The first and so far only Plant Geography of Chile was written about 100
years ago, since when many things have changed: plants have been renamed
and reclassified; taxonomy and systematics have experienced deep changes
as have biology, geography, and biogeography. The time is therefore ripe
for a new look at Chile's plants and their distribution.
Focusing on three key issues - botany/systematics, geography and
biogeographical analysis - this book presents a thoroughly updated
synthesis both of Chilean plant geography and of the different
approaches to studying it. Because of its range - from the neotropics to
the temperate sub-Antarctic - Chile's flora provides a critical insight
into evolutionary patterns, particularly in relation to the distribution
along the latitudinal profiles and the global geographical relationships
of the country's genera. The consequences of these relations for the
evolution of the Chilean Flora are discussed.
This book will provide a valuable resource for both graduate students
and researchers in botany, plant taxonomy and systematics, biogeography,
evolutionary biology and plant conservation.