Amazonia

The book focuses on geological history as the critical factor indetermining the present biodiversity and landscapes of Amazonia.The different driving mechanisms for landscape evolution areexplored by reviewing the history of the Amazonian Craton, theassociated sedimentary basins, and the role of mountain uplift andclimate change.
This book provdes an insight into the Meso- and Cenozoic recordof Amazonia that was characterized by fluvial and long-lived lakesystems and a highly diverse flora and fauna. This fauna includesgiants such as the ca. 12 m long caiman Purussaurus, but also avaried fish fauna and fragile molluscs, whilst fossil pollen andspores form relics of ancestral swamps and rainforests.
Finally, a review the molecular datasets of the modern Amazonianrainforest and aquatic ecosystem, discussing the possible relationsbetween the origin of Amazonian species diversity and thepalaeogeographic, palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental evolutionof northern South America. The multidisciplinary approach inevaluating the history of Amazonia has resulted in a comprehensivevolume that provides novel insights into the evolution of thisregion.