Vegetation inventory and description

Citation

White L & Edwards A (2000) Vegetation inventory and description. In: White L & Edwards A (eds.) Conservation research in the African rain forests: a technical handbook. New York, NY, USA: Wildlife Conservation Society, pp. 115-151. http://bioko.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/whiteedwards2000.pdf

Abstract
First paragraph: Conservation research and activities in African rain forests tend to focus on animals, particularly large mammals and birds. However, one cannot escape the fact that by their very nature it is the plants that define the forest environment. Tropical rain forests are home to a great diversity of plant species representing many forms and life-styles. This diversity in turn creates a wide variety of habitats and foods for animals. Plants increase the temporal diversity of the rain forest, since animal reproduction and migration usually are linked to the timing and location of fruit, flower and leaf production. As evidence of this, plant diversity tends to correlate well with overall species diversity. But given the wealth of taxonomic work which has been undertaken on plants in many areas (even if our knowledge is by no means complete), they tend to be more easily studied than other species-rich groups such as insects.