Smaller Orders of Insects of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador PDF Download

Author: Stewart B. Peck
Publisher: NRC Research Press
ISBN: 9780660182841
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
This is a synthesis of both previously published information and abundant new data derived from field studies on Galagos insects. The dynamics and patterns of the evolution, ecology and distribution of the entire insect fauna are presented in general. The core of the book is an account of the 495 species of insects in the smaller orders with detailed information on their distribution and bionomics.

Author: Stewart B. Peck
Publisher: NRC Research Press
ISBN: 9780660189925
Category : Insects
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
The Galápagos Islands of Ecuador are world famous for their unique plants and animals, and the hints these gave to Charles Darwin in forming his ideas on evolution. They are the world's least altered set of tropical oceanic islands. The oldest have been available for colonization by land plants and animals for about 3-4 million years.

Author: John L. Capinera
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9781402062421
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 4346

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Book Description
This text brings together fundamental information on insect taxa, morphology, ecology, behavior, physiology, and genetics. Close relatives of insects, such as spiders and mites, are included.

Author: Stewart B. Peck
Publisher: NRC Research Press
ISBN: 9780660194219
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description

Author: Peck, Stewart Blaine Peck
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780660194226
Category : Beetles
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
The Galapagos Islands of Ecuador are world famous for their unique plants and animals, and the hints these gave to Charles Darwin in forming his ideas on evolution by natural selection. They are the world's least altered set of tropical oceanic islands. The oldest islands have been available for colonization by land plants and animals for about 3-4 million years. At least 1850 species of insects and 350 species of other terrestrial arthropods are now known to occur on the islands. Beetles are the largest order of animals, and globally comprise about 25% of all animal species. They also represent about 25% of all terrestrial animals known in the Galapagos Islands. This book is a synthesis of both previously published information and abundant new data gathered during extensive recent field studies on Galapagos beetles. Generalizations are presented on the dynamics and patterns of the evolution, ecology, and distribution of the entire beetle fauna. The core of the book is an account of the 486 species of beetles with detailed information on their distribution and bionomics. This work will be of interest to entomologists, island ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and conservation scientists as a framework for future study and protection of the fauna and flora of the islands. It is a contribution to a comparative global understanding of the origin, evolution, and ecological structuring of oceanic island insect faunas.

Author: Thomas Pape
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004148973
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 479

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Book Description
This is the first comprehensive synopsis of the biodiversity of Diptera, with chapters on all regional faunas, Diptera as ecological indicators, statistical techniques for estimating species diversity based on the known fauna, molecular tools and trends in digital publication.

Author: Henry Nicholls
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465035957
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
The natural and human history of the Galapagos Islands—beloved vacation spot, fiery volcanic chain, and one of the critical sites in the history of science The Galapagos were once known to the sailors and pirates who encountered them as Las Encantadas: the enchanted islands, home to exotic creatures and dramatic volcanic scenery. In The Galapagos, science writer Henry Nicholls offers a lively natural and human history of the archipelago, charting its evolution from deserted wilderness to scientific resource (made famous by Charles Darwin) and global ecotourism hot spot. He describes the island chain's fiery geological origins as well as the long history of human interaction with it, and draws vivid portraits of the Galapagos' diverse life forms, capturing its awe-inspiring landscapes, its understated flora, its stunning wildlife and, crucially, the origin of new species. Finally, he considers the immense challenges facing the islands and what lies ahead. Nicholls shows that what happens in the Galapagos is not merely an isolated concern, but reflects the future of our species' relationship with nature—and the fate of our planet.

Author: Robert G. Foottit
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118945603
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1024

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Book Description
Volume Two of the new guide to the study of biodiversity in insects Volume Two of Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society presents an entirely new, companion volume of a comprehensive resource for the most current research on the influence insects have on humankind and on our endangered environment. With contributions from leading researchers and scholars on the topic, the text explores relevant topics including biodiversity in different habitats and regions, taxonomic groups, and perspectives. Volume Two offers coverage of insect biodiversity in regional settings, such as the Arctic and Asia, and in particular habitats including crops, caves, and islands. The authors also include information on historical, cultural, technical, and climatic perspectives of insect biodiversity. This book explores the wide variety of insect species and their evolutionary relationships. Case studies offer assessments on how insect biodiversity can help meet the needs of a rapidly expanding human population, and examine the consequences that an increased loss of insect species will have on the world. This important text: Offers the most up-to-date information on the important topic of insect biodiversity Explores vital topics such as the impact on insect biodiversity through habitat loss and degradation and climate change With its companion Volume I, presents current information on the biodiversity of all insect orders Contains reviews of insect biodiversity in culture and art, in the fossil record, and in agricultural systems Includes scientific approaches and methods for the study of insect biodiversity The book offers scientists, academics, professionals, and students a guide for a better understanding of the biology and ecology of insects, highlighting the need to sustainably manage ecosystems in an ever-changing global environment.

Author: Matthew J. James
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199354618
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
In 1905, eight men from the California Academy of Sciences set sail from San Francisco for a scientific collection expedition in the Galapagos Islands, and by the time they were finished in 1906, they had completed one of the most important expeditions in the history of both evolutionary and conservation science. These scientists collected over 78,000 specimens during their time on the islands, validating the work of Charles Darwin and laying the groundwork for foundational evolution texts like Darwin's Finches. Despite its significance, almost nothing has been written on this voyage, lost amongst discussion of Darwin's trip on the Beagle and the writing of David Lack. In Collecting Evolution, author Matthew James finally tells the story of the 1905 Galapagos expedition. James follows these eight young men aboard the Academy to the Galapagos and back, and reveals the reasons behind the groundbreaking success they had. A current Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, James uses his access to unpublished writings and photographs to provide unprecedented insight into the expedition. We learn the voyagers' personal stories, and how, for all the scientific progress that was made, just as much intense personal drama unfolded on the trip. This book shares a watershed moment in scientific history, crossed with a maritime adventure. There are four tangential suicides and controversies over credit and fame. Collecting Evolution also explores the personal lives and scientific context that preceded this voyage, including what brought Darwin to the Galapagos on the Beagle voyage seventy years earlier. James discusses how these men thought of themselves as "collectors" before they thought of themselves as scientists, and the implications this had on their approach and their results. In the end, the voyage of the Academy proved to be crucial in the development of evolutionary science as we know it. It is the longest expedition in Galapagos history, and played a critical role in cementing Darwin's legacy. Collecting Evolution brings this extraordinary story of eight scientists and their journey to life.

Author: William H. Durham
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197531539
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The terrestrial organisms of the Galápagos Islands live under conditions unlike those anywhere else. At the edge of a uniquely rich mid-ocean upwelling, their world is also free of mammalian predators and competitors, allowing them to live unbothered, exuberant lives. With its giant tortoises, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, and forests of giant daisies, there's no question that this is a magnificent place. Long before people traversed the Earth, evolution endowed native species with adaptations to these special conditions and to perturbations like El Niño events and periodic droughts. As the islands have grown ever-more connected with humanity, those same adaptations now make its species vulnerable. Today, the islands are best viewed as one big social-ecological system where the ability of each native organism to survive and reproduce is a product of human activity in addition to ecological circumstances. In this book, William H. Durham takes readers on a tour of Galápagos and the organisms that inhabit these isolated volcanic islands. Exuberant Life offers a contemporary synthesis of what we know about the evolution of its curiously wonderful organisms, how they are faring in the tumultuous changing world around them, and how evolution can guide our efforts today for their conservation. The book highlights the ancestry of a dozen specific organisms in these islands, when and how they made it to the Galápagos, as well as how they have changed in the meantime. Durham traces the strengths and weaknesses of each species, arguing that the mismatch between natural challenges of their habitats and the challenges humans have recently added is the main task facing conservation efforts today. Such analysis often provides surprises and suggestions not yet considered, like the potential benefits to joint conservation efforts between tree finches and tree daisies, or ways in which the peculiar evolved behaviors of Nazca and blue-footed boobies can be used to benefit both species today. In each chapter, a social-ecological systems framework is used to highlight links between human impact, including climate change, and species status today, Historically, the Galápagos have played a central role in our understanding of evolution; what these islands now offer to teach us about conservation may well prove indispensable for the future of the planet.