The ghosts of evolution
The ghosts of evolution: nonsensical fruit, missing partners, and other ecological anachronisms Connie Barlow
Publisher: New York : Basic Books, c2000.
ISBN: 0465005527
LCC: QH367
Edition: $19.00
Summary:
Ecological science is changing because of a recent discovery: Every
field, forest, and park is full of living organisms adapted for
relationships with creatures that have long been extinct. In this
book, the author shows how this idea of "missing partners" in nature
evolved from isolated, curious examples into an idea that is
transforming how ecologists understand the entire flora and fauna of
the Americas. Barlow's report on a scientific program in its infancy
puts the cutting edge of evolutionary thought within the grasp of any
amateur naturalist. This book connects modern parks, supermarket
produce sections, and even shopping-mall parking lots with remnants
of the elephants, camels, giant sloths, rhinos, and lions that once
roamed North America.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (p. 267-283) and index.
Ghost stories -- Ecological anachronisms and their missing partners
-- Megafaunal dispersal syndrome -- Advancing the theory -- Fruitful
longing -- Extreme anachronisms -- Armaments from another era -- Who
are the ghosts? -- Consequences -- Great work.
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