Demons in Eden: The Paradox of Plant Diversity
| AUTHOR | Silvertown, Jonathan; Silvertown, Jonathan W. |
| PUBLISHER | University of Chicago Press (11/01/2005) |
| PRODUCT TYPE | Hardcover (Hardcover) |
Description
At the heart of evolution lies a bewildering paradox. Natural selection favors above all the individual that leaves the most offspring--a superorganism of sorts that Jonathan Silvertown here calls the "Darwinian demon." But if such a demon existed, this highly successful organism would populate the entire world with its own kind, beating out other species and eventually extinguishing biodiversity as we know it. Why then, if evolution favors this demon, is the world filled with so many different life forms? What keeps this Darwinian demon in check? If humankind is now the greatest threat to biodiversity on the planet, have we become the Darwinian demon? Demons in Eden considers these questions using the latest scientific discoveries from the plant world. Readers join Silvertown as he explores the astonishing diversity of plant life in regions as spectacular as the verdant climes of Japan, the lush grounds of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, the shallow wetlands and teeming freshwaters of Florida, the tropical rainforests of southeast Mexico, and the Canary Islands archipelago, whose evolutionary novelties--and exotic plant life--have earned it the sobriquet "the Galapagos of botany." Along the way, Silvertown looks closely at the evolution of plant diversity in these locales and explains why such variety persists in light of ecological patterns and evolutionary processes. In novel and useful ways, he also investigates the current state of plant diversity on the planet to show the ever-challenging threats posed by invasive species and humans. Bringing the secret life of plants into more colorful and vivid focus than ever before, Demons in Eden is an empathic and impassioned exploration of modern plant ecology that unlocks evolutionary mysteries of the natural world.
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Product Format
Product Details
ISBN-13:
9780226757711
ISBN-10:
0226757714
Binding:
Hardback or Cased Book (Sewn)
Content Language:
English
More Product Details
Page Count:
192
Carton Quantity:
22
Product Dimensions:
5.88 x 0.81 x 8.72 inches
Weight:
0.83 pound(s)
Feature Codes:
Bibliography,
Index,
Dust Cover,
Price on Product,
Table of Contents,
Illustrated
Country of Origin:
US
Subject Information
BISAC Categories
Science | Life Sciences - Botany
Science | Life Sciences - Biological Diversity
Science | Life Sciences - Ecology
Dewey Decimal:
581.7
Library of Congress Control Number:
2005007413
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
publisher marketing
At the heart of evolution lies a bewildering paradox. Natural selection favors above all the individual that leaves the most offspring--a superorganism of sorts that Jonathan Silvertown here calls the "Darwinian demon." But if such a demon existed, this highly successful organism would populate the entire world with its own kind, beating out other species and eventually extinguishing biodiversity as we know it. Why then, if evolution favors this demon, is the world filled with so many different life forms? What keeps this Darwinian demon in check? If humankind is now the greatest threat to biodiversity on the planet, have we become the Darwinian demon? Demons in Eden considers these questions using the latest scientific discoveries from the plant world. Readers join Silvertown as he explores the astonishing diversity of plant life in regions as spectacular as the verdant climes of Japan, the lush grounds of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, the shallow wetlands and teeming freshwaters of Florida, the tropical rainforests of southeast Mexico, and the Canary Islands archipelago, whose evolutionary novelties--and exotic plant life--have earned it the sobriquet "the Galapagos of botany." Along the way, Silvertown looks closely at the evolution of plant diversity in these locales and explains why such variety persists in light of ecological patterns and evolutionary processes. In novel and useful ways, he also investigates the current state of plant diversity on the planet to show the ever-challenging threats posed by invasive species and humans. Bringing the secret life of plants into more colorful and vivid focus than ever before, Demons in Eden is an empathic and impassioned exploration of modern plant ecology that unlocks evolutionary mysteries of the natural world.
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Your Price
$29.70