Dr. Margaret Lowman, professor of environmental studies at New College of Florida, has devoted 25 years to the study of rainforest canopy ecology, fostering a wider appreciation of this vital resource. As an Earthwatch principal investigator in the 1980s, Lowman explored patterns of insect herbivory in the rainforests of Queensland, Australia, with Earthwatch volunteers. Now Lowman and her colleague Bruce Rinker (Marie Selby Botanical Gardens) have published the most authoritative text on forest canopies, highlighting the tremendous growth of this field in the last two decades.
In the second edition of Forest Canopies, more than 50 scientists and educators from around the world examine the biodiversity, ecology, evolution, and conservation of forest canopy ecosystems. Through a series of scholarly articles, edited by Lowman and Rinker, this book explores recent discoveries in forest structure, canopy organisms, and the ecological processes that make canopies crucial to forest dynamics. Lowman contributes a chapter on the history of canopy biology, pulling from her extensive experience in the field, as well as one on canopy ecotourism. This book would be a vital resource to scientists and students dealing with forests, as well as conservationists or anyone interested in life in the treetops.
Forest Canopies. Margaret D. Lowman and H. Bruce Rinker (eds). Elsevier Academic Press, 2004.