The Pantanal of Mato Grosso (Brazil): World’s Largest Wetlands (Monographiae Biologicae, 73)

Until now there has never been a monograph devoted to the Pantanal, the world's largest wetland. The subject has received scant attention in the international literature, so a number of scattered Portuguese papers are reviewed for an English-language readership. The book presents a broad treatment of the Pantanal, ranging from geology to flora, fauna, and the human presence. The publication of this book is most timely, and will be of crucial importance in decisions affecting the ambitious project for a second South American inland Waterway. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-3 Discovery....Pages 3-5 Limits and size (Fig. 4)....Pages 5-8 Geological data....Pages 8-14 Local geomorphological terminology (Fig. 9)....Pages 14-16 The climate....Pages 16-19 River hydrology....Pages 19-22 The Amazonian connection....Pages 22-23 The flood regime....Pages 23-28 The Pantanal lakes....Pages 28-31 Hydrochemistry....Pages 31-33 Soils....Pages 34-34 How many Pantanals?....Pages 34-37 Regional connections....Pages 37-38 Introduction to the biology of the Pantanal....Pages 38-41 Phytogeography....Pages 41-44 Aquatic vegetation....Pages 44-50 Terrestrial vegetation....Pages 50-57 Fire in the Pantanal....Pages 57-58 Zoogeography....Pages 58-60 Aquatic meiofauna....Pages 60-64 Macrobenthos....Pages 64-65 Ichthyofauna....Pages 65-71 Pantanal fisheries....Pages 71-72 The herpetofauna....Pages 72-77 The avifauna....Pages 77-84 The mammals....Pages 84-88 The humans in the Pantanal....Pages 89-98 Environmental worries....Pages 98-100 Nature conservancy and ecotourism....Pages 100-103 Back Matter....Pages 104-125