Exequiel Ezcurra

Predominantly native to the U. S. Southwest, Mexico, and the Caribbean, the various species of Bursera have been prized throughout history for their distinctive aromas, medicinal properties, workable wood, and attractive appearance. Despite its extensive past and current use as incense in religious ceremonies, and its resourceful antiseptic ability to treat a range of maladies, no comprehensive book exists on this vital yet overlooked plant. Highlighting bursera’s importance and impact within the desert Southwest and Mexico, this volume will be the first book to describe the ecology, evolution, ethnobotany, and peculiar chemistry of the many species of Bursera. In the United States, Bursera is represented by the short, contorted, and aromatic elephant tree of the hot Sonoran Desert and the stately and colorful gumbo limbo of southern Florida, while in the torrid lowlands of southern Mexico, the engines of evolution have produced forests dominated by dozens of species of Bursera, each with a peculiar ecological slot. This evolutionary tableau presents a complicated sex life that puzzles scientists. Recent research also reveals a gripping narrative of an epic struggle between trees and the insects that would subsist on their leaves: the insects seeking to exploit a food resource, the trees reacting with ever-changing, dramatic counter strategies. In addition to the fascinating and intricate workings of the genus’s ecological adaptations, burseras play a formative role in the lives of indigenous populations. Native peoples relish the plants’ aromatic resin, workable wood, and often colorful bark as a source for endless human applications. Written in an engaging style, enhanced with two hundred color photographs, and complete with a compendium of species descriptions, this book will be an essential reference on a significant North American plant.

This is the first in-depth coverage of the plants on islands in the Gulf of California found in between the coasts of Baja California and Sonora. The work is the culmination of decades of study by botanist Richard Felger and recent investigations by Benjamin Wilder, in collaboration with Sr. Humberto Romero-Morales, one of the most knowledgeable Seris concerning the region’s flora. Their collective effort weaves together careful and accurate botanical science with the rich cultural and stunning physical setting of this island realm. The researchers surveyed, collected, and studied thousands of plants—seen here in meticulous illustrations and stunning colour photographs— providing the most precise species accounts of the islands ever made.

The Tamaulipan Province stretches 55,000 square miles along the Tropic of Cancer, from the northernmost Mexican states of Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipus, San Luis Potosi, and Veracruz all the way to southwest Texas. Home to such varied species as the ocelot and the prairie dog, as well as rare birds like the green-checked amazon and the crimson-collared grosbeak, it is one of the most diverse regions in North America - and one of the most threatened. This is the exquisite result of a partnership among Mexican non-governmental organizations, Agrupacion Sierra Madre, and the Tamaulipus state government of Mexico. "The Great Tamaulipan Natural Province" explores this natural paradise and captures its incredible geographical diversity - lagoons, plains, deserts and mountains - through the lens of a camera. Each photograph argues powerfully and persuasively for the preservation of this unique and beautiful environment. A superb contribution to the study of North American wildlife, "The Great Tamaulipan Natural Province" is a must-read for scientists, environmentalists, policymakers, and anyone concerned about our rapidly diminishing natural world.

This updated and expanded A New Island Biogeography of the Sea of Cortez, first published nearly 20 years ago, integrates new and broader studies encompassing more taxa and more complete island coverage. The present synthesis provides a basis for further research and exploration in upcoming years of the biologically fascinating Sea of Cort^d's region. The Gulf region is increasingly being exploited, for its natural resources by way of marine fisheries, and for its stunning natural beauty by way of a burgeoning tourism industry. Further, the region's human population is increasing apace. It is appropriate, therefore, that this volume discusses these evolving circumstances, and the efforts of the Mexican government to regulate and manage them. The new Biogeography includes a section on the conservation issues in the Sea of Cort^d'es, past accomplishments and conservation needs as yet outstanding. This book should be of strong interest to conservation biologists, ecologists, and evolutionary biologists more generally.