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Biodiversity of the Biological Reserve of Pedra Talhada

Alagoas, Pernambuco-Brazil

The objective of this book, illustrated with 2400 photos, is to strengthen the disclosure of the importance of this reserve in order to guarantee its long-term protection.

The 818-page book was written by 74 international scientists, in Portuguese, in 2015. The French translation was published in 2018. It is divided into 27 chapters and subchapters in which the authors present the natural environments of Brazil and then describe the Pedra Talhada Reserve in all its aspects: abiotic parameters, flora, and vegetation, bryophytes, fungi and lichens, planaria, mollusks, arachnids, myriapods, crustaceans, several orders of insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

Species inventories of these groups occupy the second half of the book. With the help of more than 200 specialized taxonomists, the authors have recorded more than 2100 species of plants and animals in this reserve of 4469 ha. This work has allowed the identification of many endemic species and the discovery of new species under study for future publications. A history of the creation of the reserve ends the book. This book serves as a key element of the master plan for the management of the reserve for the coming decades.

This book is a basis for studies on the relationships between plants, animals, and other organisms of the tropical forest. This book already serves as a reference for researchers and teachers in Brazil and other South American countries and for those interested in tropical biodiversity.

Although it is a scientific book that lists an essential part of biodiversity, it is also a popularization book for the general public. Indeed, richly illustrated with 2400 color illustrations, it shows spectacular biodiversity through numerous anecdotes, describing subtle mechanisms often ignored by scientists as well as the general public. We discover, for example, that a small beetle of 2 cm is able to cut tree branches of 10 cm in diameter, that some bats drink half of their weight in blood in a single shot, or that the leaves of the plants of the undergrowth are purple on the lower face, which mirrors to double the use of light energy.

At a time when everyone is aware of the loss of global biodiversity and the threat to tropical forests, this type of work, which highlights the enormous biological diversity of such environments, justifies the protection and conservation of these forests and the creation of new reserves.

This kind of monograph will serve as a model for other regions of the world to disclose their diversity for their protection.

Editors: Studer Anita, Nusbaumer Louis and Spichiger Rodolphe
Publishers: Geneva, Nordesta & Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève
Legal deposit: 2018
ISBN: 978-2-8399-2310-1
Price: CHF 120.00
Order, contacts: | +41 (0) 22 731 61 68

 

Access to the chapters of the book

Preface

Prologue

Chapter 1: Natural Environments of Brazil

Chapter 2: Abiotic parameters

Chapter 3: Flora & Vegetation / Inventory

Chapter 4: Bryophytes / Inventory / Bryophytes & Inventory

Chapter 5: Mushrooms & Lichens / Inventory / Mushrooms & Lichens & Inventory

Chapter 6.1: Planarians / Inventory / Planarians & Inventory

Chapter 6.2: Molluscs / Inventory / Molluscs & Inventory

Chapter 6.3: Arachnids / Inventory / Arachnids & Inventory

Chapter 6.4: Chilopods and Diplopods / Inventory / Chilopods and Diplopods & Inventory

Chapter 6.5: Crustaceans / Inventory / Crustaceans & Inventory

Chapter 6.6: Insects

Chapter 6.6.1: Dragonflies / Inventory / Dragonflies & Inventory

Chapter 6.6.2: Phasms / Inventory / Phasms & Inventory

Chapter 6.6.3: Mantes / Inventory / Mantes & Inventory

Chapter 6.6.4: Cockroaches / Inventory / Cockroaches & Inventory

Chapter 6.6.5: Termites / Inventory / Termites & Inventory

Chapter 6.6.6: Crickets, Cricket and Grasshoppers / Inventory / Crickets, Cricket and Grasshoppers & Inventory

Chapter 6.6.7: Bugs, Leafcutters and Cicadas / Inventory / Bugs, Leafcutters and Cicadas & Inventory

Chapter 6.6.8: Ants / Inventory / Ants & Inventory

Chapter 6.6.9: Bees / Inventory / Bees & Inventory

Chapter 6.6.10: Beetles / Inventory / Beetles & Inventory

Chapter 6.6.11: Butterflies / Inventory / Butterflies & Inventory

Chapter 6.7: Fish / Inventory / Fish & Inventory

Chapter 6.8: Amphibians / Inventory / Amphibians & Inventory

Chapter 6.9: Reptiles / Inventory / Reptiles & Inventory

Chapter 6.10: Birds / Inventory / Birds & Inventory

Chapter 6.11.1: Bats / Inventory / Bats & Inventory

Chapter 6.11.2: Non-Flying Mammals / Inventory / Non-Flying Mammals & Inventory

Appendix A: Order in Council

Appendix B: History of the Biological Reserve of Pedra Talhada

Index

Research works published on Pedra Talhada

 

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