Nouragues is a tropical forest research station in French Guiana. It was established in 1986 for research on natural mechanisms of forest regeneration. Since then a lot of research has been done on this and related topics. This book provides an overview of the main research results, and focuses on plant communities, vertebrate communities and evolutionary ecology, frugivory and seed dispersal, and forest dynamics and recruitment. The appendices give (annoted) checklists of plants, birds, mammals, herpetofauna and fishes found in the same area.Nouragues is a tropical forest research station in French Guiana. It was established in 1986 for research on natural mechanisms of forest regeneration. Since then a lot of research has been done on this and related topics. This book provides an overview of the main research results, and focuses on plant communities, vertebrate communities and evolutionary ecology, frugivory and seed dispersal, and forest dynamics and recruitment. The appendices give (annoted) checklists of plants, birds, mammals, herpetofauna and fishes found in the same area.Editors Preface. Part I: Introduction. 1. The field station; P.Charles-Dominique. 2. Geography and climate; M. Grimaldi, B. Ri?ra. 3. Scales of ambient light variation; F. Bongers, et al. Part II: Plant Communities. 4. The lowland high rainforest: structure and tree species diversity; O. Poncy, et al. 5. The low forest (Nouragues Inselberg); D. Larpin. 6. Plant communities on a granitic outcrop; C. Sarthou. 7. Palaeoclimates and their consequences on forest composition; P. Charles-Dominique, et al. Part III: Vertebrate Communities and Evolutionary Ecology. 8. Diet and population densities of the primate community in relation to fruit supplies; B. Simmen, et al. 9. Comparative positional behaviour of five primates; D. Youlatos, J.-P. Gasc. 10. The bat community; A. Brosset, et al. 11. The marsupial community; M.-Llƒ`