Paulo S. Oliveira is professor of ecology at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas in Brazil and was president of the Association for Tropical Biology in 1999. Robert J. Marquis is associate professor of biology at the University of Missouri in St. Louis and is currently editor of Biotropica, the journal of the Association for Tropical Biology.

This superbly edited volume provides a long overdue synthesis of ecological investigations of the 'cerrados' of Brazil...the book is a landmark in savanna ecology. -- Daniel C. Nepstad, Woods Hole Research Center Ecology This excellent book is the first in English to focus entirely on the Brazilian cerrados biome... The editors and authors have succeeded in their hope to write a book that will aid and foster future cerrados research. -- Noel B. Pavlovic, U.S. Geological Survey Plant Science Bulletin The book provides an interesting and detailed review of our current understanding of the cerrados... A great accomplishment. Southeastern Naturalist The Cerrados of Brazil is one of the few general works in English about the cerrados and the only major one... to be written primarily by a large group of Brazilian scientists. It is clearly the best and most comprehensive overview of the ecosystem that an English-only reader can get their hands on. The work is of consistently high quality throughout and well documented. -- G. F. Guala Plant Systematics and Evolution This is an excellent book and highly recommended for economic-botanists. Economic Botany

• 1 Introduction: Development of Research in the Cerrados, by Paulo S. Oliveira and Robert J. Marquis Part I. Historical Framework and the Abiotic Environment 2. Relation of Soils and Geomorphic Surfaces in the Brazilian Cerrado, by Paulo E. F. Motta, Nilton Curi, and Donald P. Franzmeier 3 Late Quaternary History and Evolution of the Cerrados as Revealed by Palynological Records, by Marie-Pierre Ledru 4 The Fire Factor, by Heloisa S. Miranda, Mercedes M. C. Bustamante, and Antonio C. Miranda 5 Past and Current Human Occupation and Land-Use, by Carlos A. Klink and Adriana G. Moreira Part II. The Plant Community: Composition, Dynamics, and Life-History 6 Vegetation Physiognomies and Woody Flora of the Cerrado Biome, by Ary T. Oliveira-Filho and James A. Ratter 7 Herbaceous Plant Communities, by Tarciso S. Filgueiras 8 Patterns and Dynamics of Plant Populations, by Raimundo P. B. Henriques and John D. Hay 9 The Role of Fire in Population Dynamics of Woody Plants, by William A. Hoffmann and Adriana G. Moreira 10 Ecophysiology of Woody Plants, by Augusto C. Franco Part III. The Animal Community: Diversity and Biogeography 11 Lepidoptera in the Cerrado Landscape and the Conservation of Vegetation, Soil, and Topographical Mosaics,, by Keith S. Brown Jr. and David R. Gifford 12 The Character and Dynamics of the Cerrado Herpetofauna, by Guarino R. Colli, Rogerio P. Bastos, and Alexandre F. B. Araujo 13 The Avifauna: Ecology, Biogeography, and Behavior, by Regina H. F. Macedo 14 The Cerrado Mammals: Diversity, Ecology, and Natural History, by Jader Marinho-Filho, Flavio H. G. Rodrigues, and Keila M. Juarez Part IV. Insect-Plant Interactions 15 Ant Foraging on Plant Foliage: Contrasting Effects on the Behavioral Ecology of Insect Herbivores, by Paulo S. Oliveira, Andre V. L. Freitas, and Kleber Del-Claro 16 Interactions Among Cerrado plants and Their Herbivores: Unique or typical? Robert J. Marquis, by Helena C. Morais, and Ivone R. Diniz 17 Pollination and Reproductive Biology in Cerrado Plant Communities, by Paulo E. Oliveira and Peter E. Gibbs Part V. The Conservation of the Cerrados 18 Biodiversity and Conservation Priorities in the Cerrado Region, by Roberto B. Cavalcanti and Carlos A. Joly