THE TROPICAL FOREST: Ants, Ants, Animals & Plants

by Mary Batten ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 17, 1973

Though emphasizing the ecological interrelationship of forest life, Batten arranges her chapters according to conventional divisions -- plants, reptiles, birds, bats, etc. -- rather than by layer (canopy, understory, etc.) as in Pringle's Into the Woods (KR, p. 1322). However, Batten's more extensive text (centered mostly on Central and South American forests) draws frequently on current research and acknowledges the openness of many of the questions. We do tire of being told that ""like an apartment building, a tropical forest has many stories"" and we wish we'd been told who discovered that the impressive chest beating of mountain gorillas is used ""to cummunicate over distances,"" but in general this is an informed, relatively interesting introduction at a level between Pringle and the exemplary Life volumes recommended here ""for further reading.

Pub Date: Dec. 17, 1973

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 130

Publisher: T. Y. Crowell

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1973

Categories: NONFICTION