Amphibians - which have little control over their body temperatures or evaporative water loss - are closely tied to their environments and as such can be used as indicators of destruction of habitats. At a time when populations of many species of amphibians are declining from unknown causes, biologists and conservationists need to know the patterns of distribution of amphibians and where large numbers of species and endemics occur. This volume is a synthesis of information on the worldwide distribution of amphibians. Chapters on each of nine global regions are written by experts who have gathered the diverse data from the literature and from their own experience in the field. The regional treatments emphasize patterns of distribution and their interpretation with respect to geography, climate, vegetation and evolutionary history, providing sytheses of these patterns. The contributors also address existing and recommended aspects of conservation. The bibliography accompanying each chapter is an introduction to the literature on the amphibians of each region. Appendixes provide lists of species and their areas of distribution within each major region of the world.
Maps, graphs and tables are also included.