This comprehensive source introduces the reader to Primate Biogeography as a discipline. Primate Biogeography is a subject rarely addressed as a discipline in its own right. This book highlights the many factors that may influence the distribution of primates, and reveals the wide range of approaches that are available to understanding the distribution of this order. The biogeography of primates in the past is a major component of our understanding of their evolutionary history and is an essential component of conservation biology. This book will appeal to primatologists, physical anthropologists, zoologists, and undergraduates in these areas.
Biogeography, the study of the distribution of organisms over the surface of the earth, plays a central role in our understanding of virtually all aspects of the biology of primates and other animals, including systematics, mechanisms of speciation, population genetics and demography. The distribution of primates relative to aspects of climate and habitat, including altitude, forest type, and food availability, forms the basis for our understanding of ecological and behavioral adaptations. The biogeography of primates in the past is a major component of our understanding of their evolutionary history and is an essential component of conservation biology.
This volume, which brings together these papers on the biogeography of primates, past and present, provides an introduction to Primate Biogeography as a discipline, illustrates the many factors that may influence the distribution of primates, and demonstrates the wide range of methodological approaches that are available to understanding the distribution of this order.
From the reviews:
"The biology of the tropics is severely understudied by comparison to that of temperate regions. ? Primatology has a huge amount of amazingly detailed data on its focal taxon. Our field therefore provides a large, clear window into tropical biology. This book should be read by all biogeographers, not just primate biogeographers. ? All chapters are clearly written, with quantitative analysis of high quality, stimulating discussion, an abundance of raw data that will provide much fuel for future research, and excellent summaries." (A. H. Harcourt, International Journal of Primatology, Vol. 28, 2007)
"This book is a collection of studies that fall into one of two general categories: ecological biogeography, the study of a taxon's distribution patterns based on its interactions with the physical and biotic environment, or historical biogeography, the investigation of events that led to the origin and dispersal of a taxon. ? Primate Biogeography is designed as a broad survey of the field ? is a great success. This book will undoubtedly serve as a valuable introduction to the field for several years to come." (Anthony J. Tosi, Journal of Mammalian Evolution, Vol. 14, 2007)
