversity and landscapes of Amazonia. The different driving mechanisms for landscape evolution are explored by reviewing the history of the Amazonian Craton, the associated sedimentary basins, and the role of mountain uplift and climate change.This book provdes an insight into the Meso- and Cenozoic record of Amazonia that was characterized by fluvial and long-lived lake systems and a highly...

Woolly monkeys are large, attractive and widespread primates found throughout many parts of the Amazon basin. It is only in the last twenty-five years or so that long-term studies of woollies in their forest habitat have been successful; they have not generally been successfully kept in captivity. But now, especially because of their size, these creatures are pressed on all sides by bush meat hunters and forest fragmentation. Their future is becoming critically precarious and the editors f...