In 1971 the International Society of Tropical Ecology and the International Association for Ecology held a meeting on Tropical Ecology, with an emphasis on organic production in New Delhi, India. At this meeting a Working Group on Tropical Ecology was organized, consisting of K. C. Misra (India), F. Malaisse (Zaire), E. Medina (Venezuela) and F. Golley (U.S.A.). The object of this Working Group was to stimulate interaction between tropical ecologists through future scientific meetings and other exchanges and communications. A second meeting of ISTE and INTECOL was held in Caracas, Venezuela in 1973, under the direction of Medina and Golley and sponsored by the Depart ment of Ecology, Institute Venezolano Investigaciones Cientificas (lVIC). The basic structure of the meeting was provided by series of invited papers which considered topics of special interest from both an applied and theoretical view. These included physiological ecology (Pannier), populations (Rabinovich), tropical savannas (Lamotte), rivers (Sioli), estuaries (Rodriguez), and island ecosystems (Mueller-Dombois). Contributed papers considered details of these and other ecological topics, including the application of ecology to human problems. The present volume includes the invited papers listed above and a sampling of contributed papers which together illustrate the trends of research in tropical ecology. The papers show that tropical ecology is a vigorous subject of research. While the papers in this volume do not provide reviews of all the topics of study in tropical ecology, they do present authoritative statements on progress in the major subject in the field."

The Institute of Ecology (TIE) was organized to provide a mech anism for addressing ecological and environmental issues that were beyond the special interests of ecology as a profession. One method of evaluating such issues is the workshop, and this report describes the results of the third TIE workshop on a major environmental subject. The ecology of tropical regions is of interest to all the inhabitants of the biosphere. The tropics provide mankind with both the opportunity for and the challenge of essential resources, land for settlement and development, and waters for numerous uses. Moreover, they provide examples of misuse of the landscape, fragility of ecological systems, and serious environmental problems. Unfortunately, the study of the ecology of the tropics has not kept pace with the ecology of other regions. The purpose of this report, therefore, is to determine the research approaches that will lead to advances in our theoretical un derstanding of tropical systems and, more importantly, in the applica tion of that knowledge to human problems. Although the principal focus of the report is on the neotropics, it will be useful to the full spectrum of persons concerned with the tropics around the world government officials, sCientists, students of ecology, and others. TIE is especially pleased to thank the numerous scientists and ad ministrators who participated in the workshop and who contributed to this report. Arthur D.

The ability of small mammals to exploit environmental resources, based upon a rapid adaptation to short-term changes in population and/or the environment, as well as to a variety of local conditions, implies a strong impact upon natural resources. The role played by small mammal consumers in the flow of energy within natural and man-modified ecosystems is therefore of equal importance to that of larger, longer-lived species which have been studied more intensively. This volume, first published in 1975, looks at small mammal populations with emphasis being placed on their ecology and energy dynamics. It discusses the most productive research techniques and research objectives. The second part of the book deals with the roles of small mammals in ecosystems ranging from the tropics to the tundra and special consideration is given to the impact of rodents on man. Research workers in the fields of mammalogy and ecology will find this an essential book and agriculturists, foresters and anyone concerned professionally with the control of small mammals will find much that is of value to their work.