Since the publication of the first edition of this book ten years ago,
international research efforts in physiological ecology of plants in the
tropics has increased enormously in quantity and quality. New approaches
came up in remote sensing and at the other end of the scope in some
areas molecular biology was particularly developed regarding ecological
performance of tropical plants, e.g. in understanding the adaptation of
resurrection plants to the extreme habitat of inselbergs. In this fully
revised and updated second edition the wealth of new information made it
necessary to break large chapters down into smaller ones. Tropical
forests which occupy about half of the entire volume of the book are now
arranged in five chapters covering structure and function under the
influence of environmental cues and including epiphytes and mangroves as
part of the tropical forest complex. Savannas are now treated in two
chapters. Coastal salinas have been combined with a new section on the
Brazilian restingas in a chapter on coastal sand plains.