Ecology and Natural History of Tropical Bees

by David W. Roubik (Editor)

Overview

Describes the prominent themes in the ecology, natural history, and evolution of bees, and includes discussions on pollinating behavior, natural enemies, reproduction, social behavior, and maintenance of the diversity of tropical communities. This book is the first to draw together these themes, and covers topics as varied as the evolution of obligate sociality and the reproductive diversity of tropical flowering plants. There are many new examples from the author's research on pollination ecology, mimicry, mutualism, coevolution, and competition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521429092
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/29/1992
Series:	Cambridge Tropical Biology Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	526
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 1.02(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; Acknowledgments; Part I. Introduction: 1. Approaches to tropical bee biology; 2. Diversity of tropical bees; Part II. Foraging and Pollination: 3. Resources gathered by bees; 4. Mechanisms of resource collection; 5. Foraging and flight activity; 6. Pollination ecology; Part III. Nesting and Reproduction Biology: 7. Bee nests; 8. Nest predators, associates and defense; 9. Mating and brood production; Part IV. Community Ecology: 10. Seasonality, abundance and flower preference; 11. Composition of bee assemblages; 12. Roles of bees in communities; References; Index; Appendices.

Editorial Reviews

"...an important book, not only for the bee biologists, but for anyone interested in studying and conserving the intricate world of tropical ecosystems." Science

"This book is not a mere uncritical regurgitation of abstracts of other's research, but an authoritative winnowing and comparative synthesis of our current body of knowledge for the thousands of tropical species of bees." Quarterly Review of Biology

"...will be valued for its substantial and wide-ranging bibliography, as well as for the text, which is a carefully organised mosaic of sparkling fragments giving tempting glimpses of a relatively unexplored world." Trends in Ecology and Evolution

"...a book which should serve generations of scholars and students [and] be on the shelves of anyone interested in bees, insects, or the ecology of the tropics." New Scientist

"I recommend this book for anyone who is serious about tropical ecology, bee biology, coevolution, or the evolution of complex social behavior. It is a great resource for looking up particular subjects of interest and getting into the literature." Evolution

"I know of no other book as comprehensive and current." Ecology

"David Roubik deserves all the congratulations he has no doubt received for publishing this fascinating, thorough, scholarly, and encyclopaedic book....an important scholarly work....a must for the specialist, not just in apiology, but also in entomology and for biologists concerned with tropical ecology generally." Peter G. Kevan, E.S.C. Bulletin

From the Publisher