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The Fishes and the Forest: Explorations in Amazonian Natural History.

Article  in  Brittonia · April 1981

DOI: 10.2307/2806336

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 Review
Author(s): Ghillean T. Prance
Review by: Ghillean T. Prance
Source: Brittonia, Vol. 33, No. 2 (Apr. - Jun., 1981), p. 257
Published by: Springer on behalf of the New York Botanical Garden Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2806336
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 BOOK REVIEWS
The Fishes and the Forest: Explorationsin Amazonian Natural History.Michael
Goulding. 280 pp., illus. Universityof CaliforniaPress, Berkeley, California.
1980.
This book examines the close relationshipbetween Amazonian fishesand the
treesofthefloodplainforest.It is a detailedstudyofthefishesoftheRio Machado
in the Rio Madeira basin. It establishesthe enormousimportanceof ichthyochory
to the varzea forestsof Amazonia. The introductorychapters present accurate
and useful informationabout the rivers, floodplainsand flooded forest of the
Amazon and about the naturalhistoryof the fishwhich inhabitthem. There are
a large number of fish species froma wide range of families which enter the
floodedforestand eat fruitas a major part of theirdiet.
The stomach contentsof all fishspecies studied were examined and the fruits
whichtheycontainedwere identified.The fruitsof manycommonriversidetrees
(e.g., the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis, and the palm Astrocaryumjauary)
were foundin thefish.The dentitionof manyfishspecies appears to be especially
adapted to thisfruit-eating habit. There are even species of piranhathateat fruit
as an importantpart of theirdiet.
The fishare illustratedmainlyby photographs,and theirdentitionand many
of the fruitswhichtheyeat are illustratedby line drawings.Both the fishand the
plantsare describedin some detailwithmanyinteresting factsabout theirecology
and naturalhistory.Ichthyochoryis much more importantin Amazonia thanhas
previouslybeen recognized.-GHILLEAN T. PRANCE,New York Botanical Gar-
den.

The Plant Collectorsof NorthernMexico. Irving W. Knobloch. v, 98 pp. Latin

AmericanStudies CenterMonographNo. 17, MichiganState University.Order
from:The Latin AmericanStudiesCenter,MichiganState University, East
Lansing,MI 48824.1979.$3.00paper.
Withincreasedattention onthefloraofMexico(e.g.,floristicprojectsinprogress
in Baja, theChihuahuan Desert,Veracruz,Nueva Galicia,Oaxaca, Chiapas,and
the Valleyof Mexico),Dr. Knobloch'sbook is mosttimely.Botanistsstudying
theplantsof Mexicoin almostanycapacitywillfindthisbook informative and
useful.
Dr. Knoblochgives a verybriefintroduction to his list of plantcollectors
leavingthe readerto determine thegeographical limitsof "northern Mexico."
Two hundredninety-six collectorsare listedalphabetically.Biographicaldata,
including dateand place ofbirth(and deathifdeceased)and a briefsummary of
careerhighlights,areincludedformostcollectors.Each entry includesthestate(s)
in Mexico wherethe individualcollectedand the year(s)the collectionswere
made.The herbariawherethespecimensare depositedare listed.A fewentries
are verycompleteand includetheexactdatesofcollection,collectionnumbers,
townsor citiesvisitedand routestraveled,and the plantgroup(s)of special
interest to thecollector.Collectingcompanionsare usuallylisted.Followingthe
listofcollectorsis a bibliography(mostlyreferences citedinthetext)anda listing
ofcitedherbarium abbreviationswithaddressesoftheherbaria.
Perhapsthe mostusefulaspectof thisbook is thatit "introduces"thosein-
terestedinMexicanplantsto manyotheractivecollectors.Ofcourse,thecitation
ofherbariawherethecollectionsare depositedis mostvaluableto thosedesiring
to borrowspecimens.This information is sometimesmade less usefulby the
citationofnumerous herbariawheninfactthecollectormadebutfewcollections
in northern Mexico.
(257)

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