My aim is to show, by one example, why systematics must provide a
foundation equal to that of ecology if the structure of tropical forests, and
particularlyt heir floristic structurea nd often extraordinarys pecies richness, is
to be understood. Species composition accounts for much of the geographical
variation in structure that occurs among forests in different regions sharing the
same habitat. Our knowledge of rain forest structure has advanced from the
description of whole plant communities, or often their tree component alone,
to a contemporary interest in the demography and genetics of species populations,
and to the physiological ecology of individuals. Always, though,
systematic as well as ecological relationships must be understood if this
knowledge is to contribute to understanding of the structure of the whole
forest.