Neotropical Biogeography: Regionalization and Evolution presents the most comprehensive single-source treatment of the Neotropical region derived from evolutionary biogeographic studies. The book provides a biogeographic regionalization based on distributional patterns of plant and animal taxa, discusses biotic relationships drawn from track and cladistic biogeographic analyses, and identifies cenocrons (subsets of taxa within biotas identified by their common origin and evolutionary history). It includes maps, area cladograms and vegetation profiles. The aim of this reference is to provide a biogeographic regionalization that can be used by graduate students, researchers and other professionals concerned with understanding and describing distributional patterns of plants and animals in the Neotropical region. It covers the 53 biogeographic provinces of the Neotropical region that are classified into the Antillean, Brazilian and Chacoan subregions, and the Mexican and South American transition zones.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the patterns of biodiversity in various neotropical ecosystems, as well as a discussion on their historical biogeographies and underlying diversification processes. All chapters were written by prominent researchers in the fields of tropical biology, molecular ecology, climatology, paleoecology, and geography, producing an outstanding collection of essays, synthetic analyses, and novel investigations that describe and improve our understanding of the biodiversity of this unique region. With chapters on the Amazon and Caribbean forests, the Atlantic rainforests, the Andes, the Cerrado savannahs, the Caatinga drylands, the Chaco, and Mesoamerica – along with broad taxonomic coverage – this book summarizes a wide range of hypotheses, views, and methods concerning the processes and mechanisms of neotropical diversification. The range of perspectives presented makes the book a truly comprehensive, state-of-the-art publication on the topic, which will fascinate both scientists and general readers alike.

Key features: The first reference book to provide a comprehensive treatment of the biogreography of the Andean region Includes lists of the synonyms for each area and examples of the plant and animal taxa characterizing them. An extensive reference section serves as an entry point for more in-depth research on individual subjects Discusses the relationships between the areas, formulating hypotheses explaining the relationships of different biotas, based on track and cladistic biogeographic analyses Identifies cenocrons that were assembled in the different biotas Contains maps that illustrate the distribution of particular taxa, area cladograms and vegetation profiles This book presents a regionalization of the Andean region, based on an evolutionary biogeographic approach. Aimed at anyone wishing to understand biogeographic patterns of distribution of Andean plants and animals, the book provides a comprehensive treatment of three subregions, one transition zone, and 16 provinces. Lists of the synonyms and examples of taxa characterizing each area are given, and the relationships between the areas discussed, alongside hypotheses explaining the assembly of different biotas. Several maps illustrate the distribution of particular taxa, as well as area cladograms, diagrams and full-color vegetation profiles.

This book presents an evolutionary biogeographic analysis of the Mexican Transition Zone, which is situated in the overlap of the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. It includes a comprehensive review of previous track, cladistic and molecular biogeographic analyses and is illustrated with full color maps and vegetation photographs of the respective areas covered. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to students and researchers whose work involves systematic and biogeographic analyses of plant and animal taxa of the Mexican Transition Zone or other transition zones of the world, and to ecologists working in biodiversity conservation, who will be able to appreciate the evolutionary relevance of the Mexican Transition Zone for establishing conservation areas..

This book analyzes different facets of anuran amphibian distribution in South America. We integrate alternative biological metrics employing cutting-edge methods to understand the dynamic processes underlying species distribution patterns. By using the modern biogeographic toolbox, we explore how richness gradients, phylogenetic diversity, functional diversity, and range size/endemism distribution of amphibians vary along the continent. Moreover, we present a robust proposal for priority areas for conservation of anurans in South America that maximizes representativeness of distinct biodiversity facets.

South American ecosystems suffered one of the greatest biogeographical events, after the establishment of the Panamian land bridge, called the “Great American Biotic Interchange” (GABI). This refers to the exchange, in several phases, of land mammals between the Americas; this event started during the late Miocene with the appearance of the Holartic Procyonidae (Huayquerian Age) in South America and continues today. The major phases of mammalian dispersal occurred from the Latest Pliocene (Marplatan Age) to the Late Pleistocene (Lujanian Age). The most important and richest localities of Late Miocene-Holocene fossil vertebrates of South America are those of the Pampean region of Argentina. There are also several Late Miocene and Pliocene localities in western Argentina and Bolivia. Other important fossils have been collected in localities of Pleistocene age outside Argentina: Tarija (Bolivia), karstic caves of Lagoa Santa and the recently explored caves of Tocantins (Brasil), Talara (Perú), La Carolina (Ecuador), Muaco (Venezuela), and Cueva del Milodon (Chile), among others. The book discusses basic information for interpreting the GABI such as taxonomic composition (incorporating the latest revisions) at classical and new localities for each stage addressing climate, environments, and time boundaries for each stage. It includes the chronology and dynamics of the GABI, the integration of South American mammalian faunas through time, the Quaternary mammalian extinctions and the composition of recent mammalian fauna of the continent.

This volume merges all geographical and paleogeographical data on all groups of the arachnofauna. The book features topics such as the ecological factors, climate and other barriers that influence the distribution of arachnida. It also elaborates on the characteristics of the distribution such as arachnida at high altitude (e.g. Himalaya), in caves, in polar regions and highlights differences between the arachnofauna of e.g. Mediterranean regions vs Central Europe, West African vs Indomalayan and more. Furthermore, amongst other topics the volume also includes chapters on the systems of arachnida, fossil orders, dispersal and dispersion, endemics and relicts, regional arachnogeography, cave and high altitude arachnida.

This book explores how genetics and the new technologies in genomics have been used for conservation of plants and animals in the Neotropics. It shows the new perspective for conservation genetics beyond the use of theoretical and methods in genetics at species level and presents how genetics and genomics can be used for assessing communities. Conservation genetics and genomics are presented as a helpful field of study for resolving taxonomic uncertainties and hidden biodiversity, understanding populations and extinction risk, genetic management, wildlife forensic genetics, assessing biology and molecular ecology, assessing communities, conservation genomics and the use of conservation biology and genetics in science learning, highlighting case studies in the Neotropics. Applications of conservation genetics for management or policy, decision making, planning, and implementation of conservation practice in the Neotropics are addressed across chapters. This book will interest to researchers and students in conservation genetics and biology conservation interested in the Neotropics. Stakeholders and decision makers in conservation biology may also find this book useful.

Within the last few decades, arachnology in the Neotropical region has experienced a great development filling the knowledge gap in one of the most diverse regions of the world. Nevertheless, large geographical areas remain poorly sampled, especially within the Amazon, and new genera and species have been continuously discovered, even in urban areas. In congruence with the recent improvements in research, several aspects of the ecology, behaviour and natural history of spiders, such as interactions with other predators and parasitoids, social interactions, dispersal patterns, habitat requirements, mating behaviors, among others, are being carefully investigated. These recent contributions incorporate substantial information on the preexisting knowledge on these subjects every year. Our main objective with this book is to present a summary on these new researches and on the currently knowledge on the main subjects involved in the general theme, emphasizing the contribution of the rich fauna of the Neotropical region to the research of behaviour and ecology of the spiders.