Island Life - Or the Phenomena and Causes of Insular Faunas and Floras Including a Revision and Attempted Solution of the Problem of Geological Climates

Alfred Russel Wallace

Casa editrice: The University of Chicago Press

Sinossi

Alfred Russel Wallace is best known as the codiscoverer, with Charles Darwin, of natural selection, but he was also history’s foremost tropical naturalist and the father of biogeography, the modern study of the geographical basis of biological diversity. Island Life has long been considered one of his most important works. In it he extends studies on the influence of the glacial epochs on organismal distribution patterns and the characteristics of island biogeography, a topic as vibrant and actively studied today as it was in 1880. The book includes history’s first theory of continental glaciation based on a combination of geographical and astronomical causes, a discussion of island classification, and a survey of worldwide island faunas and floras.           The year 2013 will mark the centennial of Wallace’s death and will see a host of symposia and reflections on Wallace’s contributions to evolution and natural history. This reissue of the first edition of Island Life, with a foreword by David Quammen and an extensive commentary by Lawrence R. Heaney, who has spent over three decades studying island biogeography in Southeast Asia, makes this essential and foundational reference available and accessible once again.

Disponibile da: 09/08/2013.

Lunghezza di stampa: 624 pagine.

Scienze e tecnologia

Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

Depositional History of...

William R. Farrand

“Presents detailed descriptions of the physical and depositional characteristics, strata, and radiocarbon chronology of Franchthi.” —Journal of Anthropological Research 
 
This fascicle describes the background of the Franchthi project and its excavation history and methodology. Particle size, mineralogy, and chemistry are all taken into consideration as the cultural remains and the sediments from the cave are analyzed to determine their origin and history. William Farrand constructs an integrated stratigraphy for the entire cave using excavators’ notes, laboratory analyses, and personal field data to correlate sequences in separate trenches. On the basis of some 60 radiocarbon dates, the evolution and chronology of the sedimentary fill is postulated.

Mostra libro

Does Coffee Cause Cancer? - And...

Dr. Christopher Labos

In this fascinating, refreshingly clarifying book about food, food myths, and how sloppy science perpetuates misconceptions about food, a medical doctor on his way to a conference gets drawn into conversations that answer the following questions:
		
		Does vitamin C prevent the common cold? And if it works, why does it only work in Canadian soldiers, ultramarathon runners, and skiers?
		Was red meat really declared a carcinogen by the WHO? Does that mean I should become a vegetarian? And who decides what gets labeled as red meat and white meat?
		Is salt really not that bad for you and did a group of researchers really want to experiment on prisoners to prove the point?
		Does coffee cause cancer or heart attacks? Why did a California court say coffee needed a warning label?
		Is red wine really good for your heart, and what makes the French Paradox such a paradox?
		Why did the New England Journal of Medicine link eating chocolate with winning a Nobel Prize?
		Why were eggs once bad for you but now good for you again? Does that mean I don’t need to worry about cholesterol?
		Should I be taking vitamin D?

Mostra libro

Somatics - Reawakening The...

Thomas Hanna

Building on the foundation laid by Moshe Feldenkrais, Thomas Hanna's groundbreaking work completely redefines the body's potential for withstanding decline. His gentle program for the mind and body proves once and for all that so many problems we accept as inevitable over time -- chronic stiffness, bad back, chronic pain, fatigue, and, at times, even high blood pressure -- need never occur if we maintain conscious control of nerve and muscle, replacing Sensory-Motor Amnesia  with Sensory-Motor Awareness. The good news of Somatic Exercise is that most people simply do not have to become captives of age or injury. Once learned, this lifelong program can help almost anyone maintain the pleasures of a supple, healthy body indefinitely, with only a five-minute routine once a day.

Mostra libro

Fearsome Fauna - A Field Guide...

Roger M. Knutson

Hypochondriacs beware-- would you believe the nastiest creatures in the known universe live inside our bodies? Not content to just find a home and produce offspring in our internal space, parasites will drink our blood, eat our cells, and infest our muscles. There is very little that can be said in their favor, with perhaps one exception-- they are truly fascinating!Fearsome Fauna is a wickedly amusing and startlingly informative look into the secret world of these fascinating creatures. Perhaps the greatest biological success story of all time (there are more kinds of parasites than insects), parasites have found homes in the vast majority of people on earth and have learned to live in their environment without destroying it (usually). For readers who would like to meet these hardworking beasts-- or learn how to avoid them-- Fearsome Fauna tells you everything you always wanted to know about parasites but were too disgusted or terrified to ask.

Mostra libro

Electric Car - A Beginners Guide...

George J Astley

Have you considered buying an electric car?Are you confused by them and wonder if they are as good as traditional motor vehicles?Maybe you’ve just heard of them and would like to learn a bit more?Electric cars are steadily becoming more popular as the technology that produces them gets better and more efficient. Gone now are the days when an electric car needed to be charged every few miles, but still there are many misconceptions about them.This book, Electric Car: A Beginners Guide to Understanding Electric Cars, seeks to eliminate many of these misconceptions and myths that surround these vehicles and provides information on:- Birth of Hybrid Electric Cars and Their Purpose- Environmental Benefits Of Electric Cars- Electric Cars- Save Your Money and Environment- What Are the Gains of Electric Car Conversion?- Intensifying Popularity of Electric Cars- Build Your Own Electric Car At Home- The Future Prospects of Electric CarsAnd More…If you have ever considered that the future lies with these incredible vehicles then get a copy of this book now and increase your understanding of how they can positively affect the planet and your pocket.

Mostra libro

Alaska - Saga of a Bold Land

Walter R. Borneman

The history of Alaska is filled with stories of new land and new riches -- and ever present are new people with competing views over how the valuable resources should be used: Russians exploiting a fur empire; explorers checking rival advances; prospectors stampeding to the clarion call of "Gold!"; soldiers battling out a decisive chapter in world war; oil wildcatters looking for a different kind of mineral wealth; and always at the core of these disputes is the question of how the land is to be used and by whom.While some want Alaska to remain static, others are in the vanguard of change. Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land shows that there are no easy answers on either side and that Alaska will always be crossing the next frontier.

Mostra libro