The Guayana Highlands in northeastern tropical America, rising from lowland rain forests and savannas up to 3000 m elevation, are characterized by ancient tablelands called tepuis. The peatlands that developed on the tepuis constitute unique and fascinating ecosystems and are the focus of Peatlands of the Western Guayana Highlands, Venezuela, which starts with an overview of tropical and subtropical peats, followed by an introduction to the geo-ecological features of the Guayana region as a whole, with special emphasis on the diversity of the vegetation cover from lowlands to uplands to highlands. The core subject centers on the properties and dating of the peat deposits and the interpretation of the chronological record in terms of past environmental changes. The well illustrated book will appeal to a broad range of scientists interested in tropical highland peats, including quaternarists, soil scientists, geomorphologists, geographers, geologists, ecologists, botanists, hydrologists, conservationists, and land use planners.
Ch 1 Introduction O. Huber, J.A. Zinck
Ch 2 Tropical and subtropical peats: an overview J.A. Zinck
Ch 3 The Guayana region and the study areas: geo-ecological characteristics O. Huber, P. Garcia
Ch 4 Tepui peatlands: setting and features J.A. Zinck, P. Garcia
Ch 5 Laboratory methods for characterization of peat materials R. Schargel, P. Garcia, D. Jimenez
Ch 6 Properties and classification of the tepui peats P. Garcia, R. Schargel, J.A. Zinck
Ch 7 Tepui peatlands: age record and environmental changes J.A. Zinck, P. Garcia, J. van der Plicht
Ch 8 Origin of organic matter leading to peat formation in the southeastern Guayana uplands and highlands E. Medina, E. Cuevas, O. Huber
Ch 9 Synthesis: the peatscape of the Guayana Highlands J.A. Zinck