Peatlands of the Western Guayana Highlands, Venezuela. Properties and Paleographic Significance of Peats. 2011. (Ecological Studies, Tentative volume 217). col. illus. 280 p. gr8vo. Hardcover.

The Guayana Highlands in northeastern tropical America, rising from lowland rain forests and savannas up to 3000m 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 this volume, which starts whith 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.