Jolly / Oberle / Albignac Key Environments: Madagascar

1. Auflage 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4832-8595-5
Verlag: Elsevier Science & Techn.
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 259 Seiten, Web PDF

Reihe: Key Environment Series

In the forests of Madagascar, about nine-tenths of the plant and animal species are unique to the island. Their natural habitats range from true rainforest to the lunar landscape of the spiny desert, and the natural rock-gardens of the mountain tops. Madagascar is no oceanic island, but a fragment of continent a thousand miles long, wrenched loose from the side of Africa. In this Lost World, plants and animals have become a living museum of evolution. Aepornis, the largest bird which ever lived, became extinct on Madagascar in the last few hundred years. Many more Malagasy species are now following Aerpornis into extinction. This volume introduces Madagascar's unique fauna and flora to general readers - the first such handbook available in English, and the first book to combine articles by Malagasy, French, English and American scientists, writing in their own fields of expertise.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Jolly, A.

Oberle, P.

Albignac, R.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Front Cover;1
2;Key Environments: Madagascar;4
3;Copyright Page;5
4;Table of Contents;12
5;Foreword;8
6;General Preface;10
7;Introduction;14
8;The Editors;18
9;CHAPTER 1. Madagascar: A Micro-Continent between Africa and Asia;20
9.1;THE ANCIENT CRYSTALLINE BASEMENT;22
9.2;A MUSEUM OF MINERALS;27
9.3;THE COASTAL PLAINS;28
9.4;THE FOSSILS, WITNESS OF AN EXTINCT FAUNA;32
9.5;A VARIED CLIMATE;34
9.6;LAKES AND RIVERS;36
9.7;NATURAL LANDSCAPES IN CONSTANT RETREAT;38
9.8;MAN'S MARK ON THE GREAT ISLAND;41
9.9;ORIGINS OF THE FAUNA;44
10;CHAPTER 2. The Vegetation: An Extraordinary Diversity;46
10.1;THE HIGHLANDS: AN IMPOVERISHED FLORA;49
10.2;WESTERN SLOPES OF THE HIGHLANDS: "TAPIA" WOODS AND NATURAL ROCK GARDENS;50
10.3;THE MOUNTAINS: HEATH, LICHEN WOODLAND, MOSS FOREST;54
10.4;SAVANNAHS AND DRY FORESTS OF THE WEST: KINGDOM OF BAOBABS;57
10.5;THE SOUTHERN BUSH, A UNIQUE HABITAT;62
10.6;LUXURIANT FOREST OF THE EAST;63
10.7;THE COASTAL FLORA;72
10.8;REFERENCES;73
11;CHAPTER 3. Flora of the Malagasy Southwest;74
11.1;I. THE CLIMATE;74
11.2;II. SOILS;76
11.3;III. VEGETATION;76
11.4;IV. FLORAL COMMUNITIES;88
11.5;V, MEDICINAL PLANTS;92
11.6;CONCLUSION;92
11.7;REFERENCES;93
12;CHAPTER 4. The Invertebrates;94
12.1;WORMS AND GASTROPODS;94
12.2;SPIDERS AND SCORPIONS;95
12.3;CRUSTACEANS;96
12.4;MILLIPEDES AND CENTIPEDES;96
12.5;INSECTS;96
12.6;BIBLIOGRAPHY;107
13;CHAPTER 5. The Amphibians;108
13.1;1. INTRODUCTION;108
13.2;2. TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION;108
13.3;3. THE EASTERN RAINFOREST;109
13.4;4. THE WESTERN DECIDUOUS FOREST;121
13.5;5. WHERE THE FOREST HAS GONE;121
13.6;REFERENCES;122
14;CHAPTER 6. The Reptiles;124
14.1;CROCODILES;125
14.2;TORTOISES AND TURTLES;125
14.3;LIZARDS AND CHAMELEONS;127
14.4;SERPENTS;130
14.5;BIBLIOGRAPHY;132
15;CHAPTER 7. The Birds of Madagascar;134
15.1;INTRODUCTION;134
15.2;THE ENDEMIC FAMILIES;135
15.3;OTHER BIRDS (EXCEPTING MIGRANTS AND SEA BIRDS);142
15.4;MIGRANTS;155
15.5;SEA BIRDS;155
15.6;SUMMARY;157
15.7;ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS;157
15.8;REFERENCES;157
16;APPENDIX Birds Breeding in the Present Time in Madagascar;158
17;CHAPTER 8. Introduction to the Mammals;170
17.1;UNGULATES: THE "LAMBO" OR MALAGASY WILD BOAR;171
17.2;SIRENIENS: THE SEA-COW OF TROPICAL WATERS;172
17.3;RODENTS: AN IMPOVERISHED FAUNA;172
17.4;CHIROPTERA: BATS WITH INDO-MALAYSIAN LINKS;172
18;CHAPTER 9. The Insectivores;174
18.1;I. INTRODUCTION;174
18.2;II. AN OVERVIEW OF THE TENRECIDAE;175
18.3;III. SOME CONSERVATIVE TRAITS OF THE TENRECIDAE;176
18.4;IV. REPRODUCTION;176
18.5;V. SPECIES ACCOUNTS;177
18.6;VI. CAPTIVE CARE;182
18.7;VII. CONCLUDING REMARKS;182
18.8;REFERENCES;182
19;CHAPTER 10. The Carnivores;186
19.1;THE FOSSINAE;187
19.2;THE GALIDIINAE;191
19.3;CRYPTOPROCTINAE;196
20;CHAPTER 11. The Lemurs;202
20.1;REFERENCES;221
21;CHAPTER 12. The Malagasy and The Chameleon: A Traditional View of Nature;224
21.1;BIBLIOGRAPHY;228
22;CHAPTER 13. Malagasy Economics and Conservation: A Tragedy Without Villains;230
23;CHAPTER 14. Nature Reserves and Nature Conservation in Madagascar;238
23.1;THE INTEGRAL NATURE RESERVES;238
23.2;THE NATIONAL PARKS;242
23.3;THE SPECIAL RESERVES;242
23.4;THE FORESTRY STATIONS;243
23.5;THE PRIVATE RESERVE OF BERENTY;245
23.6;THE PROTECTED ANIMALS;245
23.7;PROTECTION OF NATURE: A FUNDAMENTAL TASK;245
23.8;BIBLIOGRAPHY;246
24;Index;248